Well 2 days ago I struck oil so to speak and to be honest I am just starting to settle down enough to blog it. :)
I drove over to KY the other day to see if I could find anything in the local library genealogy section. 4 hours later I was ready to call it quits and go eat some ice cream for having to walk away empty handed. That was just really sticking in my crawl! When I moved to a different section, and this book of employees from the Stern Coal and Lumber company jumped out of me. I thought what the hell is one more book right?
So I jump straight to the Stephens and start thumbing my way though the pages one by one. 15 minutes later and I am ready to cry! No daddy-paw, no uncle Mance, no great uncle Zeb.
How could this be? I know daddy-paw worked at this company for years. The children have stories of going to the company store for Christmas parties that the mine owners gave for their workers. They said it was the only time of year that actually got to have oranges that was given to the children in brown paper bags with candy.
Then I remembered a half brother that he was suppose to have. So off I go looking for one Earnest Cox and thank you lord he was there! By now I am crossing myself saying hail Mary's for not only was he listed in this book as I traced the columns across the page for his name, so was listed his father and MOTHER! One Rosie STEPHENS. I may have passed out at this point because when I glanced at the clock a whole hour had passed from when I first picked up the book.
I ran to the counter asked them to please make a copy for me and out the door I went running. I had to get home to do a search on ancestry.com for a John and Rosie Cox.
When I did oh yeah baby! I had found one Mance and Leamon COX!! Finally! I have proof that their mother did exist and I found the brothers as children!
Oh yes, there is still a mystery here and more digging, but, for now my search of where, and who these boys were as children has been found and I can move on to why they changed their name.
