Allen/Blalock

I don’t know your family but you certainly could be right. In my lifetime we have had 5 families in our Yancey’s and Buchanan’s with the parents being 1st cousins. In fact it was not only not that unusual but a very acceptable union in the time frame you are speaking of. So you see the aristorcracy of Europe have nothing on us when they married to keep the lines of monarchy in tact . Also, do not fret yourself over what others may say if it is in fact as you say, there wasn’t a thing wrong with the children and generations following them in our extended families. My mama used to laugh and say we could well be our own grandpa. Remember the communities were much more closely knit and your grandparents weren’t “dirty old folks” because in those days not only would they have loved each other but held each other in much higher respect than many couples today. If true then you have a wonderful family story to research and pass on to future generations. Ed

I’m in my 50’s. In the 1960’s we had 2nd cousins marry in our family. When my mother ended up alone and her sister passed away, my mother married her sister’s husband, my uncle. All of us children were grown with our own families. We’d grown up 5 miles apart and were very close. It didn’t seem quite right to me and my sister. I felt embarrased by it. In 2000 when I took a class in Omaha Indian Language and Culture, they have Clans and are to marry across their tribal circle and no one too closely related. We had 2 Omaha elders instructing us. They started talking about people too closlely related they knew who had married.Then we all joined in and most of the 10 students had had cousins who had married. Then they reassured me that the Omaha had a custom that when a woman’s husband died it was the obligation of her sister’s husband to marry her. It was said this was because death came so often that this provided a secure family setting for the children to be taken care of by their family. Also the children of sisters call both the birth mother and their mother’s sisters Mother. That also provided the continuitity if one dies. This is the same in Lakota too, I think. These are both Siouan Language nations as the Eastern Blackfoot.

Howdy cuz!

And do you need any marriage bond,birth, or death records?…I go to the Register of Deeds tomorrow and will be glad to look up anything you need. I don’t have my Whit(e)field papers here at work, but, may be I can remember to look them up at home. There is quite a bit posted here about James Towler and Susannah Minchew, also.

When you do as much research as we have on our own lines….it was very common for people in close proximity to intermarry….communities were very small and limited. Too many people today do hold our ancestors to today’s standards…and that’s not fair. They did whatever they had to do to survive….I agree with what Ed said….and you find that married folks back then stayed together and most were very close knit.

Aho

Becky

Ok, I remember seeing Jennet Brown in my paperwork last night…and I have the next generation back from that. I didn’t think to throw my paperwork in the van…it’s at the house. I will go through it tonight and send you the dates and information that I have. We will be most glad to help you with locations of gravesites….you really should visit at least James Towler and Susannah Minchew and get a chance to feel that “area”.

Don’t be discouraged about being disorganized….Ken stays after me to do family sheets…but, I stay busy working on other folks and projects and guess I need to get organized as well.

Might just give you a call and see if you can meet at the Register of Deeds office…..it’s a good place to start.

Aho

Becky