WELCOME

Every journey begins with a single step. When I took the first step of filling out a simple pedigree chart I had no idea that I had just begun a marvelous journey. As I gathered together names, dates and places from my box of scraps and copies of old, musty family group sheets, I turned to my computer to aid me in the search. Computers and their search engines are amazing! Stories about our ancestors began popping up all over. Growing up with a storytelling father, I always knew we had an interesting family. In fact, the art of storytelling seems to run in the family. The stories I found about these ancestors brought them to life for me. Finding stories on the internet was like putting together a very large and complicated jigsaw puzzle. My quest took me to many small communities and their museums and cemeteries. As I searched for missing pieces, the picture became clearer. I began to know and love these people. I am inspired by their faith, amazed by their endurance and humbled by their sacrifices. They were also not perfect. I extend to them the gift of compassion and understanding that they did the best they could with what they had and what they knew and believed. It is my hope that you will enjoy learning about our family and find inspiration in knowing who they were and understanding who you are.


Reading documents in this Blog.


All of the documents that have come from my files have been published through Google Docs and it is necessary for you to subscribe to Google Docs in order to read them. It will require you to have a gmail address. You don't have to change your e-mail address--just use the gmail account to use Google's services. I apologize for the need for this extra step, but this is the best way I could find to make the documents accessible. It is relatively easy to sign up on Google Docs.
What's In a Name?

Documentation

The information presented here is well-documented for at least 3 generations beyond Coral & Percy and most often more. Some of the further generations reflect work done by others and were acquired through Ancestry.com & One World Tree. They should be viewed as a "guide" and not specifically as factual. I have tried to remove anything that seemed in error.

Black Family Pedigree Chart

Black Family Pedigree Chart
Clifton Lee represents all of Coral & Percy's children.

Acknowledgments

Acknowledgements

v  Bob Black (father)
->  Who told me many family stories as I was growing up and instilled in me a desire to know more about my ancestors and inspired me to share those stories with all of our family. [deceased]
v        Lynn (husband)     
      For letting me drag him all over the west on “Ancestral quests”, buying me a new computer and an extra monitor and tutoring me through the things I had forgotten how to do.
v         Brent (son)
      For solving technical problems and checking on how things were going.
v         Russell (son)
      For spending countless hours using his knowledge and creativity to help me construct this project.  For his endless patience with me and dedication to completing the project.
v         Maren (daughter)
      For letting me turn her bedroom into my office while she was away at college.
v      Connie Godfrey Mascherino (cousin & friend)
      For her unfailing love and support of me in all that I do and her interest in our Family History.                    
v  Linda Godfrey Duffin (cousin)
      For sharing letters of Coral’s and cheering me on.
v  Elaine Wood Jenkins (cousin)
Who was an enthusiastic research partner.
v  Virginia Black Godfrey (cousin)
      Who for many years diligently collected old issues of the Children’s Friend that contained Coral’s poems & stories and then shared them with me.  [deceased]
v  Frances Chaffin Smith (cousin)
      Who many years ago encouraged her mother, Dot, to write down family stories and then so generously shared them with me. [deceased]
v        Rayola Burgess Curry (Jakeman cousin)
      For her love and friendship and all the wonderful information she has shared with me including first-hand accounts of Coral & Ellen and loaning me Ellen’s book, The Border Scout.
v        Mary Manhire (Jakeman cousin)
      Who provided research and information on Ellen Lee and her first husband, Elias Sims.
v        Jeff Von Ward (2nd cousin, twice removed)
      For his huge enthusiasm, and unrelenting drive to do research.
v        Kent Parsons (distant Lee Cousin)
      For the wonderful research he shared with me, the list of writings of the “Lee Women”, and the great example he is in documenting everything!
v         Marilyn Jakeman & family in England (maybe cousins)
      For trying hard to gather information that would connect our family lines.
v         Eliza Foscue, Ann Field, William Morley Black & Margaret Banks (ancestors)
      Who diligently sought out and recorded their family histories.
v         Countless other “cousins” who I have met on-line
      Who have so willingly shared their information with me.
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