The Successful Hunt for Harry Edward NEWSOME's Parents (1884-1973)

This is Ed. Or, "Edd." Or, "Harry Edward Newsome" if you're me and naively called him by his proper name for about 18 years, preventing any research progress to be made....

Edd is my maternal grandmother's grandfather. He lived from 1884-1973 and spent most of those years in Whiteside, Marion County, Tennesee, though, as his daughter met her future husband (and my future great-grandpa) in Letcher County, Kentucky, I knew that he had lived there, too.

Beyond that, I had nothing. Well, nothing but pictures of his headstone, the old house he shared with his wife Odessa (Bailey) Newsome, and a lovely shots of the coupe themselves. Really that is an exciting amount of photographs, but none were giving me any clues, and I needed clues!

I could not, for the life of me, find the names of his parents. My grandmother was convinced that we would never know because, "people from the hills of Kentucky and Tennessee didn't keep records, they were poor and illiterate. You're not going to find anything!"

O grandma of little faith!

While poking around The Marion County Tennessee History & Genealogy site on Rootsweb, and thanks to contributor Euline Harris, I found IT! IT, the most beautiful of things and that which smashed through through my long-standing brick wall, just like this:

And, while I knew that Harry Edward had been to Kentucky, my grandma has never known anything more specific than "Letcher County," even though she was born there! So, until a few hours before that glorious find, when I saw Harry Edward's daughter (Myrtle (NEWSOME) Sergeant)'s death certificate for the first time, I did not know that he went by "Ed(d)" or that he was associated with Thornton, KY.

God BLESS fully scanned & uploaded vital records!

So, I FINALLY found the (MAIDEN!) name of Edd's mother (Julia Ann Carlton), a few brothers and brother-in-laws (and that is a whole other blog post...,) as well as the first initial of his father and that they were from Kelly Ferry, Marion County, Tennessee.

Sorry for two gifs in one post, but I really did this while running through my house:

!!!!!!

With all of this knowledge I have been able to find Edd's parents and siblings, though that has taken quite a bit of effort on my part as well. Edd is of his father's second marriage, and apparently all but one of the children ended up going by their middle names, so this list was actually much larger until I realized how many were actually the same people!

Children of Isaiah Newsom (1836-1916) and Margaret Starlin(g) as found in the 1860 [1], and some in the 1870 census [2]:

1. John NEWSOM
2. Alexander NEWSOM
3. Anas (?!) NEWSOM
4. Susan NEWSOM
5. William NEWSOM (b. abt 1863)
6. Elizabeth NEWSOM
7. Nancy "Nannie" J. NEWSOM (b. abt 1867)

But in 1880 [3] and 1900 [4], Isaiah is now married to the former Miss Julia Ann Carlton (1855-1945,) and these children have been added to their brood:

1. Ellen Edna NEWSOM (abt 1875 - 1947)
2. Adlizer "Addie" J NEWSOM (1878 - 1955)
3. Mattie NEWSOM (1879-1958)
4. James Lloyd NEWSOM (1882-1965)
5. Harry Edward (1884-1973)
6. Phemia (b.1887)
7. Emma E. (b. 1889)
8. Hattie E. (b. 1892)
9. Eddie O. (b. 1899)
10. Lavenda McKinley (b. 1897)
11. Ruby (b. 1899)

Honestly, I'm still trying to figure out all these children. Harry Edward NEWSOM doesn't actually appear in a census with his parents, and I know there was also a girl named Mae NEWSOM who isn't on there either. Mae is almost certainly a middle name, but whose?

Add to the confusion that I can't find many of those children outside the censuses (not even in the family (or surrounding) cemetery/ies!) -- and the fact that Isaiah's obituary lists William and Elizabeth as his siblings, instead of children! What! They're just messing with me now. But I'll save that for my post on Isaiah NEWSOM himself. 

So, while it is SO AWESOME to break through that brick wall (see .gif above,) the work sure doesn't stop there. But, really, what genealogist would want it to? :)

From my grandmother's photo album.

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1. Year: 1860; Census Place: District 6, Marion, Tennessee; Roll: M653_1263; Page: 252; Image: 507; Family History Library Film: 805263.
2. Year: 1870; Census Place: District 6, Marion, Tennessee; Roll: M593_1546; Page: 436B; Image: 68; Family History Library Film: 553045.
3. Year: 1880; Census Place: District 6, Marion, Tennessee; Roll: 1269; Family History Film: 1255269; Page: 259C; Enumeration District: 078.
4. Year: 1900; Census Place: Civil District 6, Marion, Tennessee; Roll: 1587; Page: 2B; Enumeration District: 0091; FHL microfilm: 1241587.

Genealogy Snapshot

Name: Newsome, Harry Edward (1884-1973)
Parents: Isaiah Newsom and Julia Ann Carlton
Spouse: Odessa Bailey
Surnames: Newsome, Newsom, Carlton
Relationship to me: 2nd Great-Grandfather

1. Harry Edward Newsome
2. Gladys Geneva Newsome
3. Norma Jean Williams
4. Sandra Elaine Hixson
5. Ameya