Genealogy: Finding Your Folks

Courthouse burned? All may not be lost ...

By Judy Fowler Kilgore
Genealogy Columnist

Judy Fowler Kilgore is the religion editor and genealogy columnist for The Citizen. She regrets that time does not permit her to do personal family research for others. She may be reached at jkilgore@thecitizennews.com or jodiek444@aol.com.

A few weeks ago I experienced what can only be described as a genealogy miracle. Despite a courthouse fire which destroyed all courthouse records — and I mean ALL of them — there may be some hope for my finding a much needed will after all.

This did not happen in Fayette or any of the surrounding areas but in the little county of Twiggs to our south. Therefore, this is not about a Fayette, Coweta or South Fulton family ... although it may tie in to a Fayette family if I can get my hands on the records.

This column is simply to let you know there may be other routes to finding lost records and hope for finding your lost folks.

Several weeks ago, I wrote about my curiosity with the Fayette Dormans and how they might tie into my Dormans who were primarily in Chambers County, Ala. The significant clue is the name of a son, Sanford Mitchell Dorman, who died as an infant and is buried in Chambers County. The significance is that there was a Sanford among the Dormans in Fayette, and “Sanford” is not a common, run-of-the-mill name.

Many people have written me inquiring whether or not my Dormans were connected to the Fayette Dormans and I have not been able to answer in the affirmative. But there is that nagging clue which tells me to keep at it. They may be connected yet.

I have tracked my Dorman family back to an Allen Dorman who died in Twiggs County in 1831. Allen’s obit said he was a native of North Carolina which probably means he was born there. I thought there was another Allen Dorman in Sumter County about the same time. I think I covered that in a previous column about “finding the Dorman who was not.” Disprove one and you may be able to prove the other.

Well, thanks to my miracle I have now learned there was only one Allen Dorman who died about that time. The gentleman who had an Allen Dorman who died in Sumter County and married to a Martha (later named Vandiver) was in error. Because of my little miracle, I was able to determine that the Allen Dorman who was married to Martha was the one who died in Twiggs in 1831.

There is a wonderful book I discovered at the Coweta Genealogy Library in which the author has reconstructed some of Twiggs County’s history using other records (newspapers, deeds, Bible records, military records, wills, personal journals and papers), along with those records taken back to the courthouse to be rerecorded after the fire. The book is “Twiggs County Georgia Records: A Reconstructed Heritage” by Bess Vaughn Clark. In this book, there is a two-page abstract of a case heard in the Georgia Supreme Court and guess what? It is about my Allen Dorman.

It appears that 20 years after his death, Allen’s grandchildren took their father to court over the ownership of a slave, supposedly left to their mother in Allen’s will. The case was originally tried in Talbot County where the family, the Mizells, were living in 1851. The case apparently was appealed to the Supreme Court.

I probably read this abstract a dozen times before I realized how much significant information was in it. The most significant information was that the will of Allen Dorman was read in open court to prove the children’s claim. The second significant fact was that the date the will was made and the date it was probated were included in the records. The third significant fact was that a woman named Martha Vandiver testified at the trial and stated she was once married to the Allen Dorman in question. Martha also named all of Louisa Dorman Mizell’s children — and their spouses. I mean, my mind was spinning with all this new information. And there was more.

The gist of the case was this: Allen Dorman had given a slave named Rose to his daughter, Louisa, and her husband, William Mizell, about 1819, shortly after their marriage. Allen died in 1831 and, in his will, left the slave to his daughter, permanently.

In the years between 1831 and 1851, Louisa had died, William Mizell had remarried, and had kept the slave for himself, despite the fact that she was supposed to go to Louisa’s children. So they sued for ownership. The Talbot judge ruled in favor of Mizell and the children’s attorney, sensing an error, took the case to a higher court. All this information was in this wonderful book that I happened to come across in Coweta County.

The outcome of the case has no significance but the information in the court minutes has all the meaning in the world to me. First, depending on how much of the will was read in court, I may be able to find all the children of this Allen Dorman.

Second, I may be able to find out if Allen had more children with this Martha (maiden name thought to be Pickett).

And third, I may be able to find out if this Allen Dorman was the father of my Wiley Dorman of Chambers County. Everything in this court case may give me a new branch of my family, and it may lead me to a connection to the Fayette Dormans. One of them (Fayette Dormans) was in Harris County, Ga. at the same time as my Wiley (1830).

As I said, it was just a miracle, pure and simple. Needless to say, I will be making a beeline to Talbotton to see if I can find these court minutes. Fortunately, it’s not that far to drive.

The point of this whole thing is this: There is always another way around your brick wall. It may fall into your lap or you may have to do a little digging. But the answer is out there somewhere. Don’t give up. Keep trying. Keep digging. Miracles do happen.

I welcome your letters about genealogy and info on south metro Atlanta families. Send them to The Citizen, Drawer 1719, Fayetteville, GA 30214; e-mail jkilgore@thecitizennews.com or jodiek444@aol.com. Any letters and/or e-mails I receive are subject to being used in the column.

Until next week, happy hunting!