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Bob and Etta Sams with their children. DONATED FAMILY PHOTO
“It really started me on my way,” Clark said. “It gave me a lot of names and birthdates. His book brought it to my great grandparents level.”
PRESERVING THE PAST
“If I had no other responsibilities I could work on genealogy eighteen hours a day and I wouldn’t get tired of it. I think it’s a pretty good hobby.” — Betty Clark
Stan Smith pursues the fascinating stories told in stone. Roberta Putnam, granddaughter of Nancy Kerley, aka “Nance Dude,” is buried in Dellwood Cemetery (right). The story goes that Nance sealed Roberta up in a cave where she died as a child. STAN SMITH PHOTO
ANCESTRY, CONTINUED FROM PAGE 53
several books on Madison County history,” Clark said. “She went back through the local News Record and made copies of all the obituaries that were printed from 1904 to 1935. Not everyone’s obituary was in the paper as it is today, but I’ve found invaluable information in her publication. Sometimes I’ve been able to find out the cause of death, names of surviving kin and even the name of the pastor who held the service.” The 72-year-old Clark grew up in the Grapevine section of Madison County and began taking notes of things her grandmother told her about their ancestors. After her grandmother died in 1966, she began 56
gathering information from her mother. Through the years, raising a family took center stage for her attention, but she got back to her genealogy research in the early 1980s and worked with cousins to create an annual reunion at Grapevine Baptist Church. It’s set this year for the third Saturday in October and welcomes descendants of the Sams family. Clark carries a remote scanner with her to the reunions so she can easily scan in new information and pictures. After one of the first reunions, Clark found out that a Dr. Crawford Sams, who was a professor at Berkeley University in California, had researched and published a book on the Sams family. She made contact with him and he sent her a copy of the book. SMOKY MOUNTAIN LIVING VOLUME 12 • ISSUE 4
Clark has used various methods of research throughout the years—she joined the local genealogical society and has spent time in libraries and courthouses, as well as made personal contact with distant relations. She also finds that genealogy research is becoming much easier through the use of computerized databases. “I have a subscription to Ancestry.com,” Clark said. “You can view raw data of the censuses. This year they opened up the 1940 census. It’s not indexed yet, but you can still find some names. There are also so many public records you can access from your computer. It’s easy to do this from home.” She also researches local history as she follows her lineage. Her goal is to not only find out who her ancestors were, but to learn what life was like for them when they were living in Madison County. Clark wonders if her three children will continue her interest in genealogy, but she does take pride in the wealth of information she has uncovered for them if they ever take it up as a hobby. At this point her grandchildren seem more interested in finding out about the past than her children do. She tells them, “You can’t date anyone in school until you check with me. They may be your cousin.” Clark continues to work diligently to document everything she can about her lineage. She and her sister have promised each other that they will label every family photo and make copies for others. She’s happy to share her research and the photographs she’s gathered and says most people who conduct genealogy research are usually very generous with sharing with others. “If I had no other responsibilities I could work on genealogy eighteen hours a day and I wouldn’t get tired of if,” Clark said. “I think it’s a pretty good hobby.”