Tag: Brick Wall

Lucy Part 1 – Who is Mrs. Gregory?

Lucy’s birth surname is unknown. Among her grandchildren with whom we were able to discuss Lucy’s background, one believed her surname to be Love, one suggested Bell, and two believed it to be Hart.1

Lucy’s obituary, published in The Clarion-Ledger (Jackson, Mississippi) on Sunday, 28 January 1940, p. 2, lists her birthplace as Vaiden, Mississippi, but does not include a maiden surname or any reference to her birth family.2 Vaiden was likely not her actual birthplace, but the nearest town to her actual place of birth.

Mississippi did not require the registration of births until 1912, and after a reasonably exhaustive search, no record has been found for an otherwise-unidentifiable “Lucy,” “Lucie,” “Lucille,” or “Lucia” in the U.S. Federal census records, or Mississippi reports of educable children in the relevant counties and years.3

Conflicting Birth Dates

Two birth dates exist for Lucy: (1) 15 Jun 1866 – This is the date engraved on her headstone.4 If correct, she would have been 73 years old in Jan 1940, not 74. (2) 11 Mar 1869 – This is the date reported on her death certificate, which calculates her age at death as 70 years, 10 months, and 7 days.5

Death and Records

Lucy died in Jan 1940 of a cerebral hemorrhage. Her death certificate lists her birthplace as Vaiden, her parents as “Don’t Know,” yet her daughter, Ida,6 was the informant.

Death Certificate (Certified Copy, issued 3 Dec 2013 by the State of Mississippi):

  • Box 3(a) – Full Name: Mrs. Richard Gregory (handwritten)

  • Boxes 12–15 – Names and birthplaces of parents: Don’t Know (handwritten)

For comparison, Richard Gregory’s 1934 death certificate lists, in box 5(a) for spouse’s name: Lucy Gregory (handwritten).7

Family Accounts

Lucy’s grandchildren (all now deceased) reported never hearing of any aunts or uncles on their grandmother’s side. One grandchild, who was researching a different line at the time, is reported to have remarked: “Grandmother Gregory was adopted, so we’ll never know about her side.” Other grandchildren had no recollection of such information, either to confirm or deny a potential adoption.

Marriage and Residence

Lucy became involved with Richard Gregory prior to 1897. Their first child, John Edward Gregory, was born that year.8

The family does not appear in the 1900 U.S. Census.9 Newspaper accounts indicate that Lucy and Richard were living near the Carroll/LeFlore County line in the area of Whaley, also known as Dodd’s Ferry, Mississippi.

The Greenwood Enterprise, December 26, 1902, Page 3. via Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-greenwood-enterprise-dick-gregory-of/88209346/ : accessed April 23, 2026).

Coming soon.

Footnotes

  1. Oral history from grandchildren of Lucy Gregory, all deceased; interviews conducted by the author, various dates, notes in author’s files. ↩︎
  2. The Clarion-Ledger (Jackson, Miss.), 28 Jan 1940, p. 2, obituary for Lucy Gregory. ↩︎
  3. Mississippi State Archives, “Educable Children Records,” multiple counties, searched by author; no entries found for relevant years for “Lucy,” “Lucie,” “Lucille,” or “Lucia” matching known family context. ↩︎

  4. Headstone of Lucy Gregory, [name of cemetery], [location], photographed by author, [date]. ↩︎
  5. Mississippi State Department of Health, death certificate no. [number], Lucy Gregory, issued 3 Dec 2013 (certified copy), original completed Jan 1940. ↩︎
  6. Ibid. ↩︎
  7. Mississippi State Department of Health, death certificate no. [number], Richard Gregory, 1934. ↩︎
  8. Date of birth of John Edward Gregory from [source—birth record, draft card, census, or obituary], [details]. ↩︎
  9. 1900 U.S. census, Carroll and LeFlore counties, Mississippi, searches for Richard, Lucy, and John Edward Gregory; no entries found. ↩︎

Like Topsy, she just grew.

My interest in the genealogy of my family started with Uncle Herbert (actually a first cousin, once removed, but since he held 65 years on me, “Uncle” was his moniker) describing to me, about eight years old, the incident that resulted in Herbert’s grandfather, my great-grandfather, being speared by a riding crop. I was astonished to think I was related to someone who lived in an era of horses and carriages. My gosh! To what other “ancients” might I be related?

Samuel F. Whiting, 1851-1910.
Samuel F. Whiting, 1851-1910. He’d lost his right arm in a logging accident. He later fell from a second-floor porch and was impaled by a riding crop on a carriage beneath the porch, but survived.

Over the next forty years, I indulged in my hobby regularly, but with large gaps of time for life, work, family. When my own children were about grown, I re-entered my notes and journals with intent, and decided to include my spouse’s maternal line, as well. Hence, my introduction to Lucy. Fifteen years after that re-start, Lucy remains my enigma.

I plan to post what is known about Lucy, and the evidence collected, and what might be surmised by the historical and genetic genealogical information collected over these years. Perhaps in writing this down in a methodical fashion, we can learn who Lucy is.

In the meantime, more than a couple genealogical mysteries have cropped up with the advent of DNA testing (and some popped up without any DNA involvement, at all!). I will be outlining those along the way.

Step aboard, and enjoy!