Veterans Day
What Surprised Me Most – 52 Ancestors
The record that surprised me most was a divorce record.
My maternal grandfather died in 1917 at the age of twenty-seven. His widow, my grandmother Arnita (Harris) Willis, was left as the sole provider for their five children. In 1923, Arnita married a widower, Augustus “Gus” M. Jackson. Together, they raised Arnita’s children and welcomed her orphaned grandnephew and four orphaned grandchildren into their home. Gus helped raise everyone in their multigenerational household and became “Paw-Paw” to all of them—and later, to their own children, including me.
A couple of years ago, an Ancestry hint pointed me to an Alabama Divorce Index listing Arnita W. Jackson and G. M. Jackson, with a divorce date of March 1955. At first, I thought it was a case of the same name but wrong people, as personal observation told me that Grandmother and Paw-Paw lived in the same household until his death in 1967.
However, after tracking down a digital copy of the original divorce certificate at my local FamilySearch center, I was able to confirm that the divorce record was indeed for my grandmother and Paw-Paw. That meant that Paw-Paw, from the time I was born until his death, was not married to my grandmother.
Then I got a second shock: the divorce certificate stated that Arnita and Augustus were divorced in March 1955 after 31 years of marriage, with the grounds for divorce listed as cruelty. One can only wonder about the true story of the divorce.
Even though the divorce record was a surprise, it served as the key to finding the marriage record for Arnita and Augustus Jackson.
Disclosure: Gemini Notebook was used to edit the text for clarity, readability, and flow. The final content was revised and refined by me.
An Ancestor Who Lived Through a Major Historical Event
Our Genealogy Fun topic this Saturday Night was contributed by Linda Stufflebean. Randy Seaver at Genea-Musings has given us us the following directions:
Here is your assignment if you choose to play along (cue the Mission Impossible music, please!):
1) An Ancestor Who Lived Through a Major Historical Event — Pick one ancestor who was alive during a war, pandemic, natural disaster, or economic upheaval.
2) What do the records tell you about how it affected them?
3) Share your selected ancestor, the historical event, and the records in your own blog post, …”
The ancestor I choose is my father, Daniel R. Salter (1920-2013). The major historical event is World War II.
My father served in World War II. He enlisted in October 1942, entered active service in March 1943, and served until February 1946. Details and documents of his military service can be found in my blog posts “52 Ancestors: Military” and “Daniel R. Salter: the WWII conflict”.
One documented way that World War II affected my father was the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944 aka the G.I. Bill.
After being honorably discharged, Daniel applied for the Servicemen’s Readjustment Allowance under the G.I. Bill in April 1946. As an unemployed war veteran he was eligible for $20 a week for 52 weeks while searching for a job. Daniel also applied for the educational benefits of the G.I. Bill which covered up to $500 per school year, plus books and supplies. Upon re-entering Tuskegee Institute (now University) as a student he also received a living stipend of $65 monthly.
Daniel married in February 1947 and applied to change his VA status accordingly. The following month his living stipend was increased to $90 monthly due to his marriage. After graduating from Tuskegee in the spring of 1947 with a bachelor degree in vocational agriculture Daniel worked as a vocational agriculture teacher. In July 1949 he joined the US Department of Agriculture as a County Agent.
Having spent three years as a County Agent, Daniel returned to Tuskegee Institute from June 1951 to June 1952 to complete a master’s degree in vocational agriculture.
Once again he used the educational benefits under the G.I. Bill. This enabled Daniel to complete his advanced degree program within a year.
Daniel returned to work as a County Agent with the Alabama Cooperative Extension Service where he worked until his retirement in 1980.
A Census Timeline: The Frank Salter Household
Frank Salter is my paternal grandfather. In researching his life I rely on several different types of timelines to track key milestones.
For a visual breakdown, I like the Timeline Grid Template from Goldenrod Genealogy.
Below is a readable version of the above timeline detailing the family of Frank Salter (1898-1982) and his wife, Anna Ridley (1902-1947) in census records.
| ID_&_Vitals | 1900_Census1 | 1910_Census2 | 1920_Census | 1930_Census3 | 1935_Florida State_Census4 | 1940_Census5 | 1945_Florida State_Census6 | 1950 Census |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frank Salter b. 1898 m. ~1918 d. 1982 | Line 30: Franklin Salter, Son, DOB Dec 1898, age 1, b. GA | Line 99: Frank Salter; Son; M; Mu; age 10; born GA; parents born GA; farm labor/home farm; can read; cannot write. | Line 79: “SAULTERS” [SALTER] Frank, rents $5/mo., M, B, 30, married 1st marriage @ age 20, can read/write, b. GA, parents b. GA, truck farmer, not vet | Father – SALTER, Frank, 35, B,b. GA, 3rd grade edu, renter, Occupation: farming | Line 56: SALTER Frank, B, age 41, 3rd grade edu, b. GA, 1935 same house, worked 50 hrs, Occupation: farm labour, pd wages, 1939 worked 28 wks, income $224. | SALTER Frank, 45, b. GA, 4th grade edu, Occupation: Labor. | ||
| Anna Ridley b. 1902 m. ~1918 d. 1947 | Line 80: Wife – Anna, B, 26, 1st marriage @ age 15, can read/write, b. GA, parents b. GA | Mother – “Emma” [Anna], 35, B, b. GA, 4th grade edu, Occupation: housewife. | Line 57: Wife – Anna (X) -B, age 38, 3rd grade edu, b. GA, 1935 same house, worked 20 hrs, Occupation: Berry packer, Strawberry farm/wages, 1939 worked 13 wks, income $104 | [Wife] – Anna, 43, b. GA, 4th grade edu., Occupation: H. Wife | Died 14 March 1947 in Tampa, Hillsborough County, FL7 | |||
| J. C. Salter b. Aug 1919 d. Sep 1920 | Died 21 Sep 1920 in Early Co., GA8 | |||||||
W. C. Salter b. Aug 1919 d. Oct 1920 | Died 4 Oct 1920 in Early Co., GA9 | |||||||
Daniel R. Salter b. Dec 1920 m. Feb 1947 d. Apr 2013 | Line 81: Son – “Dean” [Daniel], 9, attends school, can read/write, b. GA, parents b. GA | Son – “James” [Daniel], 13, B, b. GA, 4th grade edu., Occupation: school.. | Line 58: Son – “David” [Daniel], B, 19, b. GA, 5th grade edu, 1935 same house, worked 42 hrs., Occupation: Farm labourer, wages, 1939 worked 20 wks, income $100. | Son – Daniel, 24, b. GA, 3Y[r]Col, Occupation: Army | ||||
Sarah Salter b. Nov 1922 m. Apr 1942 d. Oct 2003 | Line 82: Dau – Sarah, 6, b. GA, parents b. GA | Dau – “Pearlie May” [Sarah], 10, B, b. GA, 4th grade edu, Occupation: school. | Line 59: Dau – Sarah, B, 17, 8 grade edu, b. GA, 1935 same house, worked 15 hrs, Occupation: Berry packer, Strawberry farm/wages, 1939 worked 13 wks, income $78. | [Son-in-Law] – Willie Hayman, 25, b. FLA, 8th grade edu, Occupation: Army [Dau] – Sarah Hayman, 22, b. FLA, 11 grade edu, Occupation: H. Wife | ||||
Pearlie Mae Salter b. Aug 1925 m. Nov 1945 d. Feb 2001 | Line 83: Dau – Pearlie, 4, b. GA, parents b. GA | Dau –”Sarah” [Pearlie Mae], 7, B., b. GA, 2nd grade edu., Occupation: school. | Line 60: Dau – “Pearly” [Pearlie] Mae, B, 14, 7th grade edu., b. GA, 1935 same house, not working, school. | [Dau] – “Pearly” [Pearlie] Mae, 19, b. FLA, 10th grade edu, Occupation: Labor. [Grandson] – Alphonso Bleso, 1, b. FLA. |
Census Gaps and Missing Records
This timeline highlights two notable gaps where federal census records are missing:
- 1920 U.S. Census: Searches across Ancestry, FamilySearch, and MyHeritage for both Frank Salter and his wife, Anna Salter, yielded no matching entries. It is possible that Frank and his family were missed by enumerators due to being away from their residence on New Year’s Day.
- 1950 U.S. Census: A targeted search on MyHeritage for Frank Salter (male, born 1898 in Georgia) returned 12 potential records, but none matched my grandfather. Interestingly enough, searches for Frank’s married daughters, Pearlie Mae (Salter) Hart and Sarah (Salter) Hayman, produced no matching results.
Inconsistencies
The timeline grid also points out several errors and inconsistencies that affects the identity of household members:
- 1930 Federal Census: Daniel R. Salter is recorded as “Dean”
- 1935 Florida State Census:
- Daniel R. Salter is listed as “James”.
- Anna Salter is listed as “Emma”.
- Sarah Salter, age 10, is listed as “Pearlie Mae”.
- Pearlie Mae, age 7, is listed as “Sarah”.
Pros and Cons of a Timeline Grid
The major disadvantage of a timeline grid is the amount of work it takes to construct. This con is actually an advantage. While reviewing each bit of information for the above grid, I found pertinent information previously overlooked.
Overall the timeline grid is a great visual tool for correlating and analyzing census records of a family unit across a span of years.
Sources
- 1900 U.S. census, Early, Georgia, population schedule, Damascus District 854, enumeration district (ED) 50, sheet 4A, page 194 (stamped), dwelling 56, family 56, Frank Salter in John Salter household; imaged, “United States, Census, 1900,” FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-DZZ3-VQ4: accessed 9 September 2012). ↩︎
- 1910 U.S. census, Early County, Georgia, Militia District 866, Blakely, enumeration district (ED) 81, sheet 13B, dwelling 252, family 252, John Salter household; imaged, “United States, Census, 1910,” FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9RVX-W42 : accessed 27 February 2016). ↩︎
- 1930 U.S. census, Hillsborough County, Florida, Plant City, enumeration district (ED) 24-120, sheet 5B, page 185, dwelling 108, family 108, Frank “Saulters” [Salter] household; imaged, “United States, Census, 1930,” FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9RHS-3TV : accessed 24 August 2013). ↩︎
- 1935 Florida state census, Hillsborough County, Florida, population schedule, Plant City, page 98, dwelling [blank], family [blank], Frank Salter household; imaged in “”Florida, State Census, 1935,” FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/en/search/collection/1457856 : accessed 11 February 2025); citing citing State Library and Archives of Florida, Tallahassee. ↩︎
- 1940 U.S. census, Hillsborough County, Florida, Election Precinct 50, enumeration district (ED) 29-32, sheet 13B, household 251, Frank Salter household; imaged, “United States, Census, 1940,” FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-89MR-NW4W : accessed 9 June 2012). ↩︎
- 1945 Florida state census, Hillsborough County, Florida, population schedule, Tampa, page 23, address 1311 Patrick Ally, Frank Salter household; imaged in “”Florida, State Census, 1945,” FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-DZHW-Z4Q : accessed 11 February 2025); citing State Library and Archives of Florida, Tallahassee. ↩︎
- Florida Office of Vital Statistics, death certificate (certified copy) no. 6090 (1947), Anna Salter, d. 14 March 1947; State of Florida Office of Vital Statistics. ↩︎
- Georgia State Board of Health, death certificate 25508 (1920), J. C. Salter, 21 September 1920; imaged, “Georgia, Deaths, 1914-1927,” FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3VT-D6L7-NB : accessed 28 January 2021) > image group no. 4177602 > image 487 of 1522; citing Georgia Department of Archives and History. ↩︎
- Georgia State Board of Health, death certificate 25500 (1920), W. C. Salter, 4 October 1920; imaged, “Georgia, Deaths, 1914-1927,” FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3VT-D6L7-NK : accessed 28 January 2021) > image group no. 4177602 > image 478 of 1522; citing Georgia Department of Archives and History. ↩︎
Wordless Wednesday
AncestryDNA: My Updated Ancestral Regions
Here are my latest Ancestral Regions:
| West Africa | |
| Ghana & Western Togo | 8% |
| Igboland | 8% |
| Sierra Leone | 8% |
| Liberia | 6% |
| Mali—Mandé Peoples | 6% |
| Yorubaland | 4% |
| Benin—Eastern Gbe Peoples | 3% |
| Benin—Western Gbe Peoples | 3% |
| Southern Senegal & Guinea-Bissau | 3% |
| Mali-Dogon Peoples | 2% |
| Nigeria-Middle Belt | 2% |
| Senegal | 2% |
| Southern Benin-Yourba Peoples | 2% |
| Hausa & Fulani Peoples | 1% |
| Central Africa | |
| Southwestern Cameroon | 10% |
| Western Bantu & Forest Peoples | 7% |
| DRC-Luba Peoples | 3% |
| Cameroon-Bamileke Plateau | 2% |
| Cameroon-Ring Kingdom Peoples | 2% |
| Cameroon-Widikum Peoples | 2% |
| Cameroon-Bangwa & Bamileke Peoples | 1% |
| England | |
| Southeastern England | 5% |
| Cornwall | 3% |
| Devon & Somerset | 2% |
| Northern England | 1% |
| Celtic & Gaelic | |
| Ulster, Ireland | 2% |
| East Africa | |
| Kenya & Uganda—Eastern Bantu Peoples | 2% |
Wordless Wednesday
Wordless Wednesday
A Moment of Courage: John Henry Willis IV
John Henry Willis [IV] was born on 5 March 1937 in Mobile, Alabama, the eldest child of John Henry Willis III and Rubeline Marie Martin.1 After the loss of his mother in 1947 and his father in 1952, he was raised by his paternal grandmother, Arnita (Harris) Willis Jackson.2 At the age of 17, John Henry enlisted in the U.S. Army. He served from 26 August 1954 until his honorable discharge on 12 July 1957. 3
John Henry transitioned from serving in an integrated military back into second-class citizenship under Jim Crow laws. In Mobile and across the South, racial segregation had been a way of life since the end of Reconstruction. But the times were “a-changing.” The Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court decision in 1954 energized the nascent Civil Rights movement to push forward for equality.
Upon returning to his hometown, John Henry registered to vote in Mobile County on 17 September 1958 at age 21.4
On 26 February 1959, 22-year-old John Henry Willis IV took a bold and courageous action. He, and two fellow Black military veterans, Earl R. Ponquinette and Ernest L. Koen, attempted to apply for enrollment at Southwest State, the all-white State Trade School in Mobile. They were initially refused application forms and told that state policies on segregation had not changed.5
Reports of the enrollment attempt were widely reported in newspapers across the state of Alabama. Publishing the names of the men put them at risk of harassment, economic retaliation, and physical violence from pro-segregationists.
On 1 March 1959 the State Superintendent of Education issued a public statement:
“The Alabama State Board of Education has approved forms for use of the State Trade School for any resident citizen of the State who wishes to secure trade and industrial education at State expense.
Mr. Clay Knight, Director of the Mobile Vocational Trade School, Mobile, Alabama, is fully authorized to give the information forms to any native citizen in that area for the purpose of assisting such applicant to secure trade and industrial education for any trade for which the applicant may be qualified to pursue, in the judgment of the Director of the Trade School.” 6
John Henry Willis and his two fellow veterans returned to the state trade school on Friday, 20 March 1959, and were permitted to fill out information forms. Clay Knight, director of the State Trade School, did not say how the forms would be handled. However he did take the step of identifying the three men to the media and providing details from their completed forms. Knight described John Henry Willis as last employed at a branch post office in Mobile, seeking to enroll in a course in woodworking and cabinet making.7
In August 1960 a federal lawsuit was filed by Ernest Koen and Frank E. Lee against H. Clay Knight, director of state trade school. The plaintiffs were seeking admission to the school. 8
John Henry Willis was not a named plaintiff in the federal lawsuit, Koen v. Knight. However, his earlier decision to walk through the doors of the all-white state trade school and demand equal access to vocational education was a documented moment of personal courage.
John Henry Willis, IV is my first cousin. Our most recent common ancestors (MRCA) are our grandparents, John Henry and Arnita (Harris) Willis, Jr.
Note: Gemini Notebook was used to edit the text for clarity, readability, and flow. The final content was revised and refined by me.
Sources
- The National Archives, Access to Archival Databases (AAD) (https://aad.archives.gov/aad/ : accessed 18 November 2021) “Numerical Identification Files (NUMIDENT), created, 1936 – 2007, documenting the period 1936 – 2007,” database entry for John Henry Willis, Jr., no. 418-44-3674, August 1952; citing Record Group 47: Records of the Social Security Administration. ↩︎
- 1950 U.S. census, Mobile, Alabama, Mobile, enumeration district (ED) 69-95, sheet 12, dwelling 107, John Henry Willis; imaged, “1950 Census,” U.S. National Archives, History Hub (https://1950census.archives.gov/search/ : accessed 1 April 2022). ↩︎
- “U.S., Department of Veterans Affairs BIRLS Death File, 1850-2010,” database, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/11445184:2441 : accessed 8 November 2022), John Henry Willis; citing “Beneficiary Identification Records Locator Subsystem (BIRLS) Death File. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.” ↩︎
- Mobile County, Alabama, Poll Tax Cards, vol. W: 4779-4780, John Henry Willis; digital images, “Alabama Voter Registration and Poll Tax Cards, 1834-1981,” FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C33M-879R : accessed 5 November 2024). ↩︎
- “Application Forms Refused War Veterans; ‘Negro School B’gham,” Alabama Citizen, 28 March 1959, page 1, column 4; image copy, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/image/572057423/ : accessed 4 October 2026). ↩︎
- “Letters: Trade School Ruling,” The Anniston [Alabama] Star, 1 March 1959, page 4-A, column 5, carried over to p. 11-A, col. 1; image copy, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/image/115145888/ : accessed 2 October 2026). ↩︎
- Associated Press (AP), “Negroes File State School Entry Forms,” The Montgomery [Alabama] Advertiser, 21 March 1959, page 9-A, column 2; image copy, Newspapers.com, (https://www.newspapers.com/image/257345224/ : accessed 3 October 2026). ↩︎
- “Koen v. Knight (Ala. Vocational Schools.) (SD Ala., #2434),” Civil Liberties Docket, Vol. X, No. 1 (November 1964): 57; imaged, The Bancroft Library; UC Berkeley Digital Collections (https://digicoll.lib.berkeley.edu/record/222221/files/meik-10_1.pdf? : accessed 5 October 2026). ↩︎
