It took me a minute but *something* told me I was missing the obvious and then BAM — there it was — Allie DAWSON in 1870 became Allie DORSEY in 1880! The family changed their Surname from DAWSON to DORSEY! Wooooo-hoooo!:-)

My God, I was right to claim them both because they are both MY Ailey/Ally, Catie’s Sister!:-) Look:

1880 English, Warren County, GA
Elbert Dorsey      35
Ally Dorsey     28
Isaac Dorsey     15
Sarah Dorsey     13
Rachael Dorsey     11
Thomas Dorsey     6
Candidate Dorsey 1

1870 Hillmans Farm, Warren County, GA
Elbert Dawson      27
Aly Dawson     22
Ike Dawson     6
Sarah A Dawson     4
Rachel Dawson     3

What else? Allie’s Father, a 5th Grandfather Elbert CODY was also the Father of Pierce CODY from the WPA Slave Narratives. This would make Pierce my Catie’s [most likely] unknown Brother!:-)

More? In 1870 Elbert Cody’s Mother, Rachel CODY is living with him — she is 90 years old! My 6th Grandmother born abt. 1780! Can you believe that?

The most amazing part of this is that I compiled all this information last August using Michael Hait’s cluster approach and just didn’t realize that this was my ENTIRE Family!

Now I know how to approach the next steps:

• Obtain estate information for both Edmund and Michael 1832-33. I’ve looked quickly before — gotta dig deeper!
• Locate bills of sale/deeds for Robert and Madison CODY from Edmund’s estate sale. This might explain how Pierce came to be owned by Robert and Catie to be sold by Madison to James Dickey.
• Copy all of the Madison Cody historical docs at the Archives. I have new names to search for!

Supporting Posts:

• Magical Monday: Lord Have I Found Catie’s Sister, Allie?!
• 08.30.09 CODY Notes {Freedmen}
• 3 Parts = 1 Mystery: Who Was My Catie’s CODY Owner?

An entire family, a host of descendants and unlimited channels to research! It just doesn’t get any sweeter than this!:-)

#IdiditCatie

Luckie.

Madison Derrelle CODY & Fannie CARR CODY, the last CODY owners of Catie DICKEY WINGFIELD {abt. 1850-1933}

Luckie.

[Image Source: Find A Grave, Southview Cemetery, Newton County, GA]

It’s my lucky day!:-) After 12 years of asking the question, “Who was Catie’s CODY owner?”, I do believe I have my answer — politician Madison Derrelle CODY! Wooo-hooo!

Madison Derrelle {d. 1875} was the youngest son of Michael {d. 1831} & Rebecca ROGERS CODY {d. 1851}.

If you’ve read my post from Friday’s visit to the GA Archives, you know I was pretty irked not to find any information pertaining [directly] to Catie.

Most of my research centered around M.D. CODY’s life & migration to Covington, GA following the Civil War. I found myself absorbed in his personal letters, which should have been a mental flag right there – NEVER in my 12 years of research have I EVER found interest in any slave owners personal correspondence.

But that irony went right over my head! The epiphany came tonight, after responding to Sandra Taliaferro’s Miles From Miles post via her I Never Knew My Father blog.

Shortly after responding a thought sprang to mind, if I believed my own theory that the Ancestors make no mistakes – then why would Catie send me to the Archives & allow me to spend hours fixated on M.D. CODY for no reason at all?

Well, she didn’t!:-)

I decided to re-examine M.D. CODY in the census first. I say re-examine because M.D. Cody has been on my short-list of potential owners since I first began researching in 1997. I have had his Father, Michael Cody’s will posted to my OGR site for well over 10 yrs & was even told early on by CODY researcher, Paul WRIGHT, to look to Edmund or Michael’s line as Catie’s owner!

So go figure, the answer was here ALL ALONG! Okay, my logic…

1850  – Warren County Census.  To my joy I find pre-inheritance Madison {age 26}, living with his Mom, Rebecca {age 64} & M. E. Clergy, Freeman Franklin REYNOLDS! What?!

Methodist Clergyman?! F.F. Reynolds?! I KNOW this name — F.F. Reynolds was the minister who succeeded James DICKEY at the Smyrna Church in 1862! I’d researched him as recent as 2 months ago, as a possible owner of Catie after James Dickey left Washington-Wilkes & here he was LIVING with the Codys 11 yrs earlier?!

1860 – Warren/Wilkes County Census. Rebecca passed in 1851. Madison is living with his wife, Frances “Fannie” CARR & family. His personal estate is valued at $30K – I recall Michael CODY’s will stipulating that Madison inherit 1/4 of his total estate upon the passing of his mother. F.F. Reynolds is appointed by the Annual Georgia Conference to Watkinsville & James Dickey to Wilkes — my Catie is listed as 1 of  Dickey’s 2 slaves. Catie is 11 yrs old.

1861. James Dickey is appointed to Morgan Co. & F.F. Reynolds to Wilkes Co. I believe Catie could have remained in Wilkes with Reynolds during this time.

1870 Newton County Census. Madison has relocated his family to Covington, GA which is just West of Washington-Wilkes. Interesting enough, there are REYNOLDS in the next two dwellings following M.D! So, could be there’s a family relationship we’re seeing here!

1870 – Warren County Census. Marion Michael {Madison’s oldest Brother} & Aly DAWSON {Catie’s believed Sister} are found living only 7 dwellings apart! Her Husband, Elbert, appears to be a farmhand on Marion’s farm.

The best thing about my new & BIGGEST discovery to date {aside from the mental relief} is knowing that Madison Derrelle CODY is well documented due to his involvement in the Confederacy & continued presence in the GA political scene. AND as I mentioned, there is a CODY-ROGERS of Georgia book that now becomes a HUGE asset!

I know Madison enjoyed writing, so let’s hope that’s reflected in his documentation of slave property.

Next Steps:

• Review ALL documentation I’ve gathered over the years that mentions M.D. Cody.
• Look for church records. From the Cody-Rogers book by L.L. Cody, it’s mentioned the family were members of Warrenton Baptist Church.
• Dig deeper into F. F. Reynolds Wilkes presence from 1861-1862
• Read thoroughly L.L. Cody’s 1915 Cody-Rogers book. Thanks GOOGLE!:-)
• Return to the Archives to really study the microfilm that contained so many Cody-Roger records
• Search for M.D. Cody deeds from 1859-1860.
• Search for a deed of sale from Dickey to Reynolds in Wilkes Co. 1861
• Email the REYNOLDS researcher I’ve identified online
• Hit the message boards — now M.D. Cody & F.F. Reynolds become my focus.

Okay, that’s it — I think!

Keep my honest here friends, have I identified Catie’s owner in M.D. Cody or just been sniffing way too many old & dusty courthouse docs?!:-)

Luckie.

This image is from the December 11, 1860 Daily Federal Union Newspaper & was captured from the Milledgeville Historic Newspapers Online Database.

It shows Rev. James Madison DICKEY {Catie’s owner} receiving his 1860 [church] Appointment to Wilkes County from the Georgia Annual Conference. Specifically, the “Wilkes and Colored Mission”.

My question to historians/experts, what does the notation “one to be supplied” reference?

What will be supplied? A slave? An indenture? A second minister?

HELP???

Luckie.

When I first began researching my Washington-Wilkes Genealogy in 1997 I had a [long] list of  “mysteries” I planned to solve.

Last August, I republished the list {OGR’s Top 10 Family Mysteries} because although my research has been VERY successful in flushing out a family history that was well on the path to disappearing, I’ve yet to solve our toughest mysteries!

Number #1 on my list – Which CODY from Warren County, GA owned Grandma Catie & her Sister “Allie”?

Yesterday, “Lori”, a descendant of Michael CODY of Warren Co. visited the blog & offered to assist with identifying Catie’s CODY owner. Thank God!:-)

Here’s what I know…

•  There is Oral History supporting that Grandma Catie spoke of  living on a Warren Co. Plantation & of being owned by “Master CODY”.
• Grandma Catie also spoke of leaving behind a Sister, “Allie”, when she was brought to Washington-Wilkes by Rev. James Madison DICKEY in 1859-60.  She would have been approx. 10 yrs. old.
• Minister Dickey was newly married {May 1859} to Ann Elizabeth {THOMAS} EVANS in Richmond Co. Prior to coming to Wilkes Co. to oversee the reconstruction of The Smyrna Church, he had been the first Pastor of Asbury Mission {a part of St. Johns Methodist Church} in Richmond Co.
• Ann DICKEY had been married previously, surname – EVANS; first name – I have no clue! She had a 2 yr. old Daughter, Caroline EVANS, when she married Rev. Dickey.
• 1850 Richmond Co. Census finds Ann living with her Father “Joseph” THOMAS & siblings.
• A Dickey descendant recently said he believed that Catie was a “wedding present” from the bride’s {Ann} side of the family. This post provides some context to that discussion – Rethinking My Catie’s Past.
• 1861 When Minister Dickey left Wilkes Co. he did not take Catie. She would have been 10-11 yrs. & most likely sold to someone else. For sure, there is nothing to support the claim that she was “manumitted” by the Minister.
• Catie’s death certificate lists Katie WILLIAMS as her Mother & Jim DICKERSON/DICKSON as her Father.

Early on in my research I was told by another Cody researcher, Paul WRIGHT {via Ancestry} that Catie would have most likely been owne by Michael and/or Edmund CODY.

Recently, because of the religious factor, I’ve also considered Robert CODY as a potential owner.

Minister Dickey, a traveling missionary with the  North Georgia Conference, was well known for his revivals in Richmond Co. & according to Pierce CODY, a former slave of Robert’s {a Hardshell Baptist}, there were often traveling bands of ministers visiting the plantation.

That’s pretty much where it ends. Logical next steps for me would be:

• Review the estate inventories, wills  & tax lists of Michael, Edmund & Robert CODY. What was there relationship to each other?
• Look for any church or bible records that would connect the CODYS to Rev. DICKEY.
• Check for Bills of Sale/Deeds reflecting a sale of Catie by her CODY owner to Rev. DICKEY.
• Identify any THOMAS and/or EVANS relationships to the CODYS
• Pray for Divine Intervention!:-)

What am I missing?

Luckie.

Well it’s been 3 weeks since I emailed the living descendants of Rev. James Madison DICKEY in a final attempt to encourage them to share any information they have about the Minister’s ownership of my 4th Grandmother Catie DICKEY.

It’s been several years since I first made contact with James Madison’s Great, Great Grandson & I think it’s safe to say, if the intent were to share information about my Catie, more than enough time has passed to do so.

I will admit, I am very disappointed… hurt even. I don’t know how to quite describe the feeling of KNOWING information exists about your Ancestor yet not having the ability to unearth it. Frustrated? Hollow? Angry? Helpless?

Who knows what questions could be answered? What unknown family I could be lead to? Ugh!!!

One of the archived documents I copied during my recent visit to the Pitts Library at Emory was “One Hundred Years of History of Asbury Methodist Church in Augusta, Georgia”. It contains the only description {provided by Historian George G. Smith} I have ever read of the Rev. James Madison Dickey:

Up-country man whose mental endowments were unusually fine. He had been without early advantages, but he had improved greatly and was famous for the revivals which took place in his ministry.

Wow! I wish I could see a picture of the man who changed my Family’s history in 1859. His son, Bishop James Edward Dickey, is pictured above. It is his Great Grandson & namesake that I’ve communicated with over the years.

Accepting the reality of one closed door only encourages me to seek another… then another.

No way I’m giving up! I have no doubt that IF this is information Catie intends for me to have, it will come to me.

C’mon Grandma, I’m waiting…

Luckie.

With Our Georgia Roots {the Blog} celebrating her 1st Blogiversary, it seems only fitting that I return to the start of my family’s Wilkes County history – Rev. James Madison DICKEY & The Smyrna Church.

After a very, VERY emotional week, I am even more convinced in the presence of destiny & its ability to shape our lives.

The WINGFIELD-CARTER descendants are who we are today because of the journey Grandma Catie took at age 10 yrs from a CODY Plantation in Warren Co. to Washington-Wilkes.

Funny, I am usually so focused on validating historical facts & following the next clue, I rarely attach to the emotion of events. But tonight is different…

Though I will never [really] know, I hope that Minister DICKEY was kind to my Catie. I hope he was empathetic to a young girl, who’d just been taken away from all that was familiar.

I’m sure she was afraid. I hope that little Catie had been taught to pray by her Mother, Kate & that she found comfort there.

This all may be far from reality… I just merely hope it is not.

I’ve witnessed some pretty phenomenal events since re-establishing OGRs online presence a year ago – from discovering new Wilkes Co. cousins to being gifted with the DANIELS-COBB Family Bible that in the logical world, I would never have known existed! I’ve even been blessed with a new GeneaTribe of friends who support me through my research & into real-life {thank you!:-}.

My thoughts for the future? I hope the living DICKEY descendants will share any information they have regarding my Catie. I’ve emailed them again tonight – fingers crossed. I want to know more about my mysterious Grandma Annie FAVER & her family. I’d love to sit with Wilsie WINGFIELD CARR & learn about Archibald S. WINGFIELD’s connection to my Ancestors. Wouldn’t it be great to confirm my Grandfather James WINGFIELD had brothers and/or parents close by?

I also pray for an abundance of what Buddhists refer to as patience-acceptance because undoubtedly, there will remain obstacles & black history holes that I will have to learn to live with.

I’m thankful. I know the Ancestors chose me to be their voice & that all roads lead to this one.

So here’s to staying strong on the journey…

Happy Blogiversary Our Georgia Roots, I pray I’m doing you proud!:-)

Luckie.

As I walked through the campus of Emory University in torrential rains {yes TORRENTIAL!} in search of the Pitts Theology Library, it resonated with me what a surreal moment-day-week-life this is…

I’m walking the university campus that in 1902 the Son, Bishop James Edward DICKEY, of the man who owned my Grandmother Catie DICKEY, Rev. James Madison DICKEY, helped to establish!

That some 107 years later, in 2009, my Son & his Fiancée are beneficiaries of the nurturing care provided by Emory’s Nursing staff {Hi Carol & Shelley!} & blessed to be under the care of Emory’s gifted Transplant Surgeons, Doctors Larsen & Tso!

And long before Genealogy was my passion or James Madison DICKEY a notion, in 1991, Emory was a safe-haven for my Grandmother, Fannie Louella Barwick & our family, during her challenge with Lung Cancer.

Who would have EVER known that Emory University would play such a prominent role in my family’s past, present & future history?!

As I sit here, blogging from inside Pitts Library, I am convinced that this is just the way it was supposed to be. The Emory “connection” is as much MY family’s destiny & inheritance, as it is James Edward’s.

I may never know HOW James Madison came to own my Catie but I DO know that his actions shaped the destiny of ALL those to come – be they black or white, free or enslaved.

The Church manuscripts were minimal but moving nonetheless. No membership rosters or minutes mentioning my Catie to be found.

But still a description of Rev. Dickey that is a first. A mention of the “Negro Gallery” where my Catie sat as a young girl. Church histories with reoccurring names that provide more leads to fuel my detective work for decades to come!

Wow! In the words of my pal, T2 aka Geneabloggers, what a week, huh?!:-)

Luckie.

After a long {but blessed} week, I’m going to wake up tomorrow & head over to Emory’s Pitts Theology Library in search of a few old, dusty records from The Smyrna Church in Washington, GA.

In 1860, Rev. James Madison DICKEY traveled from Augusta, through Warren Co. {I assume this was his route} & into Wilkes Co. to oversee the reconstruction of The Smyrna Church.

What I know…

• Along his way, Rev. Dickey acquired my 4th Grandmother Catie from a CODY in Warren Co.
• The Smyrna Church of today, has no records from the period 0f 1860-61 when Rev. Dickey pastored the church.
• The UMC NGC Local church histories, 1812-[ongoing]. MSS 028 collection contains a box I am very, VERY interested in – 27/31 Smyrna United Methodist Church, Washington; 1788-1974. Photo enclosed.

What do you think it contains?

Maybe church minutes or membership rosters? Maybe somehow proof that my Catie continued to “work” in the church when Rev. Dickey departed in 1861? Maybe an old, archaic image of the Minister or the church as it appeared in the mid 1800s?

I have no clue! All I know, is that when all you have is a wing & a prayer, you just have to be prepared to take a leap of faith.

The next time I post I may be ecstatic with a new find or thoroughly disappointed that the keys to Rev. Dickey & Catie’s relationship still remain in the hands of Rev. Dickey’s living descendants – who to date, have been less than forthcoming.

It’s a toss-up!

Luckie.

I’ve literally read the transcribed version of the 1859 Augusta, Georgia {Richmond Co.} City Directory {page 61} a few dozen times!

I know that it reflects the time period when Rev. James Madison DICKEY, owner of my Catie DICKEY WINGFIELD, resided in the St. John’s Parsonage while Pastoring Ashbury Mission {now Ashbury Methodist Church}.

I’ve even gone as far as to outreach Ashbury in the hope that records from its first Pastor still exist but nope, there is nothing of Minister Dickey’s tenure at the church.

However seeing the original version of the Augusta Directory, complete with water stains & the marks of aging, made me pause  & acknowledge – this is a historical time-stamp – not only for James Madison but for my family too.

Sometime between the time when James Madison ministered at Ashbury, married Ann Elizabeth THOMAS EVANS in May 1859 & relocated to Wilkes Co. in time to be counted in the June 1860 Census, he acquired my Catie.

I don’t know how or from whom {although I believe it was a CODY in neighboring Warren Co.}. Can’t imagine how a man who from all appearances, never owned any slaves until that time, felt about becoming the owner of a 10 yr. old girl or when he acquired his 2nd slave, a much, much older woman. Who was she? Was she any relation to my Catie?

I just know that this is the physical time-stamp of one of those actions that shaped the landscape of my family.

My Catie never saw her much loved Sister Allie again, nor her Mother – Kate WILLIAMS or Father – Jim DICKSON. I don’t believe she ever returned to Warren Co. again, even though Wilkes is just next door.

Thanks to Miriam Robbins Midkiff’s work in bringing the City, County & Rural Directories of long ago, to us online.

I would encourage you to follow Miriam’s blog to stay current on what’s happening at the OCCRD Website & if you are on GenealogyWise, check-out the OCCRD Discussion Group.

I’ve always known that 1859 was a significant time in the lives of James Madison & Catie but something about seeing the ORIGINAL time marker made it all the more real.

Luckie.