James Willis Kerley b. 1799

Oh what a frustrating man this is!

My James Willis Kerley was born 1799 in North Carolina, his parents are reported by his son William G. to be Daniel and Ann, of Virginia. He married Elizabeth "Ann" (LNU) and had 10 children:
John Wesley Kerley Jan 1823, NC m. Charlotte Emmaline Eads
Henry L. Kerley 4 Jun 1827, NC m1. Sarah Staggs 1851, TN m2. America French Harris, 1876, AR
Louallen C. (L.C.) Kerley 1829, NC m. Martha McCarey, before 1850, TN
Sarah T. Kerley 1830, NC m. Andrew J. Poffitt 29 May 1871, AR
Lucinda A. Kerley 1835, TN
William Garrett Kerley 5 Mar 1835, TN m. Nancy Jane Cypert 9 Dec 1860, AR
Mary A. Kerley 1842, TN
Violet C. Kerley 1844, TN m. Jesse Newton Cypert, 1860 Slymore, Izard, Arkansas
Achilles Napoleon Kerley 1846, TN m. Elizabeth Ann Cypert, AR
Hettie Luticia Kerley 1848, TN m1. James Gibson, m3. Reuben C. Upshaw, 7 Feb 1875, AR

Why is he so frustrating? Because I cannot find where he fits in with ANY documented family from North Carolina or Virginia. Where do you fit in with these folks, James? I want to connect you to your parents, to your family, and I can't figure out who your Daniel could be.

So, I keep working on descendants. I have many generations found via marriage records, SSDI, and digitized death records. I am so blessed to be living in this time when so many records are available right at my keyboard. :)

I love working on my genealogy!

Dece

Henry Kerley

I woke up this morning at 5:00am thinking about Henry Kerley. I had dreams involving him, or rather, looking for information about him.
Henry L. Kerley was the son of James Kerley and Elizabeth Ann Roric (Roarke, Rorok, Rourke, spelled a dozen different ways). He was born in Burke County, North Carolina, 4 Jun 1827. The Kerley family moved from North Carolina about 1830, to Wayne County, Tennessee. After the 1850 Census, the Kerley family moved again, to North East Arkansas, Randolph County for Henry L. Kerley, while a couple of his brothers moved to Stone County and Izard County, Arkansas.
Henry L. Kerley married Sarah Staggs about 1851, probably in Tennessee. The Staggs family was also active in Wayne County.
They had 9 children:
1. Solen E. Kerley b. Dec 1851, Maynard, Randolph, Arkansas
2. Isabelle Tennessee Kerley b. abt 1853
3. Mary P. Kerley b. 20 Mar 1855
4. Thomas Benton Kerley b. 20 Sep 1856
5. Sarah A. Kerley b. abt 1858
6. Martha E. Kerley b. abt 1861
7. Henry H. Kerley b. 10 Feb 1864
8. Jacob A. Kerley b. Feb 1869
9. Annie Kerley

Here is a transcription of his obituary.
"H L Kerley, better known as Uncle Henry, departed this life 30 July 1912 in his 86'th year. Uncle Henry was born in Burt Co North Carolina 4 June 1827. He moved from there to Tennessee, and from there he came to randolph Co Arkansas in 1850 and settled on a farm near where he died. When the Civil War broke out he was among the first to volunteer. He served through the war and held many honorable positions in the Southern army. He professed faith in Christ and joined the Missionary Baptist Church at an early age, and lived aloyal and faithful member. He was married in 1851 to Miss sarah Stoggs and to this union 9 children were born. Mrs Kerly having departed this life, he was agin married in 1876 to Mrs America Harris. To this union 3 children were born. Uncle Henry had become an invalid many years before he died. He leaves a wife, 6 children, and ahost of relatives and friends to mourn their loss. After the funeral services conducted by Rev C A Fowler, he was laid to rest in Overby Cemetery." PSH, 23 August 1912, pg 5

I feel the desire to write a family history for my Grandma's family -- in order to share it with her sister and cousins. I am not sure how to do this in a way that is cohesive, easy to understand, etc.
I think a book format dividing the ancestry into two main sections, The Kerley and allied families, and The Sullivan and allied families is the way to go. I feel ill-equipped to share what information I have in a non-genealogist way. Any ideas would be quite helpful.

Now, I am going to take a couple more Motrin and hope that this headache will subside by the time my children get up. :)

Dece