Searching my Southern Roots

On Wednesday, the adventure begins! 

I'm heading to Florence, Alabama to research the murder of my great-great-great-great grandfather Samuel Abner Lambert.  Flying in from California will be my 5th cousin Randy.  We will meet up with 4th cousin Carolyn from Sheffield, AL and 4th cousin Mac from Savannah, Tennessee.  A family reunion with people I have never met, to learn more about the ancestors I never knew.

Wednesday afternoon and Thursday will be spent in Florence at the court house and library.  We will be looking for old court records, newspaper articles and obituaries from 1852/1853.  I also hope to walk on the 50 acres that Abner purchased from the US Government in 1850.  I have copies of the land patent records signed by President Millard Filmore.  The area was known as Panther's Creek and if Google Earth is correct, currently undeveloped.  It's probably swamp land!!

On Friday, we will travel west to Waterloo, AL and then on to Savannah, TN to meet Mac and visit some area cemeteries.

Saturday's plans include a visit to the Shiloh National Park (TN), site of The Battle of Shiloh, also known as the Battle of Pittsburg Landing, where a major battle in the Western Theater of the American Civil War was fought April 6–7, 1862.  Abner's son James (my great-great-great grandfather) joined Co E, 11th Illinois along with three of his brothers-in-law and fought at the battle of Shiloh. James was wounded and died on Jan 30, 1863 at the Overton Hospital in Memphis, TN, probably from complications of his wound.  No one is quite sure where he is buried.

Yes, you read that right.  At some point around 1860, eight years after Abner died, the Lambert family moved north to Illinois.  The Civil War was about to break out and apparently my ancestors were not sympathetic to the South.  Some of the men in the family fought for the Union.  And some of the family did move back to TN after the war was over.

As you can tell, my days will be busy and I will be absorbing a lot of family history over a short amount of time.  I will be bringing a digital camera, digital voice recorder and my laptop on this trip.  I hope to update this blog on a daily basis and share my discoveries with you.  I hope you enjoy the journey!