One of my favorite maxims – “genealogy is not for the faint of heart” – is the underlying premise of this multi-part article, a collection of challenges I’ve run across in my “research adventures” in pursuit of my own family history or that of my clients. Genealogy is fraught with challenges and the all-too-often need to untangle twisted history, but untangle I must (or at least try!) – whether it’s a client with family lore they wish to prove (or disprove) to scaling brick walls built on years of misleading information via either genealogical fraud, inheritance scams or Internet speculation. In recognition of October being Family History Month, this article has been excerpted from the May-June 2020 issue of Digging History Magazine.
The Mysterious Parentage of Lottie Martha Jane Winstead
This one was personal to me, although it did not directly involve my ancestral lines. At the request of my beloved Aunt Joy Blaylock (my father’s oldest, and now, only living sibling) I took on the challenge of solving the mystery surrounding the parentage of her mother-in-law, Lottie Martha Jane (Winstead) Blaylock, after having created a custom-designed family history chart for her.
Aunt Joy and I had discussed the mystery from time to time and finally it was time to start digging. Many of the details seemed confusing, at least initially, but she would mention two names repeatedly – Mullins and Carter. As it turned out the names she mentioned were key to solving at least part of the mystery. Little did I know what a research adventure I was about to embark upon, some of which remains to be solved!
Lottie was born on April 25, 1897 in Hancock County, Tennessee. Although I’m not certain when it occurred, at some point she was taken in by Thomas and Elizabeth (Hayes) Winstead and raised as their daughter (although enumerated as his niece in 1910).
Over the years a woman would, from time to time, show up at Tom’s house and he would go out and talk to her but she was never allowed to come any farther. She was presumed to be Lottie’s birth mother. The family has always thought Lottie’s father was Thomas’ younger brother Ephraim, they being the sons of Thomas and Rhoda (Singleton, or perhaps Trent) Winstead. The 1900 census record indicates Ephraim was a newlywed and living in Jackson County, Kentucky.
Tom Winstead migrated to Oklahoma after the 1910 census with his family. Between the 1900 and 1910 census the family of Jefferson Davis Blaylock of Ellijay (Gilmer County), Georgia also migrated to Oklahoma, both families settling in Roger Mills County near the town of Hammon.
Isham Enoch Monroe “Roe” Blaylock and Lottie Winstead were married in Roger Mills County on October 7, 1913, both fibbing about their ages. Roe claimed to be 28 (he was about a month short of turning 30) and she claimed to be 21 (she was 16). Robert M. Trent, a Baptist minister, performed the ceremony which was witnessed by his wife Maggie and their daughter Sallie. Although I didn’t realize it at the time, the Trent family was also from Hancock County and may possibly be related to Lottie. More “untangling” is required as some believe Rhoda Singleton to be the daughter of Zachariah Green Trent.
Roe and Lottie’s firstborn child, Samuel, was born on May 11, 1913, five months before they were officially hitched. Fifteen more children would be added to their union, thirteen living to adulthood. Jefferson Fhalia Blaylock was born in 1921. After the Blaylock clan migrated to Valencia County, New Mexico (Los Lunas), he would meet and marry Joy Fay Hall in 1946.
Aunt Joy mentioned Mack Mullins frequently in our conversations. I spent some time researching his background and discovered he was born in Hancock County in 1890 and had also migrated to Oklahoma between the 1910 and 1920 censuses. By 1920 he was married to Roe’s sister, Sarah Elizabeth “Sallie” Blaylock and they were living in Roger Mills County.
Mack was the son of William Henderson “Hence” Mullins and the grandson on Christopher Tipton Mullins. I found Mack living with Tipton in 1900, although mistakenly enumerated as his son. This prompted me to do a bit of research on Tipton, so I checked the 1870 and 1880 censuses. Tipton and Elizabeth Mullins were the parents of three young children in 1870: Eliza (5), Henderson (3) and Anson (4 months). In 1880 Tipton and Elizabeth had several more arrows in their quiver. Interestingly, fifteen year-old Eliza was living with her parents, along with her twenty-one year-old husband W.V. (William Vance) Corder.
I had to ponder this for awhile, but suddenly realized something after linking another clue Aunt Joy had provided. At some point, I’m assuming before Roe and Lottie went to New Mexico, Mack Mullins went to either Tennessee or Georgia and brought his aunt Eliza to Oklahoma. She had apparently divorced W.V. Corder at some point, and married James Harvey on December 4, 1899. 1920 appears to be the last census record for James, and I don’t know exactly when Eliza was brought to Oklahoma, but she died on February 6, 1931 in Hammon.
Why did Mack Mullins, Lottie’s brother-in-law, bring Eliza to Hammon? As I mulled all this over, I began to realize the two names Aunt Joy mentioned were becoming less “fuzzy”. Was it possible she might have heard “Carter” but it was really “Corder”. And, if so, what did that mean? Was Elizabeth “Eliza” Mullins Corder Harvey Lottie’s birth mother, and the name clues more or less proved it?!?
I noted Eliza’s Find-A-Grave entry featured a picture of her grave stone and the information source was based on Glen Crane’s Record of Roger Mills County, OK Cemeteries and More. Below that was another notation signifying she was the daughter of Tip Mullins and Huldo (possibly Huldah Elizabeth) Collins.
The Collins surname piqued my interest as I researched Hancock County (and its neighboring counties), home to a fascinating people group known as Melungeon. I discovered “Mullins” and “Collins” were both common Melungeon surnames . . . hmm. The Collins surname is prominent with some very interesting characters. A few months later, I began an extended series entitled “From Whence We Came: Appalachia” and one issue featured an article entitled “Melungeons: a very strange people (who made moonshine whiskey)“. Two prominent families were included in the article — Collins and Mullins. Whether or not Eliza was related to these two clans remains to be proven, however, but it’s an interesting theory requiring more research (and perhaps DNA testing).
Thanks for stopping by! Please consider subscribing to Digging History Magazine. The current series features the history of individual states and how to find the best historical and genealogical records. Purchasing a subscription entitles you to subscriber benefits (20% off all services, including custom-designed family history charts) AND a chance to win your very own custom-designed family history chart! Details here (or click the ad below).
