Diggin' Up Alabama Roots

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It's a pleasure to share my familial research and history with you!

My name is Doll Harris-Hargrove.   I am the  mother of two children, John and Chanel Hargrove.  My parents were Jim and Carrie B. Corellus-Harris  (they are both deceased).  I have a sister, Louise Sulu, who resides in Trenton, NJ and a brother Lister S. Harris who lives in Tuskegee, AL.  My other sister, Dorothy "Jean" Harris, was killed in 1981, along with her daughter, in a mysterious house fire.  There is another sister I have never met and have tried to locate her....Martha Jean.  She was born in Tuskegee, AL, January, in the  late 1940's.  She is the daughter of my father.  I am not aware of her last name. Whether or not she retained  the last name of Harris, at birth, has not been determined.

My initial interest in genealogy began in fourth grade, when my African-American teacher, Mr. Thomas, gave the class an assignment to set up a "family tree".    I thought it was an interesting project and made my required contribution.   At the time, I was not aware of how incomplete my "tree" was.  Years following this project, my sister Jean and I updated the family bible with names of our paternal and maternal ancestors.  My parents  were willing to share what they knew and what they could remember.    We perserved and gathered at least 3 generations of names. Of course, there were many missing branches and twigs.

Diggin' Up Harris Roots

The first Harris family reunion took place in Tuskegee AL in 1993.  I met many "new" cousins.  However, Sara-Etta Harris, the granddaughter of Frank Harris, my grandfather's (Jim Harris's) brother, was able to furnish me with the first name of my great-grandmother, Della.   I was aware of my great-grandfather's name but not his wife's.

Working for a progressive company, I was able to access the Internet as early as 1994 and began searching, but there was nothing available that I could  link to my heritage.  As we know, things are very different now!!   In 1996/1997, there were positive changes taking place on the Internet--more information could be accessed. My first contact was Ancestry.com.  From this website I  was able to obtain a copy of my grandfather's social security card application.  He registered for his card in Tuskegee, AL, 1941, at the age of  51.  The information on the application included the names of his parents, Alabama (Bama) Harris and Della Willson (only the maiden name was required).  What a find!  This meant that I had to add another surname to my list!!  As you know, tracking women is a little bit harder because of the possible change in the last name after marriage.  However, I have not been able to find any information on my grandfather's father, Bammer Harris.  My cousin, Daisy Brown, daughter of Hattie Harris, has been extremely instrumental in helping me to determine if any of the people on the surnames census were in anyway related to us.  She did inform me that Chance Harris and his family, that appears on the 1900 Macon County Harris Surname Census, which was  transcribed earlier in my research, is the brother of Bammer Harris 

Note: Transcribing a surname census can prove extremely beneficial.  As you piece together family lineage information, it can eventually be determined if others noted on the census are related to the researcher.

Diggin' Up Willson Roots

So off to the LDS center I went searching for records that could tie me to unknown family members.  I started my search in the 1900 Macon County, AL census.  My grandfather was born in 1889 and I knew that he should have appeared on this particular census.  I found him and his brother, Frank, enumerated with their grandfather, Huston Willson. Then, I began to wonder what happened to their parents and their sister, Hattie Harris.  I would later discover that both, Bammer and Della, had died sometime in the early 1890's, leaving behind 3 children to be raised by their grandparents. Hattie, the oldest of the three, had left the Willson's at the age of 15 and married a man by the name of Mose Lee.  This is why she did not appear on the 1900 census with the Willson's.

I was able to obtain a copy of the Macon County, Township Census of 1880. The records themselves had been hand written, illegible in certain areas, and extranneous marking obscured data in other places.   Information obtained in this census was organized by beat and then by surname.   Only the name, age, and sex was given.  I was able to find Huston Willson and his family, along with the 6 missing children that I was unable to find in the 1900 census, including my great-gradmother Della Willson. There were a few other names that were noted, which I know are relatives.  My other notable find from this record has been the parents of Houston Willson.   His parents, Frank and Rose Willson, both born in the 1820's, were residing with Houston in 1880.  I can now understand why there is a line of family members with the first name "Frank".

Diggin' Up Thomas Roots

The Thomas surname is of my maternal lineage. Orange and Peggy Thomas are the earliest of this line.  I was able to obtain this lineage many years ago.  Peggy Thomas had passed away between 1900 and 1905--location unknown.  My Aunt, Jessie Webb-Harris, remembered approximately when her grandfather passed away.  She was only six years old when this occured.  His passing took place the same year her brother, Izear Webb, was born.  We determined that this was in the Fall of 1926.  The Lineage Company, for a reasonable fee, was able to furnish me with a copy of his death certificate.  When I received the death certificate, I was somewhat dismayed that critical information such as the name of his mother and father were blank, his age was obscured, and other vital data was missing.   However, it was noted that he died in Macon County on December 4, 1926 after living there for only 10 months. Previously, he had been living in Montgomery County.    My search for the Thomas's in Macon County was unrealistic.  I began to set my sight on Montgomery County and found them on the 1900 census. My grandmother Hannah Thomas was only 4 years old at the time the census was taken.  I also found her other brothers and sisters as well.  My Aunt Jessie, could not relate to some of the older members of the Thomas line.  However, she did remember some of the younger ones.   The names did not seem to match what my Aunt had known.  It was quite possible that my Aunt was more familiar with their nicknames and not their actual Chrisitan names.

Diggin' Up Bryant Roots

The Bryant surname is of my paternal lineage.  Hattie Bryant-Harris was my grandmother, who was married to Jim Harris.  Hattie's parents were Alan and Hattie Bryant.  I am aware that possibly,  Alan, was of Cherokee descent.  Thus far, I have been unable to obtain any census data on them.  It's quite possible that they could have been residenced in another county other than Macon. 

Diggin' Up Webb Roots

The Webb surname is of my maternal lineage.  William Webb was the second husband of my grandmother (Hannah Thomas).   My mother, Carrie B. Corellus and her sister Johnnie Lee Corellus, were given  the last name of their stepfather when they were small children.  I know very little about the Webb line and my research has been minimal.  However, I do intend to further research this line.

Diggin' Up Other Surname Roots

The other surnames listed are names that were acquired during marriage to other families.  I am willing to share any information I have about any of the names listed.  I have a general understanding of most of the surnames and their connection to family members.  However, I know very little about others.