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. 

Screenshot: Working copy of Frank Salter Census Timeline Grid

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_&_Vitals1900_Census11910_Census21920_Census1930_Census31935_Florida State_Census41940_Census51945_Florida State_Census61950 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

  1. 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). ↩︎
  2. 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). ↩︎
  3. 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). ↩︎
  4. 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. ↩︎
  5. 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). ↩︎
  6. 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. ↩︎
  7. 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. ↩︎
  8. 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. ↩︎
  9. 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. ↩︎

AncestryDNA: My Updated Ancestral Regions

Here are my latest Ancestral Regions:

West Africa
Ghana & Western Togo8%
Igboland8%
Sierra Leone8%
Liberia6%
Mali—Mandé Peoples6%
Yorubaland4%
Benin—Eastern Gbe Peoples3%
Benin—Western Gbe Peoples3%
Southern Senegal & Guinea-Bissau3%
Mali-Dogon Peoples2%
Nigeria-Middle Belt2%
Senegal2%
Southern Benin-Yourba Peoples2%
Hausa & Fulani Peoples1%
Central Africa
Southwestern Cameroon10%
Western Bantu & Forest Peoples7%
DRC-Luba Peoples3%
Cameroon-Bamileke Plateau2%
Cameroon-Ring Kingdom Peoples2%
Cameroon-Widikum Peoples2%
Cameroon-Bangwa & Bamileke Peoples1%
England
Southeastern England5%
Cornwall3%
Devon & Somerset2%
Northern England1%
Celtic & Gaelic
Ulster, Ireland2%
East Africa
Kenya & Uganda—Eastern Bantu Peoples2%

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

  1. 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. ↩︎
  2. 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). ↩︎
  3. “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.” ↩︎
  4. 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). ↩︎
  5. “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). ↩︎
  6. “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). ↩︎
  7. 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). ↩︎
  8. “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). ↩︎

Oldest Confirmed Record for Mingo Bryant

It’s Saturday Night — are you ready for some football Genealogy Fun?  Randy Seaver at Genea-Musings is quarterbacking the following topic, courtesy of Linda Stufflebean:

Here is your assignment if you choose to play along (cue the Mission Impossible music, please!):

  1. What is “Your Oldest Confirmed Record?” What is one of the oldest documents you’ve personally found for any ancestor?
  2. Share your oldest confirmed record: what it is, where it came from, and what it revealed.
  3. Share your oldest confirmed record in your own blog post…..”

My oldest confirmed record is a probate record which traces my 2nd great-grandfather, Mingo Bryant, back to 1848.

The distribution of the estate of Echols Hightower lists the following:

“Henry A. Hightower Son of Said deceased Minor represented by the said Joel W. Hightower as Guardian…No . 6. Henry A Hightower , consisted of Mingo…”1

Mingo in the distribution of the estate of Echols Hightower, 1848, Dooly County Georgia.

One thing that the record revealed is that Mingo resided in Dooly County, Georgia as an enslaved person.

  • The reference point for this record is the appraisal of Mingo in the 1861 probate file of Henry A. Hightower. 
  • The anchor of the research is the proximity of Mingo Bryant to his enslaver’s F.A.N. club after Emancipation. 

Additional details about my research on Mingo Bryant can be found in: “Mingo Bryant —Brick Wall,” and “Brick Wall Research on Mingo Bryant.”  

Source

  1. Dooly County, Georgia, “Returns and Vouchers, Book No. 1 (1847-1854): 12-13, Mingo in the distribution of the estate of Echols Hightower, 1848; imaged, “Georgia, Probate Records, 1742-1990,” FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-G93T-XZJC?view=fullText : accessed 13 March 2025) > image group no. 5768004 > image 26 of 653; Georgia. Department of Archives and History. ↩︎

What Wasn’t Written Down

John Henry Willis, Jr., son of John Henry Willis, Sr. and Virginia Fuller, was born 6 May 1889 in Mobile, Mobile County, Alabama, and died there on 15 January 1917.1 On 30 October 1907, John married Arnita Juanita Harris in Mobile.2 Arnita, the daughter of Willis Harris and Emmaline Senar, was born on 23 December 1889 in Baldwin County, Alabama. She died on 28 October 1980 in Mobile.3

Together, John Henry Willis, Jr. and Arnita Juanita Harris had five known children, all born in Mobile, Mobile County, Alabama:

  1. Zanafrey Lamont Willis, born 11 April 1908;4 died 12 March 1987, Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania.5
  2. Vernon Harris Willis, born 4 July 1909; died 11 July 1910 of cholera in Mobile, Alabama.6
  3. John Henry Willis III, born 3 December 1910;7 died 18 September 1952 in Mobile, Alabama.8
  4. Annis Virginia Willis, born March 1912; died 26 March 1995 in Athens, Limestone County, Alabama.9
  5. ______ Willis, born March 1912; died 6 December 1912 in Mobile, Alabama.10

The Willis Twins — Family Lore

According to family lore, my mother and her twin sister were so small at birth that neither was expected to live. The tiny twins could both fit together on a single bed pillow, which was how they were carried around. In late November 1912, both girls contracted pneumonia. Although my mother was the smaller and weaker twin, it was her sister who passed away. It is said that their father, John Henry Willis, believed that by the time they returned from burying one daughter, the surviving twin would also have passed. Expecting the worst, he had two graves dug at Magnolia Cemetery. My mother, however, unexpectedly survived and thrived.

“Infant” Willis

What wasn’t written down was the name of the fifth child of John Henry and Arnita (Harris) Willis — my mother’s twin sister. Although official birth registration in Mobile, Alabama began in 1871, my mother and her sister were born at home and were never issued official birth certificates.

The only indication of my aunt’s name comes through oral tradition: my mother was told her sister’s name was “Bernice,” which rhymed with her own name, Annis (pronounced An-neess). Yet, written records offer no confirmation. The death certificate designates the child simply as “Infant Mr. & Mrs. J. H. Willis,”11 while the Magnolia Cemetery burial register similarly records the deceased as “Willis, Inft of John H.”12

So far, I have not been able to substantiate my aunt’s name.

Note: I used Gemini Notebook to edit the text for clarity, readability, and flow. The final content was revised and refined by me.

Sources

  1. Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/118747097/john_henry-willis: accessed 15 January 2023), “John Henry Willis Jr.” (6 May 1889–16 Feb 1917), memorial and tombstone image created by “G-Man”; citing Magnolia Cemetery, Mobile, Mobile County, Alabama.
    Alabama Center for Health Statistics, death certificate (certified copy) no. 394, (1917), John Willis Jr, d. 15 January 1917; Alabama Department of Public Health, Montgomery. ↩︎
  2. Mobile County, Alabama,  “Colored Marriage Book”, Vol. 19: 621, John Henry Willis Jr. and Arnita Harris, 30 October 1907, minister’s return by A. J. Rodgers; imaged as “Alabama County Marriages, 1809-1950,”  FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:939K-TT2G-5 : accessed 5 Nov 2017). ↩︎
  3. Social Security Administration, “Social Security Death Index,” database, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/ : accessed 1998), entry for Arnita Jackson, 1980, SS no. 418-86-1936; Born 23 Dec 1889, died Oct 1980.
    St. Peter Claver Church (Mobile, Alabama), Registrum Defunctorium, (Death and Burial Records, 1927-1971), page 20, 1980, Arnita Jackson death, 28 October 1980; digital images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org : accessed 6 September 2022) microfilm 2047606 / digital 8500586 > image 527. This image is only viewable at a FamilySearch center or FamilySearch affiliate library. ↩︎
  4. “Pennsylvania, World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1940-1945,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSHW-3Z6F : accessed 12 April 2021) > image group no. 102239971 > image 494 of 1012 > Lamont Willis : registration card, serial no. 2258, Local Draft Board: Philadelphia (Philadelphia County) Pennsylvania; citing “NAID 5324575. Records of the Selective Service System, 1926 – 1975, RG 147. National Archives at St. Louis, Missouri.” ↩︎
  5. Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/189989233/zanafrey_lamont-willis: accessed June 27, 2025), “Zanafrey Lamont Willis Sr.” (11 Apr 1908–12 Mar 1987) memorial and tombstone image by “Carol R”; citing Rolling Green Memorial Park, West Goshen Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania. ↩︎
  6. Alabama Department of Health, death certificate no. 484 (1910), Vernon Harold Willis; digital image,  “Alabama Deaths, 1908-1974,” FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org : accessed 23 August 2022). This image is only viewable at a family history center or affiliate library. ↩︎
  7. “Alabama, World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1940-1945,” database with images digitized by Ancestry, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS8J-1SFK-X : accessed 21 May 2024), imaged card for John Henry Willis, serial no. 4490, order no. 2264, Draft Board 4, Mobile, Mobile County, Alabama; citing NARA “Draft Registration Cards for Alabama, 10/16/1940 – 3/31/1947.” Records of the Selective Service System, 1926 – 1975, RG 147. National Archives at St. Louis, Missouri, n.d. ↩︎
  8.  Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/207763166/john-henry-willis: accessed 20 August 2022), “John Henry ‘Bubba’ Willis III” (1910–1952) memorial created by “Georgeann Ellis,”; citing Oaklawn Memorial Cemetery, Mobile, Mobile County, Alabama. Newspaper obituary clipping uploaded by “Lilith”; citing Mobile [Alabama] Register, 21 September 1952, page a4. ↩︎
  9.  “Funeral Liturgy Celebrating the Life of Annis Willis Salter, 1912-1995,” 31 March 1995, H.L. Moses Memorial Chapel, Peoples Funeral Home, Athens, Alabama; privately held. ↩︎
  10. Alabama Department of Health, death certificate no. 149 (1912), :”Infant Mr. & Mrs J. H. Willis,” d. 6 December 1912; digital image,  “Alabama Deaths, 1908-1974,” FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JK35-HJQ : accessed 4 June 2024). This image is only viewable at a family history center or affiliate library. ↩︎
  11. Ibid. ↩︎
  12.  Magnolia Cemetery (Mobile, Alabama), “Registers of Burials, City of Mobile, 1912-1930,” page 591, “Willis Inft of John H” entry; imaged FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSKJ-MSTM-Z : accessed 26 August 2022) > image group number 8151786 > image 504 of 943. ↩︎

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