So far with my genealogy I have found that if I have a photograph of someone, I seem to have very little information on them other than census records.
If I don’t have a picture, I have better luck tracking down more information such as soldier pensions, newspaper articles or snippets and the like.
Mary Elizabeth BAILEY Renfro
According to her headstone, Mary Elizabeth Renfro was born on 9 August 1861.
I have been able to track her in the census just before and then after her presumed marriage.
1870-Little River County, Arkansas
Name
|
Age
|
Birth place
|
Bailey, Cyrus
|
37
|
Arkansas
|
Mary Ann
|
421
|
Arkansas
|
Mary E.
|
8
|
Arkansas
|
Millie
|
5 months
|
Arkansas
|
1880-Little River County, Arkansas
Name
|
Age
|
Birth place
|
Renfro, John
|
33
|
Alabama
|
Mary E.
|
18
|
Arkansas
|
John Sims
|
10 months
|
Arkansas
|
Skidman, Charlie (hand)
|
20
|
Arkansas
|
Renfro, Ben (father)
|
69
|
Georgia
|
Just a few households down reside her parents Cyrus and Mary Ann Bailey.
1900-Sevier County, Arkansas
Renfro, John
|
53
|
Alabama
|
Mary E.
|
39
|
Arkansas
|
Susan M.
|
15
|
Arkansas
|
James H.
|
12
|
Arkansas
|
Dena (my grandmother)
|
8
|
Arkansas
|
1910-Sevier County, Arkansas
Renfro, John
|
64
|
Alabama
|
Mary E.
|
48
|
Arkansas
|
Susan M.
|
25
|
Arkansas
|
James H.
|
22
|
Arkansas
|
Dena P.
|
18
|
Arkansas
|
1920-Sevier County, Arkansas
Renfro, John
|
75
|
Alabama
|
Mary E.
|
59
|
Arkansas
|
Susan M.
|
35
|
Arkansas
|
James H.
|
32
|
Arkansas
|
Dena P.
|
28
|
Arkansas
|
1930-Sevier County, Arkansas
Mary E. (widowed)
|
69
|
Arkansas
|
J.H.
|
42
|
Arkansas
|
Maud
|
45
|
Arkansas
|
Sample, D. P. (grandson)
|
9
|
Arkansas
|
According to the Arkansas Death Index Mary Elizabeth died on 25 November 1931.
Her headstone in
Brownstown Cemetery in Sevier County, Arkansas has the date as 28 November 1931.
Unfortunately, I don't have any memories of my paternal grandmother Dena P. or my fathers siblings ever talking about the family history to us while we visited them in Arkansas. Now it seems odd because my father was the one in the family who was interested in genealogy and I have letters between him and his mother discussing these very questions I am having now.
I recall that when my maternal grandmothers brothers would visit they would often discuss their father and tell family stories. Unfortunately, no one there recorded or kept any kind of notes about what was said and now we have to go by our memories.
Sources:
1870 U.S. census, Little River County, Arkansas, population schedule, p. 6 (written), dwelling 55, family 83, Mary E. Bailey; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com) : accessed 5 February 2013); citing National Archives Microfilm publication M593 roll 58.
1880 U.S. census, Little River County, Arkansas, population schedule, p. 20 (written), dwelling 181, family 199, Mary E. Renfro; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com) : accessed 5 February 2013); citing National Archives Microfilm publication M593.
1900 U.S. census, Sevier County, Arkansas, population schedule, enumeration district (ED) 155, 302A (stamped), sheet number 7(penned), dwelling 113, family 116, Mary E. Renfro; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestrylibrary.com : accessed 5 February 2013); citing National Archives microfilm publication T623.
1910 U.S. census, Sevier County, Arkansas, population schedule, enumeration district (ED) 176, (stamped), sheet number 6B (penned), dwelling 114, family 116, Mary E. Renfro; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestrylibrary.com : accessed 5 February 2013); citing National Archives microfilm publication T624, roll 66.
1920 U.S. census, Washington County, Pennsylvania, population schedule, enumeration district (ED) 228, 109 (stamped), sheet number 17A (penned), dwelling 151, family 167, Dennis McFadden; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestrylibrary.com : accessed 5 February 2013); citing National Archives microfilm publication T624, roll 1427.
1930 U.S. census, Sevier County, Arkansas, population schedule, enumeration district (ED) 0020, 2B (stamped), sheet number 2B (written), dwelling 43, family 43, Mary E. Renfro; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestrylibrary.com : accessed 5 February 2013); citing National Archives microfilm publication T626, roll 95.
Findagrave.com, Find A Grave, digital images (http://www.findagrave.com/ : accessed 14 June 2013), photograph, gravestone for Mary Elizabeth Renfro (1861-1931), Sevier Brownstone, Arkansas.
Arkansas Death Index, 1914-1950, database, FamilySearch (http://www.familysearch.org : accessed 28 June 2013), entry for Mary Elizabeth Renfro.
