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FOLLOWING
THE RIVERS WITH THE MATLOCK/MEDLOCKS
My
name is Brenda Stanton Avila. It is through the Stantons that I
connect to the
Matlocks. My Great-Great Grandmother was Nancy Matlock Daughter of Isaac Matlock.
Nancy married George Stanton,
1867 Desoto Co MS. "The name Following the
Rivers
with The Matlock/Medlocks" comes from the fact that at
times it seems like we are
following the rivers as often as we
do the
Census schedules, and whatever else we
can get our hands on.
It was some twenty years or more
ago that I started researching the Matlocks. Along
the way I
have met many wonderful relatives now long
gone and have crossed over to
the other side. To name just a
few, there was Marie Harris, Melba Woods, and Ruby
Matlock Edgar Matlock's wife, for by the time I had contacted
Edgar he had already
passed. I have pictures
of Marie and Ruby and letters, to treasure, which are now
that are
all that is left behind from those days.
I never had the pleasure of
meeting Jess Armstrong but am
ever so thankful to Shawn for putting out her work,
and can't count the number of times I have gone to the Encyclopedia
section for
clues and guidance or just a hint on where was so and so and who
did he belong to.
Since the computer
era, I have met double the number of great relatives! Without
their help this website wouldn't be what it is. And again to
name just a few, Wanda
who is as nuts as I am and
went along with me and transcribed the census records
from
1790-1920, all states, and several of the different spellings
that we ran across.
It took Wanda and I about 3 yrs to get that
project along as far as we have, with the
hopes of someday being
able to add more information in time.
Terry, who has
guided me through South Carolina and who has really a great
knowledge
of the Matlocks that were there. Terry who is always
off on one adventure or another
be it by computer or by car. Special
thanks goes out to Terry for she has actually
been to Virginia and has literally "followed the rivers" and has sent me
pictures
of the areas where the Matlocks were in New Kent County
Virginia as well as pictures
of the Rivers that are named in
some of the deeds in Virginia. Someday when I get a
scanner I
hope to add these pictures.
Sam, who if it
wasn't for him the Matlock/Medlock DNA Project would of never
taken off
like it has. It too can be viewed at Wanda and my Census Web Site. I can't count the
numerous packages by snail
mail that Sam has sent with different pieces of information
that
he has found in the different libraries; in I don't know how
many different states.
Sam is like Terry and is always off
on adventures too.
Carolyn who shares
a Great-Great Grandmother, Jane Dotson Petty Matlock with me, and
is still
searching Arkansas for Jane in 1900. Carolyn who isn't related
to Jane's 2nd
husband Isaac Matlock but yet has helped me over
the years researching him.
Mary Jean and the
dedication that she has for George Matlock's line and for her
ever so
perseverance in searching Georgia as well as Louisa
County Virginia, spending the hours
transcribing Louisa County
Court records and willing to share her discoveries.
Emma, who has the love for Alabama
and Florida; Dear Emma whose "love of her life"
passed away on
Dec. 10 2003, yet Emma still has time to "instant message" me or
to
answer my instant messages to her. Emma, who is always there
for anyone who needs
her.
Loretta who has the
love for Texas and Mississippi. She too is always ready to
answer
an "instant message" be it just chit-chat on "what's for
dinner " or about research on
a new grave she has found. Loretta
come "hell or high water" , always off to some
graveyard, dragging herself home after being in hit by another car
(Thank-God She was
Ok!) just to come on line to discuss the
findings she found in that Cemetery. Loretta
who was more excited about the new relative
she met at the Cemetery that day instead
of how bad her husband
vehicle had been tore up. Yes she was sore, but not to sore to
take off to
another graveyard off in Texas.
Joe who has shared
his wealth of information that he has collected over time, as
well as
his DNA sample. His DNA sample that left it us all rather surprised. We never dreamed of
Sam and Joe being a
perfect match. Joe's DNA links Sam and Terry's ancestors to the
depths
of Virginia. Someday we hope to find out exactly to which
ancestor of Joe's the Sam and
Terry will belong to.
Winnie, who is
still "dancing". Winnie celebrating her 65th Wedding
Anniversary. Winnie
who is ever so caring and sharing and for
wanting to get as much info on the web that
she can.
Jana,
our "List mother" in charge of the Matlock and Medlock surname
list at Roots Web.
Jana and her ventures
in North Carolina to Tennessee to Indiana. Thanks to Jana in
helping Shawn set up his web site,
where there is a wealth of
information.
Roger, who is no
longer on line, but who has the passion for Virginia and South
Carolina.
Roger who is in the snail mail mode of things at this
time, is still in contact. He has
recently remarried and sent a
picture of him and his new bride in a Christmas card. Roger
who
took the time to view the records in New Kent County Virginia,
in which he may of
discovered another son of John Sr., or
perhaps a brother. Be it brother or son, there's
still leaves us
with the fact that there is hope of always finding something new.
Curt, who has been alot
of help with the NJ and PA Matlack's.
Without all of us pulling together,
sharing, and discussing the different findings, this
webpage
couldn't be what it is. I thank all of you for the time you have
each given me.
On the next page will be some
of the people whose ancestors that will be listed here,
along
with their Email addresses. If you find that you are related to
any of them please
Email them. They would be glad to hear from
you. I would also like to add links to the
place I mentioned here. Just click on the underlined words.
MATLOCK CENSUS Including various Spellings
THE MATLOCK FAMILY ASSOCIATION
MEDLOCK/MATLOCK DNA TESTING
A Message from Joe
Matlock :
One of the things I would suppose that
everyone gets to do growing up is to attend family
reunions. It
was always held at the site of somebody’s “old home place” way
back up in
country, beyond the power lines and plumbing, just
across the road from where that school
on top of the four mile
hill in each direction that was perpetually covered in a howling
blizzard used to set. The two-room dog trot log cabin now
covered in siding with the fruit
house outback and the orchards
that grew chiggers bigger than most deer ticks. The two
big
maples in the front yard with the stone wall boarder and grass
that was always cut with
a reel push mower and the drive way
that really was only as big as a one horse wagon. Somewhere
between that third piece of your grandmothers cross laced
crusted apple pie and the ticks versus chiggers softball game in
the orchard (the chiggers have a 3 game wining streak going),
someone
would try to tell you stories of how it was when they
were growing up, just after the war (yes
that “War”), when
things were really tough. And if your were smart or so
nearsighted a softball
looking like a grape approaching your
head at the speed of a bullet you would come to realize
that
your great-uncle not only knew everybody in the county but where
they really were buried
and he was nearly willing to tell you
their best kept secrets if only you would stop digging at
those
chiggers and pay attention. It would not be until it was your
children playing in the
orchards (the ticks are up 3-2 with
runners on 1st and 3rd) that you would come to realize that
envelope of papers you had been left as a legacy was of far more
value to the family and way
more cool than the rattlesnake
rattle your first cousin got. Suddenly everybody wanted to know
what was in Uncle Marvin’s papers. How many more generations
have your found and what did they
do? And adjusting your
glasses to the very end of your nose you can tell them about the
gamblers
and horse thieves and runaways, and just plan good folk
that you all came from. But now the
pressure is on. Each year
you will need more facts and more stories. Soon this hobby is
occupying
more time than your job. How many lunch hours can you
spend at the library furiously scribbling
with that number 2
pencil copying out notes from the census records before all of
those William’s
and John’s and James’s and Henry’s run together
into one large collection of cousins their own
mother couldn’t
tell apart. Well relax cousin. Sit down. Stop digging at
those chiggers and
have another slice of that pie. You’re
home. Or at least to the reunion site. Here is your
legacy,
horse thieves, warriors, preachers of various stripes, and those
just plain good folks
who only got their name in the paper
twice, once at birth and again at death. Look around
carefully. Check your facts against ours. Ask questions. A
lot of folks, whose names are on
these pages, spent a lot of
time in that library and have here published a lifetime work
here so
help us out and give back that one fact, that one bit of
information that your grandmother
mentioned only once in passing
that may help us tie all of this together. If setting before a
computer screen endlessly reading list of names and dates and
places is not what gets your heart
started then give us some
blood. Actually just a few cell of tissue for a DNA test will
do just
fine. In all seriousness we need for all of the male
cousins of the name, Matlock or Medlock or
Matlack or Matlick,
to meet together at each gathering, select a representative, and
get the
testing done. This will resolve more of the questions
of descent than anything else we can do.
So welcome, good luck
in your search and keep in touch.
Signed... Joe Matlock
Now on to the
family trees:
09/07/2008 09:06:14 AM -0700
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