Death Certificate for my Grandfather

I just came across a copy of a death certificate for my mother's dad, Richard "Lud" Givens.  It isn't a copy of the official record...it was my dad copying off the original, I believe.  I think this document indicates that he died in Niceville, Okaloosa County, Florida.  I need to get a copy of the original to see if he actually died at home or whether he was in a hospital.    

I always thought "Lud" was short for "Ludlow" as his mother was descended from Frederick or Friedrich Kolmetz, born in Germany.  However, this version of the death certificate doesn't reflect anything other than "Lud".  

He died May  18, 1948.  He was 54 at the time of death,  Florida Death Index, Certificate # 10764. via FindMyPast.com. 

He died of a cerebral hemorrhage as certified by A.G. Williams of Valparaiso, Florida.  The date that the certificate was received by the local (county or state?) register was 3 June 1948.  The informant was my grandmother, Alice Settles Givens of Niceville.

My goal is to obtain a copy of the official death certificate to determine whether he died at home or in a hospital.   In Florida, you can go to your local health department and get a copy if your ancestor died in Florida during the time that death certificates were documented.

 Or, you can contact the Florida Department of Vital Statsitics/ Bureau of Vital Statistics. 

For other locations/ different states, check out this web site: Where to write for Vital Records.

What information can you learn from a marriage license?  It varies from state to state.  In some states, there is a lot of information, in others, just the bare minimum.  Let's study this one.  

Sometimes when you are looking at a document image, it helps to put your heads together!

1.  The groom's name is John Clayton Givens
2.  The bride's name is Lavada Wood.  
3.  The government entity is Panama City, Florida.  (Bay County).  4.  The date is 14 September, 1941 
5.  The Witnesses to this marriage were Dorothy Wood and Viola Harwell.  6.  The certificate number is given (5424) and just above that is the information about where this marriage will be recorded, (Marriage Book 6, Page 240).  If you went to the Courthouse or whatever place the records are stored/archived, you would give this information and they would produce the document, either an actual "book" or a microfilmed image.   

Do you know who this person is (John Clayton Givens)?  Can you tell us more about this person?  Email me and I will post it!

Images Make My Day!

There is nothing like a photograph to make me a happy camper!  

Unless....it's a photograph or image of a document that I can't identify!  

So here are a few document images and also, a few photos... that are relative (no pun intended).  Some of them are identifiable, (I know or think I know who or what it is), and some of them I need your help identifying.

 These two images (above) show census information.  

Here is a photo from the recent (2019) Givens Reunion held in Florala, Alabama.  (I've identified two of these folks and hope you will identify the others in the photo).

Foye Givens Gramley with her husband, Robert Gramley.

Other images:

She was married to Richard Lud Givens

 

1900 Cemsus Baldwin County_Givens

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Marriage Liscense James C_Givens and Wood

Now, I will be happy to "showcase" your documents and images on this website, but be sure you identify (if you know) who or what the image is about.  I have many other images (that need to be organized).  In my next post, I will try to post some other things.  Where, you may wonder, can you find/locate images on the internet?  There are various websites that I utilize: findmypast.com; myheritage.com; ancestry.com; familysearch.org.

Where, you may wonder, can you safely "store"/archive your photos?  I would recommend that you utilize the "Memories" secton at www.familysearch.org.  

FamilySearch is a website sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (aka "Mormon" church).  This site is used by members of the church as well as non-members.  The site is available to all genealogists and family historians (you need to register for a free account).  

FamilySearch is dedicated to preserving your family histories and your memories.  My favorite thing is to "Search" and see if someone has already entered my relatives! Because the "Mormons" are crazy for genealogy, they have dedicated a lot of time and money for that work!

What's in a name?

Don't just look for the person, but try to associate that "name" with other individuals, too.

So, how do you prove your relationship to "John Doe"?  

First and foremost, you find out if he had a middle name! 

 Some of us are fortunate to have an ancestor who has an unusual name...some, not so lucky!  Take "John Givens".  You might as well throw up your hands when you start searching ancestry.com for a "John Givens".  Never mind searching Google for that name!

To search anyone at any site (google.com, myheritage.com, familysearch.org, etc.), you need more information, not less.   

As it so happens, my John Givens does have a middle name that makes it a bit easier to track him down: now, you have a chance!

Try it now...no caps, please: Search Google for "John Witherspoon Givens".  And it doesn't hurt to also pull up the images feature at Google; you can never tell when you're going to hit the jackpot!  

 

In addition, you want to include any other information that you have.  It might even help if you can make a timeline showing various events any locations where he might have lived.

What my Family History is Teaching Me

Family History is teaching me a lesson!  In fact, it is teaching me several lessons!

I didn't want to go back to school!  (Dear old golden-rule-days)...

 Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic!

And many other topics are coming into play as I search land grants, dates that counties were organized and what surrounding counties might have come into play, and geographical/economic conditions that might have something to do with why my ancestor migrated to another part of the country...At the age of 72, I've lost a lot of "book smarts"!  Fortunately, there is some help for us "slow bloomers": the Internet!

Preparing for the upcoming Givens Reunion 2019, I find myself sorely disorganized with stuff I worked on twenty to thirty years ago scattered all over the place...or lost!   So, I am spending precious time reviewing my Givens relatives, my Givens research, one step at a time, one piece at a time.

The good news is that many folks have been posting at Ancestry.com, MyHeritage.com, and at FamilySearch.org.  I don't weigh these "hints" and "clues" carefully, to see what sources have been utilized to enter these family trees online.

Here is an example of one exercise that I put myself through, just trying to reacquaint myself with the Givens family research.  And I've added some comments/suggestions for myself as well as for others.
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A Brief Look at one Givens Family:

What other sources can you locate online (for free) that describe the

Who, What, Where, and When of the family dynamics?

Create a Timeline for Individuals

John David GIVENS

"Johnny" or "Johnnie"?

Born: about 1867 in Alabama?

Residence:

• 1880 Census: He is shown as living in "Lowells", Baldwin County, Alabama (Lowells Bridge is an historical site; it is located in the 36576 Zip Code); "Lowells" is not the name of a town or city. Nearby towns/cities can be found at https://alabama.hometownlocator.com)
• 1910 Census: Shown as living at Walnut Hill, Escambia County, Florida. (Walnut Hill is an unincorporated community in Escambia County, Florida; It is slightly northwest of Pensacola and about 50 minutes/42 miles. See https://www.distance-cities.com/distance-walnut-hill-fl-to-pensacola-fl).
• 1920 Census: Residence is Holmans, Baldwin County?, Alabama; (Is this an unincorporated community)? Is it located just above Atmore? Or, is it referring to Holman's Crossroads in Coosa County?
• 1935 Florida State Census; residence is Florida.
• 1940 Census: Residence is Precinct 12, Baldwin County, Alabama. (Is this near Stockton, Alabama)? See Baldwin County Voting Precincts: http://baldwincountyal.gov/docs/default-source/voting-precinct-changes/voting-precincts-and-voting-places-in-baldwin-county-al-(public)---revised-2018-01-16.pdf?sfvrsn=67ad960c_8

Married:

• To Sarah Jane Elizabeth THOMLEY (18 May 1888)

Children:

Joseph Osmond GIVENS (Ossie or Ozzie) AND

James E. GIVENS

• To Ellen E. PARKER (28 August 1894)

Children:

John R. GIVENS

Charles C. GIVENS

Mary Caroline GIVENS

Annie Olive GIVENS

Rosa Lee GIVENS

Summary

1. It takes many hands to create a family history. The more input, the better. Have you interviewed living relatives/descendants? Have you checked online to find evidence or "proof" for vital statistic facts?

2. Consult and Investigate Local Resources (Libraries, Museums, Local Genealogical Societies and Historical Organizations).

3. How to create a timeline for an individual/family: https://www.familysearch.org/blog/en/timelines-plot-ancestors-life/; https://www.familytreemagazine.com/articles/genealogy_records/maps/how-i-created-a-genealogy-timeline-to-show-my-grandfathers-life/; https://www.familysearch.org/en/ builds a simple timeline as you input the information on your family member.

4. A word about genealogical standards: Sometimes, it is difficult to find "real proof" or solid evidence of "FACTS". However, you have to try and establish those facts which surround a vital event of your ancestor. You may have to evaluate conflicting information from a document or from someone's personal testimony. DON'T try to get by this important step. "Jumping" foreward or backward in time from one generation to another without evidence will get you results that cannot be proven. You cannot assume that your ancestor was born in North Carolina or that they came from Ireland. You have to go step by step from the most recent evidence (usually a death certificate or some other proof of death), and go back one generation at a time, gathering the facts and weighing the clues, carefully.

5. The further you go back, the harder it is to find the facts for your ancestor. Consider what kind of records are available for that period of time in which your ancestor lived. You will have to consult published documents and land records. The internet can help you find those sources. Land records will come into play. Court records are invaluable! Knowing the history and the geography of your ancestors' lives will have to be a part of your search, also.

Bits and PIeces!

Sometime after about 1963, My dad, "Ben Hill" got the genealogy bug, (he was about 50 years old, at the time); he decided to gather information on my mother's family.  My mother's father was Richard "Lud" Givens, son of William Sherman Givens and Alice Matilda Kolmetz.

Here are some of the things that my dad wrote in his notes after talking to Angelyn Givens Taylor, I think.  Angelyn was married to Mr. Taylor of Taylor Auto Parts, a successful string of stores in the Southeast.
"Was birthplace [of Robert Givens] Alabama or Mecklenburg, NC?  [Was birth year around 1812 or 1802?] 
This according to notes of Angela Taylor.  
Alternative spelling for "Sally" Stewart, was surname: Stuart.  She was called "Sally" but also "Rebecca".
1850 Walton Co. Census lists birth year as 1812 and birth place as AL.

Tradition: Sally was a Creek Indian.  The three brothers all spoke the Creek language.

This tradition was repeated to me on the 6th of October, 2001, by Odom Millard Givens at his home in Laurel Hill.  He said that Sally was 100% Creek and that some of his family had tried to document that previously.

Margaret Hill Harris

I love searching the Internet

 Above Picture Credits: By Royalbroil - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=57144045
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I was searching the Internet tonight, just wanting to find some stuff on my Givens ancestors, as I have a lot of questions, a few research challenges and so forth!  My search parameters were "Kolmetz", "Washington County", etc.

First off, I found an obituary for one of the Kolmetz family members.  My great grandfather, William Sherman Givens, married a Kolmetz.   Several years ago, when I first started researching the Givens, that put me on a fast track to my "Germany" connection.  

The second "hit" I got with my search (besides a lot of real estate ads), when I put in Vernon, Florida.  Not sure that you can judge a book by its cover OR a website by its Wikipedia article.  I just have a great love for my relatives and ancestors and I really like that we are all different and have different backgrounds; it would be dull if we were all alike, all from the same background!

Meanwhile, a Cuz from the Givens in Alabama, posted that he wants to schedule a Reunion!  This is perfect timing!  I am eager to learn more about the Givens family in and around Baldwin County!  The more we put our heads together, the clearer the picture becomes.  I really want to thank everyone who participates and contributes to our Facebook Page; it helps me sort things out!

Have I posted this already?

Some of you are already familiar with the tombstone of "Harvey Givens".  In my database, he is known as "Joseph Harvel" Givens.  He is the oldest (to my knowledge) of the children born to Robert Givens "Old Bob" and Sarah Rebecca Stewart (brought up by the Allen family?)

"Harvey" was born (to the best of my knowledge) 10 Feb 1832 in Mecklenburg, North Carolina, United States.  He died 24 February 1914 in Millville, Bay County, Florida.  My relation to him comes to me from my mother, Opal (nee'_Givens), daughter of Richard Lud Givens (who lived in and around Niceville, Florida).  

The Creek Indian thing comes in part from the reports that his mother, Sarah ("Sally") Rebecca Stewart [who was raised, in part, by the Allen Family?], was the daughter of a Creek Indian father and/or mother.  Some of the folks (relatives) who live over in Baldwin County Alabama or thereabouts and certainly, the folks/relatives in Bay County, Florida, know more about this than I do!  There are documents, folks!  Join our Facebook Group  and you can explore this family's history with some of the younger folks who have researched this and other family members.  

You may wonder where "Harvey" was buried.  Look it up on Findagrave.com!  Remember, it's "Joseph Harvel Givens"; sometimes  I get it mixed up with my direct line ancestor, John Witherspoon Givens!