Warren, Vivian, Joe Williams, Alice and Vincent 

Key Biscayne - Underground Railroad Stop

Key Biscayne site a little-known station on the Underground Railroad

By Margo Harakas
Staff Writer
Posted February 22 2005

Joan Gill Blank was sailing the Bahamas in 1962 when she dropped anchor in Nicolls Town on Andros Island. Even then, she says, it was an out of the way place.

When asked by a couple of locals where she was from, she replied, "Cape Florida." It was where she and her family had set sail.

"The same, m'on," they replied in unison. "The same."

"They told their fragmented histories," she recalls, "but at that time I knew nothing about this heroic journey from slavery to freedom."

Today, more than 40 years later, the connection between those Andros islanders and the stretch of beach off the southern tip of Key Biscayne will be commemorated when Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park is officially designated a National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom site. The only other designated Florida site is Fort Jefferson in the Dry Tortugas, 68 miles west of Key West.

Blank, a Key Biscayne resident and author who co-wrote the site application, learned of the historic slave-era significance of Cape Florida while researching her book Key Biscayne: A History of Miami's Tropical Island and the Cape Florida Lighthouse, published in 1996.

We generally think of slave-era Southern blacks fleeing north to free states and Canada to gain freedom. But Blank tells of runaway slaves from Alabama, the Carolinas, Georgia, and North and Central Florida making their way down the long peninsula in the early 1800s, eventually crossing the bay to the barrier island of Key Biscayne.

"There they rendezvoused with Bahamian captains, bartering on the beaches to establish the cost of passage on this perilous journey across the Gulf Stream," she wrote.

The blacks, trying to evade the slave-catchers, were often joined in their flight to the Bahamas by black Seminoles (the offspring of unions between the two groups) and Seminoles, who even then, a decade before the Indian Removal Act, talked about being hunted like "wild deer" by the U.S. troops and their allies. Sometimes, the treacherous voyage was undertaken in nothing more than a dugout canoe fitted with sails.

A map in a kiosk, to be erected not far from the park's lighthouse, will trace the passage of those dauntless freedom seekers.

Were it not for the curiosity and determination of Kristopher Smith, of Miami, it might have been left to history books alone to mark this spur of the Underground Railroad.

It was on a family trip to Kingsley Plantation, near Jacksonville, that Smith heard about a national parks program established in 1998 to identify Underground Railroad sites around the country.

When he learned little was being done to identify sites in Florida, Smith sprang into action, eventually founding the Florida Underground Railroad Project.

"I'm not a historian," says Smith, who is employed by the city of Miami as NET Administrator for Overtown. (He too works on neighborhood issues and serves as a liaison with City Hall.)

When he got back to Miami, Smith made some phone calls and was quickly referred to Blank.

"I called Joan and she agreed to meet with me," recalls Smith. "I told her I was doing this research on the Underground Railroad in Florida and the Caribbean. As we talked, it became clear here was an Underground Railroad site right under our noses. She agreed to help flesh out the story ... And we began to work with park staff on developing an application."

At the same time, Smith organized community meetings and workshops throughout the state to gain support and participation in the project. Within two years, the Cape Florida site won designation.

No one knows how many made their leap for freedom from Cape Florida shores. Estimates range from about 100 to 300 or more.

The first eyewitness reports date from 1821, says Blank. Spotted on a single day were 60 Indians, an equal number of runaway slaves and 27 Bahamian ships.

Two years later, says Blank, another book referred to 300 Seminole Indians, black Seminoles and runaways waiting for passage from Cape Florida to the British Bahamas.

"Freedom was in the wind," says Blank. "The British had by that time stopped the trading of slaves. But they hadn't yet done away with slavery officially in the islands. That would be declared later."

The primary destination appears to be the northwestern tip of Andros Island, in the area of Red Bays and Nicolls Town.

One of those who made the crossing in a dugout canoe was a black Seminole named Scipio Bowlegs, whose surname is prevalent among Florida Seminoles and residents of Andros. "It was the most daring venture possible," says Blank.

Anthropologist Rosalyn Howard, professor at the University of Central Florida, lived for a year on Andros researching her book Black Seminoles in the Bahamas. Among those she focused on were descendants of those who left via Cape Florida.

The Red Bays area was chosen, says Howard, because of its sparse population and its shallow, muddy and generally inhospitable setting. Such a place lessened the chances of being recaptured.

The 1821 arrival date is clear, says Howard, because of a letter found in the Bahamian archives "in which a British customs officer `discovered' these people living in the area of Red Bays and took 97 of them to Nassau."

The letter, dated 1828, lists the names of those in custody, and notes, says Howard, that the people had been on the island for seven years, on their own and raising crops.

After about a year, says Howard, the detainees were "returned to the island and allowed to live in freedom."

One reason for rounding up the residents was the fear they may have been dropped off on the island by Spanish privateers who would return later to enslave them. That theory was dispelled when several of the detainees produced certificates of good conduct granted them by the British for their service against the Americans in the War of 1812.

There is still much research yet to be done, says Howard, who is presently engaged in "Looking for Angola," a project that may turn out to be the prequel to the Cape Florida story.

In 1821, near Sarasota, a settlement of primarily free blacks and runaways was overrun and destroyed by the American militia and their Indian allies. Called Angola, it is referred to on old maps as Negro Point. Howard has documents listing the names of some of the inhabitants of Angola. She thinks the Angola survivors may have fled to Cape Florida, and ultimately to Andros.

Construction of the lighthouse in 1825 essentially shut off Cape Florida as an escape route, says Blank. The federal presence forced those fleeing local shores to launch their vessels farther south, from Tavernier in the Keys.

Tavernier is one of several additional Florida locations Smith hopes to get recognized as an Underground Railroad site.

Howard, Blank and Smith will be on hand along with various dignitaries today for the ceremony at Cape Florida.

Smith finds the history inspirational. The stories "resonate with me living in South Florida," he says.

The danger faced, the effort made to resist enslavement, is not only a testament to the freedom seekers' courage, but offers a lesson for today, Smith notes.

"This was a group effort," he notes, undertaken in a cooperative manner by people who did not necessarily look the same or speak the same language. "Yet they bound together to do this. It really sets the groundwork for what we have today, which is a multicultural society. And it says if those folks could overcome those obstacles, we ought to be able to deal with the conditions that we face today together.

"It seems like a model that works."

Marriage Document - 1883

State of North Carolina	Office of Register of Deeds
Washington COUNTY	June 6th 18 83
To any Ordained Minister of any Religious Denomination or any Justice of the Peace of said County:
Lenard Cahoon having applied to me for a LICENSE for the marriage of Himself of Washington Co. N.C., aged 21 years, color Colored the son of (blank) and (blank) the father now Dead, the mother Living, resident of (blank) And Alice Lindsey of Washington Co. aged 18 years, color Colored, daughter of (blank) and (blank) the father Living, the mother Dead, resident of (blank). And the written consent of (blank) the (blank) of the said (blank) to the proposed marriage having been filed with me. And there being no legal impediment to such marriage known to me, you are hereby authorized, at any time within one year from the date hereof, to celebrate the proposed marriage at any place within the said county. You are required, within two months after you shall have celebrated such marriage, to return this License to me, at my office, with your signature subscribed to the certificate under this License, and with the blanks therein filled according to the facts, under penalty of forfeiting two hundred dollars to the use of any person who shall sue for the same.
W. H. Stubbs
Register of Deeds

State of North Carolina,

Washington County.

I, L. M. Phelps, a Justice of the Peace united in Matrimony Lenard Cahoon and Alice Lindsey the parties licensed above, on the 7th day of June, 18 83, at John Martins residence in Skinnersville Township, in said County, according to law.

L. M. Phelps

Witnesses present at Marriage:

W. L. Lindsey of Washington Co

Jno. C. Martin of Washington Co

Ben Lindsey of Washington Co

The Jubilate Band, "Jubilation!" In Concert

The Jubilate Band

"Jubilation!"

In concert, Saturday, February 26 at the Overtown Historic Village N.W. 9^th St. on the Pedestrian Mall (Next to the Lyric Theater)

Appearing at the

2005 Red Velvet Cake Arts Festival

The Jubilate Organization will have two sets:

12:15: Local blues legend, Jubilate's guitarist and instructor, Ike Woods with special guest, Overtown and Jubilate's own, Kamelah Kennedy.

2:00: Jubilation! the Jubilate Band under the direction of Barry Stoffberg, features the African Drummer's Ensemble; Grammy winner, Ingnacio Nunez; South African Guitarist, Philip Carelse; Downbeat Jazz Vocalist, Julie Silvera and Mr. Tenor, Josef Spencer.

"Jubilation!" is a new breed of band whose afro pop music is a vibrant expression of the world's cultures. It is a positive amalgam of funk, soul, African rhythms, and jazz.

A special treat for long time Jubilate fans will be Kamelah's performance. Soon to graduate from High School, she has been a member of the Academy program since she was in middle school and this will be her first concert presentation of original material.

For more information on Jubilate, please visit our web site at, "http://jubilatearts.org/about.htm"

The 2005 Red Cake Festival celebrates the rich cultural and culinary history of the red velvet cake. There will be live performances, exhibits, children's games and of course - RED CAKE!!

For more Festival info: (305) 437-4550

Budgets are Moral Documents!

From SoJourners-

Bush's budget proposals: Making permanent the tax cuts of 2001 - 70% of which benefited the wealthiest 20% of U.S. citizens The elimination of block grants that aid poor communities Making it more difficult for working poor families with children to be on Medicaid A $355 million cut to programs that promote safe and drug-free schools Cuts to housing and urban development programs The elimination of 48 educational programs

Yesterday, President Bush released his administration's proposed 2006 federal budget. The $2.6 trillion budget projects a record $427 billion budget deficit, not including funding for Iraq and Afghanistan. It includes increases in military spending while at the same time proposes major cuts to domestic programs that benefit people living in poverty.

Budgets are moral documents. This administration's proposed budget reflects a set of priorities that stand in clear opposition to biblical values. Paying attention to the poorest among us is arguably the most central biblical imperative-not increased spending on nuclear warheads and tax cuts for the rich.

When considering a document as important as this one, it is imperative that our leaders consider its impact on people living in poverty. Urge your members of Congress to consider this budget's effect on the poor.

Bush Plays the Race Card

NEWS FLASH: "... Blacks Die Earlier!" .... Oh, Really?

Since the Administration's whole talk of privatization has backfired, they've turned to the two tricks available in their hat: race card or fear.

Editor's Note: I've been fuming about this insanity since the pre- State of the Union Press Releases.... We will return to the Lindsey- Watts' info soon.
Ira


Little Black Lies
By PAUL KRUGMAN

Published: January 28, 2005

Social Security privatization really is like tax cuts, or the Iraq war: the administration keeps on coming up with new rationales, but the plan remains the same. President Bush's claim that we must privatize Social Security to avert an imminent crisis has evidently fallen flat. So now he's playing the race card.

Let's start with the facts. Mr. Bush's argument goes back at least seven years, to a report issued by the Heritage Foundation - a report so badly misleading that the deputy chief actuary (now the chief actuary) of the Social Security Administration wrote a memo pointing out "major errors in the methodology." That's actuary-speak for "damned lies."

Here's why. First, Mr. Bush's remarks on African-Americans perpetuate a crude misunderstanding about what life expectancy means. It's true that the current life expectancy for black males at birth is only 68.8 years - but that doesn't mean that a black man who has worked all his life can expect to die after collecting only a few years' worth of Social Security benefits. Blacks' low life expectancy is largely due to high death rates in childhood and young adulthood. African-American men who make it to age 65 can expect to live, and collect benefits, for an additional 14.6 years - not that far short of the 16.6-year figure for white men.

Second, the formula determining Social Security benefits is progressive: it provides more benefits, as a percentage of earnings, to low-income workers than to high-income workers. Since African-Americans are paid much less, on average, than whites, this works to their advantage.

Finally, Social Security isn't just a retirement program; it's also a disability insurance program. And blacks are much more likely than whites to receive disability benefits.

Put it all together, and the deal African-Americans get from Social Security turns out, according to various calculations, to be either about the same as that for whites or somewhat better. Hispanics, by the way, clearly do better than either.

So the claim that Social Security is unfair to blacks is just false.

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Jackson businessman James Wolfe once heard a comedian joke that the age to receive Social Security should be moved back to 29 for blacks since they're not living long enough to the required age of 65 to receive benefits.

But the issue is no laughing matter for Wolfe.

He has served for the last four years on the state's Minority Health Advisory Council. The council's goal is finding solutions to resolving health disparities among minorities.

The disparity issues are something "none of us can afford to give up on," said Wolfe, a Jackson radio station owner, minister and city councilman.

African-Americans, on average, die five years younger than people of any other race in America, Wolfe said, largely because many black people have been unable to afford good health care.

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Social Security is an INSURANCE plan, not strictly a RETIREMENT plan. If black working men die between 50 and 65, their dependents receive survivors benefits. For someone who dies at 50, the private account would not have enough time to accumulate the compounded earnings required to offset the survivor benefits. This aspect of SSI is conveniently ignored by the Heritage analysis and was a problem that the Bush SS commission noted. The commission could not resolve how to cover the benefits of the disabled or resolve issues surrounding survivors’ benefits.
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Bush's Social Security pitch is as racist as the day is long. You die earlier so support me? So why do blacks die earlier? Maybe if we spent a trillion on universal health insurance that wouldn't be the case.

Blacks die earlier than others, so private accounts are better, because they will be able to profit from their early demise by wealth transfer. Translated, that would be, "I'm saving, because I'm going to die earlier than the schedule says."

Does that mean that blacks should get an earlier retirement age?

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When examining the longitudinal life expectancy data for blacks and whites observe how projections indicate that black females in the year 2050 will have reached the life expectancy of white females 50 years earlier, in 1996, and that in 2050 black males will only have reached the life expectancy of their white counterparts 70 years earlier, in 1980.

LIFE EXPECTANCIES & THEIR VARIOUS RATIOS

Life exp in:	1900	1996	FEM/MALE	BL/WH
BL MALE	32.5	66.1	1900= 1.03; 1996=1.12	MALE 1900=.70 MALE 1996=.89
BL FEMALE	33.5	74.2
WH MALE	46.6	73.9	1900=1.05; 1996=1.08	FEM 1900=.69 FEM 1996=.93
WH FEMALE	48.7	79.7

Those who do die "prematurely," before old age, increasingly die of man-made (and, hence, theoretically avoidable) reasons, such as by accident, homicide, suicide, or lethal lifestyles.

The Inequalities Revealed By Death

As mentioned elsewhere, death is the barometer by which we measure the adequacy of social life, such as when we compare cross-cultural death and life expectancy rates to gauge social progress, compare national homicide rates to infer the stability of social structures, or compare death rates of different social groups to ascertain social inequalities. Some death statistics to ponder:

• The results of a 7-1/2-year study of 3617 Americans (reported in the June 3, 1998 issue of JAMA) found that those whose annual income was below $10,000 had a death rate 3.22 times greater than those making $30,000 or more. Even after controlling for smoking, drinking, exercise, and overeating, the death rate was still 2.77 times higher.
• A 2001 Scottish study found younger heart attack victims from the poorer parts of town were twice as likely to die reroute to hospitals than their affluent counterparts.
• According to the May 2001 report of the CDC, between 1991 and 1997, black women died of pregnancy related complications four times more often than white females (29.6 deaths per 100,000 births vs. 7.3 death for whites and 10.3 for Hispanic women).
• Black infant mortality is 2.2 times that of whites, and blacks lead in 14 of the 16 leading causes of death (W. Michael Byrd & Linda A. Clayton, An American Health Dilemma).
• Blacks are 40% more likely to die of stroke than whites (CDC, Feb. 2003).
• A number of studies show racial minorities are disproportionately exposed to air pollution, hazardous wastes, and pesticides (key concept: ecoracism).
• In 1990, 55% of the men residing in Bangladesh lived past age 65, compared to only 40% of the men in Harlem.
• In the Washington, D.C. area, Latinos are three times more likely than other residents to be struck and killed by a car.

HOMICIDE

In 1993 there appeared in Times Square an electronic billboard tallying the number of gun-related homicides in the United States, where crude homicide rates are the third highest in the world--4 to 73 times the rate in other industrialized nations, according to researchers at the National Center for Health Statistics. Between 1976 and 1993, more of Americans were murdered in their native land than died on the battlefields of World War II.

According to a study by Child Trends, the infant homicide rate in the U.S. had been increasing over the prior three decades and in 2002 reached the homicide rate of Americans 15 to 19 years of age. Whereas in the 1950s students got under their desks in nuclear war "duck-and-cover" drills nowadays, in the wake of the school shootings around the country, students now use their desks in rehearsing protective strategies against attacks of their classmates.

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Considering Bush's Iraq duplicities, should we be surprised by his statements on fighting juvenile crime:

"Now we need to focus on giving young people, especially young men in our cities, better options than apathy, or gangs, or jail. Tonight I propose a three-year initiative to help organizations keep young people out of gangs." – President Bush, 2/2/05

VERSUS

The White House has "proposed a 40 percent cut in federal juvenile justice and delinquency prevention funding, which supports anti-gang programs in communities across the country. That's on top of a 44 percent overall reduction in delinquency-fighting and anti-gang funds since 2002." – Fight Crime: Invest in Kids, 6/1/04

Six Degrees of Separation

Lindsey- Watts' Six Degrees of Separation

It was Guglielmo Marconi, inventor of the wireless telegraph, who first posited the principle of sixoni was actually talking about telegraph stations, not personal affinity, but the idea caught on with social scientists and even epidemiologists, not to mention playwright John Guare, who made t degrees of separation — that it would take no more than six connections to link any two people in the world.

The concept captures the imagination. Could each of us truly be connected to every other person in the world through a chain of no more than six acquaintances, if only we knew the right people to pick as links?

Six Degrees of Separation is a trivia game based on the premise that everyone on Earth can be connected using six associations or less.

The game is usually applied to movie trivia, where actors are linked to other actors by movies they have in common, and most notably the ubiquitous actor Kevin Bacon is used as a vehicle through which to connect actors.

However, I will use an example closer to home.

We will connect family members linked to the late, great jazz and blues singer, Joe Williams and cousin , Ira L. Everett, Jr.(Chip).

1. Joe Williams is connected to Warren and Vincent Lindsey because they were both friends of Williams.
   
2. Williams recorded on their brother in-law, Paul King's Chicago based record label.
   
3. Paul King was married to, Frances (Lindsey) King,sister of Gladys (Lindsey) Everett, Chip's mother.
   
4. Chip hired jazz vocalist and violinist, Nicole Yarling to manage his summer program for talented muscians.
   
5. Nicole Yarling was the protégé of Joe Williams.

Lindsey- Watts Version

Let's try our own experiment! Our goal with this project is to reach targeted family members from around the world by forwarding the message to family members and friends that are closer to that person than you (we) are.

I will post two family members and a family member and celebrity - the next person will try to link those members in six ways or less. The first person to get it will post two more sets of names.

1. Claudia King and Kevin Dean
2. Julius Everett and Clifton Davis

Alice Lindsey Fluegge - Family Historian

Alice Lindsey Fluegge

Family Historian

My name is Alice Lindsey Fluegge, my husband Bob and I are the new, typical American family we are a bi-racial, bi-cultural, blended family, we have five sons and one daughter a combination of natural, step and foster children and they have given us 11 adorable grandchildren.

Twenty years ago my paternal grandfather asked me to find out about the parentage of his mother. He said that she was a member of the “Blackfeet” Indian tribe (later this turned out to be Cherokee, “Blackfeet “was a nickname given to black Cherokees). She was an orphan who had been raised by a white family in Cairo, IL. But he didn't stop there. He gave me the entire story of his family, as he knew it.

Little did I realize what a never-ending and thrill-packed journey on which he was sending me. He died shortly after making that request, as have many other family members who contributed to this work in progress. But the journey keeps them close and I know that they are still helping me find my way. The information I have is from various sources.

Family stories: (As much as I hear people knock family stories, I have gained a lot of verifiable information from things family members have told me.), Census Records, Cemeteries, County Courthouse records, Libraries, State records, Family published genealogies and lately the Internet. Not all is completely verified and is subject to correction. I do what's known as cluster genealogy; I have information on both my family and my husband's family. I am now up to 5,553 people in my family database.

This web page covers just my paternal side of the family. There is a separate page for the maternal side Fuller & Hicks. (under construction, check back later for details) You can contact me with new information, comments or questions at my email address: alinzy@earthlink.net.

Both sides of my family are descendants of African slaves and white slave owners. Here I will briefly give you some information about these families, the surnames and geographic locations. Click the hyper-links to see more information. I think you will be as intrigued as I was with their lives and the history that they lived, and that I now get to share through my research.

My paternal side is the Lindsey and Watts Families. The Lindsey family and the Watts families are originally from Maryland, North Carolina and Missouri. My great-great-grandfather Jacob Lindsey was a free black man from Maryland. He married Mary Coffin of Jamestown NC. Mary Coffin is listed as the slave of Dr. Shubal Coffin in the 1850-1860 US census slave schedule.

The family story is that she was the daughter of Shubal and was listed as a slave to protect her from being kidnapped and sold. They had nine children during this time. Their oldest son Junius under the surname Coffin ran away and enlisted in the union army during the Civil War. After the war he came back to Jamestown and he and moved his family to Peru, Indiana where the last of their ten children was born. Jacob’s son, my great grandfather Henry Harrison, married Frances Porter, an orphaned Cherokee Indian.

They traveled the entire state of Illinois. Between them they had eight children, After Henry Harrison deserted his family my great-grandmother Frances had one more child.

My grandfather Harry Lindsey married Edith Watts, from Springfield, Illinois. The family lived for a while in Peru, IN where their first child was born, and then moved to Chicago, IL where their next five were born.

My great-great-grandfather Julius Watts was a runaway slave from Rocky Mount, NC. He walked from Rocky Mount to Cairo, Illinois where he met the family of Matilda Dawson, daughter of slave owner Robert Dawson of Fayette, MO. who had been brought from slavery to Cairo for her protection from Mr. Dawson’s jealous daughter.

When Julius first laid eyes on, fourteen year old, Fanny Patrick it was love at first sight and he swore that someday they would marry. In 1881 when Fanny turned 19 they married in Springfield, Illinois. Their ten children were all born around and in Springfield, Illinois. My grandmother Edith moved to Chicago, IL with her husband Harry Lindsey.

On the family pages you will find, Family Histories, Family Trees, Biographies, Photographs and Official Records. These will be changing on a regular basis as more items are updated.

LINDSEY

The surnames associated with the Lindsey family are: ADAMS, ARTHUR, ARTIS, ARTIST, BAILEY, BARRY, BEASLEY, BERGEN, BIRKS, BLANKS, BLOODWORTH, BROWN, BROWN, BUCKMIRE, BURNETT, BUTLER, CADENA, CATHY, COFFIN, COLEMAN, CONNER, DAVIS, DAVISTON, DEAN, DENT, DOW, DUNGEY, ENCISO, EVANS, EVERETT, FLETCHER, FLUEGGE, FORTUNE, FRANCIS, GASKINS, GREENBEY, HARDIN, HARTH, HARTWOOD, HENDERSON, HICKMAN, HICKS, HILL, HONESTY, HOWARD, HUNTT, JACKSON, JOHNSON, JUAREZ, KERSEY, KHALID, KING, LEE, LEWIS, LINDSEY, LOVE, LOWY, LYON, MAGETT, MANSON, MARSHALL, MATHEWS, MCCARTHY, MCDONALD, MCQUARRY, MENDENHALL, MILUN, MITCHELL, MOODY, MOTT, NELLA, NELSON, PARKER, PAYTON, PEREZ, PERRY, PORTER, RAMIREZ, REID, REVELS, ROBERTS, ROBINSON, SMITH, SOTO, STARLLINGS, STEWART, STITH, SWEETEN, TRIGGS, VALENTINE, VALLEJO, VELESCO–EMERY, VOELKER, WARD, WATTS, WEBB, WHEATLEY, WILLIAMS, WILLIS, WILSON, WOODS, WRIGHT, YOUNG, YUNKER.

WATTS

The surnames associated with the Watts family are:

ADAMS, ARTHUR, BANKS, BARRY, BERGEN, BOWDEN, BRIDGEFORD, BUCKMIRE, CADENA, CATHY, CONNER, CUNNINGHAM, DAVIS, DAVISTON, DEAN, DUNGEY, EDENS, ENCISO, EVANS, EVERETT, FLUEGGE, GAINES, GREENBEY, HALL, HAMILTON, HARTH, HATCHER, HENDERSON, HIBBS, HICKMAN, HICKS, HILL, HONESTY, HUNTT, JACKSON, JOHNSON, JONES, JUAREZ, KHALID, KIDD, KING, KITCHING, LEE, LEWIS, LINDSEY, LOVE, LYON, MAGETT, MARSHALL, MCCANT, MCCORKLE, MCCULLOUGH, MILLER, MITCHELL, MOUZON, MURPHY, NELLA, NELSON, NEVORSKI, PAHLER, PATRICK, PAYTON, PHILANCO, PICKETT, RAMIREZ, REDMOND, RICE, ROBERTS, ROBINSON, SCOTT, SHIRLEY, SIMONS, SIMONS-WYLIE, SMITH, STARLLINGS, STEWART, STOTLER, SWEETEN, TITTS, TRIGGS, VALLEJO, VELESCO–EMERY, VESTAL, VOELKER, WATTS, WEBB, WELLS, WHEATLEY, WILLIAMS, WILLIS, WILSON, WRIGHT, WRIGHT, WRIGHT, YOUNG, YUNKER.

The locations associated mostly with these names are North Carolina, Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, Kentucky and California, but we are now scattered all over the United States. If you see a family name you are connected with on this list, but not on the family tree pages please contact me for further information at my email address: alinzy@earthlink.net.

The Lindsey and Watts' Family Survey

Home Family Survey

For the last fifteen years, our family genealogists - cousin, wife, mother and grandmother; the inexhaustible, "Little" Alice Lindsey has been diligently working to extract information on the family from literally thousands of sources to create the "Lindsey- Watts" Family Story. Now, it's our turn to help. Please complete the following survey and post your answers in the comment section. Feel free to include any great family anecdotes, traditions, rituals, myths and old photographs that will stimulate memoirs and interest in the project. 1. What is your full name and why were you named it? 2. Were you named after somebody else? If Yes, whom? 3. Did you have a nickname as you were growing up? 4. If you did, what was it and why did they call you that? 5. Where were you born and when? 6. Do you remember hearing your grandparents describe their lives? What did they say? 7. Do you remember your great-grandparents? What do you know about them? 8. Who was the oldest person you can remember in your family as a child? What do you remember about them? 9. How is the world now different from what it was like when you were a child? 10. Do you remember having a favorite nursery rhyme or bedtime story? What was it? 11. What were your favorite toys and what were they like? 12. What were your favorite childhood games? 13. What school activities and sports did you participate in? 14. Did you and your friends have a special hang-out where you liked to spend time? 15. Where was it and what did you do there? 16. Were there any fads during your youth that you remember vividly? 17. How old were you when you started dating? 18. Do you remember your first date? Describe the circumstances. 19. Name a good friend that you have known for the longest period of time? How many years have you been friends? 20. How did you meet the person that you would later marry? Describe them? 21. How many children did you have all together? 22. What were their names, birthdates and birthplaces? 23. Do you remember anything that your children did when they were small that really amazed you? 24. What is one of the most unusual things that one of your children did regularly when they were small? 25. What advice do you have for your children and grandchildren? 26. Who was the person that had the most positive influence on your life? Who were they and what did they do? 27. Is there a person that really changed the course of your life by something that they did? Who were they and what did they do? 28. Do you remember someone saying something to you that had a big impact on how you lived your life? What was it? 29. Where have you lived as an adult? List the places and the years that you lived there. 30. Why are you living where you are today? 31. Do you wish you lived somewhere else (If so, where would it be)? 32. Do you have any health problems that are considered hereditary in nature? If so, what are they? 33. What church, if any, do you attend regularly? 34. What are your hobbies? 35. Are you aware of the location of family archives and materials?

"In every conceivable manner, the family is a link to our past, bridge to our future.." Haley

Missouri - Watts

Watts Family

*Missouri

I recall a case in point. Some time during the fall of 1857, in company with a man belonging to Dr. Watts, who lived near Brunswick, Missouri, as we were passing his master's farm, one Sunday night, we heard cattle in the corn field destroying green corn. These cattle had pushed down the fence. I said to the man: "Let us drive them out and put up the fence."

Page 40

His reply was, "It's Massa's corn and Massa's cattle, and I don't care how much they destroy; he won't thank me for driving them out, and I will not do it."
----------

In the fall of 1859 there was a dance given at Col. Ewing's farm, to which several young men and girls were invited and attended; most of them had passes except four girls, who had failed to secure them. The patrols came about twelve o'clock that night and surrounded the house, allowing those having passes to go free, and were preparing to whip the four girls who had none, right there in the presence of their beaux, who were powerless to protect them, when a young fellow, whose name was Lindsay Watts, came up and said, "Lor, masses, it am a great pity to whip dese sweet angels, 'deed 'tis; if you will let dem go, I will take the whippin' for dem all." His proposition was accepted, and the girls turned loose made rapid steps to their homes. The patrols took Lindsay outside of the yard, and stripped him naked, preparatory to giving him four times nine and thirty lashes, but being naked and hard to hold or grab, he escaped and ran home to his master in that condition, followed closely by the patrols. But his master protected him. The girls who barely escaped a lashing reached home safely and thankfully....

THE NEW MAN. TWENTY-NINE YEARS A SLAVE. TWENTY-NINE YEARS A FREE MAN.
RECOLLECTIONS OF H. C. BRUCE. YORK, PA. P. ANSTADT & SONS. 1895.

Watts Family

Descendants of Robert Dawson

Generation No. 1

1. ROBERT1 DAWSON He married (1) UNKNOWN Abt. 1840. He met (2) SALLIE DAWSON 1845. She was born

1824 in Missouri, and died 1898 in Cairo, Illinois.

More About ROBERT DAWSON:

Race: White

More About UNKNOWN:

Race: White

Notes for SALLIE DAWSON:

Extract from 1865 State Census Illinois. Cairo, Alexander Co., Colored Pct. , Sally Battice age 30-

40.[Allfam3.FTW]

1870 Census: January 1870, Cairo, Alexander Co., Illinois. S. Cairo Pct.

Race: Mulatto

Soundex: B132 B320

Child of ROBERT DAWSON and UNKNOWN is:

i. MARY AUGUSTINE2 DAWSON, b. Abt. 1844.

More About MARY AUGUSTINE DAWSON:

Race: White

Child of ROBERT DAWSON and SALLIE DAWSON is:

2. ii. MATILDA2 DAWSON, b. May 1845, Fayette, Missouri; d. March 27, 1930, Rockford, Winnebago, Illinois..

Generation No. 2

2. MATILDA2 DAWSON (ROBERT1) was born May 1845 in Fayette, Missouri, and died March 27, 1930 in

Rockford, Winnebago, Illinois.. She married (1) HENRY PATRICK Abt. 1860 in Cairo, Alexander, Illinois. He was born Abt. 1840 in Missouri, and died Abt. 1866 in Cairo, Alexander, Illinois.. She married (2) HENRY G. WILSON December 05, 1878 in Springfield, Illinois (Source: State of Illinois Sangamon County Clerk's Office, Vol # 005 Page # 0213.), son of UNKNOWN WILSON and SARAH GIBBS. He was born November 1855 in Mo, and died October 04, 1909 in Springfield, Illinois.

Notes for MATILDA DAWSON:

Extract from 1865 State Census Illinois. Cairo, Alexander Co., Colored Pct. , Female age 10-20. Occupation:

Domestic, 1900 Census, Maid, 1910 Census.

Interment No. 7763 Rockford, IL 3/31/1930

Name of deceased: Matilda Gibbs Wilson

Born: Fayette, Missouri 1841 Died: Rockford, IL 3/27/1930 Dr. Charles Leonard, attending physician

Undertaker: Burpee Disposition of remains: Earth burial

Names and Address of Nearest relatives:

Fannie Watts, Daughter 2005 11th St. Springfield, IL

Henry Watts, Grandson 330 Lincoln Ave, Rockford, IL

Robert Watts, Grandson 1930 Hartrey Ave. Evanston, IL

Belle Wilson, Granddaughter 3404 Calumet Ave. Chicago, IL

Edith Lindsey, Granddaughter 5938 S. Park Ave. Chicago, IL

Edna Sellars, Granddaughter 5446 Calumet Ave. Chicago, IL

Sec#: 20a Lot#. 503A Single Grave# 819

More About MATILDA DAWSON:

1870 Census: January 1870, Cairo, Alexander Co., IL. S. Cairo Pct.

1900 Census: January 06, 1900, Springfield, Sangamon Co., Illinois., 1st Pct. Gov. Mansion

1910 Census: 1910, Springfield, Sangamon Co., IL, Capitol Twp. 308 Allen St.

Burial/Cemetery: March 31, 1930, Greenwood Cemetery, Rockford, IL

Cause of Death: Carcinoma of the Stomach

Race: Mulatto

Soundex: P362

Notes for HENRY PATRICK:

Extract from 1865 State Census Illinois. Cairo, Alexander Co., Colored Pct. , Henry Patrick age 10-

20[Allfam3.FTW]

Notes for HENRY G. WILSON:

Occupation: Butler, 1900 Census.

Obituary:

The Illinois State Journal Springfield October 1909

Wilson - Died at 1:10 am Monday October 4, 1090 at his residence 1947 South Eleventh street. Henry G. Wilson at the age of 54 years. The Funeral will be held at 2:30 pm tomorrow at the residence. Rev. A. W. Williams officiating. Mr. Wilson is survived by his wife Mrs. Matilda Wilson and one uncle Thornton Gibbs, Elk hart Ill.

Friends wishing to view the remains may do so between the hours of 10 am and 2 pm tomorrow.

Interment will be in Oak Ridge Cemetery.

More About HENRY G. WILSON:

1900 Census: January 06, 1900, Springfield, Sangamon Co., Illinois., 1st Pct. Gov. Mansion

Obituary: October 1909, The Illinois State Journal Springfield October 1909 (Source: The Illinois State Journal

Springfield October 1909.)

Race: Black

Soundex: W425

Marriage Notes for MATILDA DAWSON and HENRY WILSON:

State of Illinois Sangamon county Volume #005 Page # 0213 - Record # 35

Sangamon County, Illinois Marriage Applications March 26,1879 thru Dec.31,1881

License #8068, Date of license: 12/5/1878

Full name of Groom: Henry G. Wilson / Place of residence: Woodside Township/ Occupation: Hotel Waiter

/Age next birthday: 27 / Race or color: African / Place of birth: Missouri / Father's Name: / Mother's maiden

name: Sarah J. Gibs / No. of Groom's marriage: First

Full name of Bride: Matilda Patrick / Maiden name if widow: Matilda Robert / Place of residence: Springfield,

IL/Age next birthday: 37 / Race or color: African / Place of birth: Missouri / Father's Name: / Mother's maiden

name: Dossen Robert / No. of bride's marriage: Second

Where and when married: at Oscar Boarder Residence 12/5/1878 George Brents, Minister of the Gospel /

Witnesses: John Wilson and James Harbiliard.

Children of MATILDA DAWSON and HENRY PATRICK are:

i. LOUISA3 PATRICK, b. 1861, Missouri; d. 1929-11-01 Chicago, Illinois; m. HENRY MCCULLOUGH, April 21, 1880,

Sangamon County, IL; b. 1857; d. 1922-05-08, Sangamon County, Illinois.

Notes for LOUISA PATRICK:

[Allfam3.FTW]

Illinois Death Records: MC CULLOUGH LOUISA F/W UNK 6030886 COOK

CHICAGO 29-11-02

More About LOUISA PATRICK:

1870 Census: January 1870, Cairo, Alexander Co., Illinois. S. Cairo Pct.

Soundex: P362

Notes for HENRY MCCULLOUGH:

[Allfam3.FTW]

IL State Death Records: MC CULLOUGH HENRY M/N UNK 2840380 1922-05-08 SANGAMON

SPRINGFIELD 22-05-10

Marriage Notes for LOUISA PATRICK and HENRY MCCULLOUGH:

[Allfam3.FTW]

Illinois Statewide Marriage Index 1763 - 1900

GROOM BRIDE CNTY DATE VOL/PAGE LIC

MCCULLOUGH, HENRY PATRICK, LOUISA SANGAMON 04/21/1880 005/0283

Sangamon County, Illinois Marriage Applications March 26,1879 thru Dec.31,1881

8768 Mc McCullough, Henry Apr 21 1880Patrick, Louisa

23 Springfield, IL 18 Springfield, IL

Witness-Henry G. Wilson

ii. JULIA PATRICK, b. 1862, Missouri; d. Bef. 1910, Unknown.

3. iii. FANNIE PATRICK, b. August 31, 1862, Fayette, Missouri; d. March 11, 1938, Springfield, Illinois..

Generation No. 3

3. FANNIE3 PATRICK (MATILDA2 DAWSON, ROBERT1) was born August 31, 1862 in Fayette, Missouri, and died March 11, 1938 in Springfield, Illinois.. She married JULIUS ROBERT WATTS November 23, 1881 in Springfield, Illinois.

*Please feel free to add anecdotes or information on family members from or living in Missouri when you comment.

Timeline of Missouri's African American History

1821	Missouri became the 24th state of the United States of America (August 10).
1821	The American Colonization Society founded the colony of Liberia in western Africa for freed slaves.
1823	The Missouri General Assembly authorized each county to establish slave patrols to guard against slave plots and insurrections.
1824	The Missouri General Assembly retained territorial legislation enabling persons held in slavery illegally to sue for their freedom (December 30).
1824	In the slave freedom suit Winny v. Whitesides, the Missouri Supreme Court established the judicial precedent of "once free, always free" to determine the outcome of such freedom suits.
1827	In Merry v. Tiffin & Menard, the Missouri Supreme Court held that a slave was emancipated by residence in any territory where slavery was prohibited by the Northwest Ordinance of 1787.
1829	In Trammel v. Adams, the Missouri Supreme Court determined that residence in Illinois entitled a slave to freedom even if s/he came to Missouri afterward.
1834	William Wells Brown escaped slavery in St. Louis, later becoming an abolitionist and America's first African American novelist.
1835	All free blacks and mulattoes, aged seven to twenty-one, were legislatively ordered by Missouri's General Assembly to be bound as apprentices or servants.
1835	To remain in Missouri, all free blacks were required to obtain a "free-license" from the county court.
1834	In the Missouri Supreme Court, the case of Margurite v. Pierre Chouteau, Sr., officially ended Indian slavery in Missouri.
1836	The descendants of Marie Jean Scypion, an Afro-Indian slave in colonial Missouri, were awarded freedom by the Jefferson County Circuit Court based on their Native American ancestry following legal battles that lasted over three decades. The Missouri Supreme Court and the United States Supreme Court upheld the decision in 1838.
1836	In Rachel v. Walker, the Missouri Supreme Court held that if an officer of the United States Army takes a slave to a territory where slavery is prohibited, he forfeits his property.
1836	After he fatally stabbed a deputy sheriff, Francis McIntosh was brutally lynched in St. Louis, earning the city a reputation for lawlessness and barbaric behavior (April 28).
1837	Elijah Lovejoy, abolitionist clergyman and St. Louis newspaper editor, died defending his press from a mob siege in Alton, Illinois (November 7).
1837	The Missouri Supreme Court, in Jennings v. Kavanaugh, ruled that an owner was not liable for the criminal acts of his slave property.	James Milton Turner courtesy Lincoln University, Page Library
1839	Tom Bass was born a slave in Boone County; later became nationally-known equestrian (January 5).
1839	James Milton Turner was born a slave in St. Louis County (August 22). He became Missouri's most prominent African American leader after the Civil War, promoting black education. He also served as U.S. Minister to Liberia.
1846	The constitutionality of the "free-license" law was upheld.
1846	Dred and Harriet Scott initiated a suit for freedom in the St. Louis Circuit Court. Under Missouri statutes, the suit was allowed based on previous residence in a free territory (Wisconsin) before return to the slave state of Missouri (April 6).
1847	The Missouri legislature passed a law prohibiting the education of blacks, free or slave.
1847	Hiram Young purchased his freedom and settled in western Missouri. His Independence-based business, making yokes and wagons for westward expansion, was one of the largest in Jackson County by 1860.
1854	Augustus Tolton, born a slave in Ralls County, Missouri, became the first recognized African American Catholic priest in the United States (April 1).
1854	President Franklin Pierce signed the Kansas-Nebraska Act, allowing "popular sovereignty" to determine whether a territory would be a slave or free state. This act set the stage for the violent Kansas-Missouri border wars where Missouri "Border Ruffians" and Kansas "Jayhawkers" transformed a frontier quarrel over slavery's borders into a national issue (May 30)
1855	Elizabeth Keckley purchased her freedom in St. Louis; she was later employed by First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln (November 15).
1855	Celia, a Callaway County slave, was executed for the murder of her sexually abusive owner, Robert Newsom (December 23).
1857	U.S. Chief Justice Roger B. Taney handed down the Dred Scott decision (March 6). The case, which originated in St. Louis, intensified the sectional controversy regarding the expansion of slavery. Taney concluded that Scott lacked standing in court because he lacked U.S. citizenship. In Taney's opinion, slaves as well as free blacks, would never be able to become U.S. citizens; hence, Scott had no standing to sue in a court of law. Taney also took the opportunity to argue that each state had the right to determine the status of slaves, and that Congress had exceeded its powers in forbidding slavery in certain areas of the Louisiana Purchase; therefore, the Missouri Compromise was unconstitutional.
1858	The Colored Aristocracy of St. Louis, published by Cyprian Clamorgan, profiled St. Louis free African American society.

Freedom's a Short Walk

The Underground Railroad

The Lindsey - Watts' Legacy Begins

Jacob Lindsey was a free black man from Maryland. He met and fell in love with a white member of the family of a doctor in Jamestown, NC in 1839. My grandfather said that his grandfather’s name was Dr. Coffin and that he was a Quaker. The only Doctor with that name in Jamestown, NC was Dr. Shubal Coffin. I cannot confirm whether Mary was Dr. Coffin’s daughter or related some other way, all I know is that and he cared for this family at his home and kept them together as a family unit for at least 25 years (1840-1865).

This is the house where they lived in Jamestown.

In order to protect Mary and her children, Dr. Coffin listed them as his slaves and until after the Civil War the children's surnames were Coffin. Comparison of the slave census schedules of 1850 and 1860 showed Dr. Coffin's slaves as the exact same sex and ages of Mary and her children, and they are the only slaves owned by Dr. Coffin, no adult male slave is present and Junius Coffin’s military records list him as William Junius Coffin of Jamestown, NC. Mary Coffin Lindsey is listed as mulatto on the census of 1870. I consulted with Dr. Willard Hess, a Quaker historian, in Indianapolis, IN, he stated the mixed marriages were illegal in Indiana at that time and in order to avoid prosecution, she would have listed herself as mulatto. He also stated that people who were listed as mulatto up North, had to be light enough to look white and more than likely my family story was correct and that Mary Coffin Lindsey was white.

Doctor Shubal Coffin started the first medical school in North Carolina at Jamestown, Guilford County, NC, with a Dr. Lindsay and Dr. Robbins. He was a member of the famous Coffin family, which started the Underground Railroad and had such notable abolitionists as Levi Coffin and Lucretia Mott.

The Underground Railroad was started in 1819 by Vestal Coffin at New Garden in Guilford County, N.C.3 Coffin had joined the Manumission Society begun by Benjamin Lundy in 1816. The Friends in North Carolina had mostly freed their slaves in 1772, but many of these freed slaves stayed with their owners rather than run the risk of capture by other southerners. Such was the case with Aaron and Samuel Henley of Randolph County, both of whom had freed slaves living on their property in 1840. These slaves had been inherited through their wives’ families.

The leader of the Underground Railroad in Indiana was Levi Coffin, an uncle of Vestal Coffin who had emigrated west to Newport, Indiana, near the border of Ohio and Indiana. For twenty years Levi and Catherine Coffin opened their home as a way-station for more than 2000 escaped slaves. On the escape route were homes of relatives of the Coffins. The way-stations and routes were kept secret and never put in writing to protect the lives of the home-owners and the slaves. However, it is known that some of the stops or overnight refuges were at homes of relatives of the Coffins and their fellow Friends. In Carthage, the homes of Joseph Henley and Bethuel Coffin White were such havens.

In Newport the railroad operated out of the home of Levi Coffin and his wife, Catherine (White), and was referred to as “Grand Central Station” (Fig. 49). In Indianapolis, Charles F. Coffin was the head of the operation. The railroad operated from 1819 to 1852 and transported over 2000 slaves to freedom in the north.

Carthage was a station on the Underground Railroad before, during, and after the Civil War (Figs. 47 and 48). The Underground Railroad stretched from Deep River, North Carolina, to Newport (or Fountain City), Indiana (Fig. 48) and then on to Indianapolis.

Underground Railroad routes between stations in Indiana were varied and were kept very secret to protect those giving sanctuary to the slaves on their escape routes. Joseph Henley and Bethuel Coffin White opened their homes in Carthage to escaping slaves.

Underground Railroad routes in Ohio, Indiana, and Michigan. Quakers in North Carolina sent freed slaves into Ohio and Indiana through Cincinnati, Ohio, and Madison and Jeffersonville, Indiana, to Underground stations at the homes of relatives and friends on their way to freedom in the North.

Called the Grand Central Station of the Underground Railroad, Levi Coffin’s home in Newport or Fountain City, Indiana, was the center of rescue operations for freed slaves and stands today as an historic site.

Southern Friends had taken an early stand against slavery and freed their slaves. To their chagrin, they found that many manumitted slaves were being recaptured and resold into slavery. Under the Fugitive Slave Law of 1793, slave owners could repossess runaway slaves by presenting proof of ownership in front of a magistrate. Slaves had no right to a trial or to give evidence on their own behalf. Most runaway slaves were abused by their owners. The Quakers did not want to see the slaves they had freed captured and resold into slavery.

The Levi Coffins and their neighbors in Newport used ingenious methods of hiding the slaves who sometimes stayed over for weeks at a time. The Friends made every effort to prepare the slaves for freedom by teaching them to read and do sums while they were in their homes, to provide clothing, and a few necessities to take along with them on the escape route.

When the slaves were being transported from one way-station to another, they were often hidden beneath farm goods in the false bottom of a wagon. Special hidden rooms were devised in the homes on the route where they could hide while hunters were searching a house. Sometimes they hid between mattresses on a bed.

Many times the slaves were in poor health and needed medical care before being able to continue on the escape route. At Deep River, N.C., Dr. Nathan B. Hill and his wife, Eliza (Mendenhall) provided care, schooling and clothing at their home. In Newport, Indiana, the whole Quaker community worked to sew clothes and other necessities for the slaves.

The Friends never solicited or advised a slave to leave his master. They only looked after those who came seeking help. If a fugitive had not the mind or judgment to understand the secret of the business, he or she was sent back to their master; this was because failure and recapture meant "Georgia and Rice Swamps" and endangered the lives of both escapee and the member of the Underground Railroad. White fathers of slaves often brought their slave children to the Underground Railroad operators to ask for transportation to the safe northern states for their children to save them from a life of slavery which was inevitable if they remained in the south.4

Ingenious methods were used to disguise the health of slaves so that they would not sell on the market. Dropsy was brought on by bandaging the limbs until they were swollen and purple--quite painful, but slaves were willing to take pain over being resold to the south. Rheumatism was produced by bandaging above and below a joint on an arm or leg and erysipelas by rubbing any part of the body a few times with hot budock root boiled down to very strong tea. This last method was the most severe but deceptive and effectual.5

The papers of one freed slave, Arch Curry, who died, were given by his widow to other slaves fitting his description to be sent through as a "free man" with families going west. The papers were then returned and used again.6

In their flight to freedom, slaves used three principal crossing points--Cincinnati, Ohio, and Madison and Jeffersonville, Indiana.

One of the many slaves who was given sanctuary at the Levi Coffin's home was "Eliza" whose story is told in Uncle Tom's Cabin. In his diary, Levi Coffin wrote that it was generally believed that Simeon and Rachel Halliday, the Quaker couple alluded to in the book, were he and his wife.

The Underground Railroad operated from 1819 to 1852 transporting over 2000 slaves to freedom in the north.

Follow the Drinking Gourd*

Follow the Drinking Gourd

Follow the Drinking Gourd

Follow the Drinking Gourd

Follow the Drinking Gourd

The riverbank makes a very good road

The dead trees will show you the way

Left foot, peg foot, traveling on

The river ends between two hills

There’s another river on the other side

When the great big river meets

the little river

Follow the Drinking Gourd

For the old man is

A-waiting for to carry you to freedom

If you follow the

Drinking Gourd

*This was a song slaves sang about escaping to the North by following the Drinking Gourd, which is the the Big Dipper constellation.

Welcome Home!

The Primary Surnames for this Blog are the Lindsey and Watts.

Compiled and researched by, Alice Lindsey.

The Lindsey family and the Watts families are originally from Maryland, North Carolina and Missouri.

Our great-great grandfather Jacob Lindsey was a free black man from Maryland. He married Mary Coffin of Jamestown NC.

Mary Coffin is listed as the slave of Shubal Coffin in the 1850-1860 US census slave schedule.

The family story is that she was the daughter of Shubal and was listed as a slave to protect her from being kidnapped and sold.

Their oldest son Junius under the surname Coffin enlisted in the union army (see military record under official papers section below) during the Civil War. After the war he came back he and his family moved to Peru, IN.

His son, our great grandfather Henry Harrison, married Frances Porter, an orphaned Blackfoot Indian. They traveled the entire state of Illinois.

Our grandfather Harry Lindsey married Edith Watts; the family lived for a while in Peru, IN, and then moved to Chicago, IL.

GGGrandfather Julius Watts was a runaway slave from Rocky Mount, NC. He walked from Rocky Mount to Cairo, IL where he met the family of Matilda Dawson, daughter of slave owner Robert Dawson of Fayette, MO. who had been brought from slavery to Cairo. Julius married her daughter Fanny Patrick in Springfield, IL. Their children lived throughout IL. My grandmother Edith moved to Chicago, IL. with her husband Harry Lindsey.

It seems that over the years, many of our family have lost touch with each other. It is my hope that this site and the new web page will bring us all closer together. It is so easy to get caught up in our personal lives with today's hustle and bustle that we sometimes forget how important family is.

Please remember that this site will depend on the input of family members and close friends. Thanks in advance for all the contributions that will be forthcoming. Also,if you have your own webpage, I will be more than happy to include a link here. The more, the merrier!

Please take a moment and visit the family's web page "http://home.earthlink.net/~alinzy/Lindsey%20Watts%20Webpage/index.html" than work on the survey. Do not worry about completing it all at once, just send me the answers as you complete your selected questions.

Finally, please forward this link to other family members, our goal is to reach 100 contacts by Saturday, January 29.

God Bless You.