i am looking for any information on my grandmother odessa amos she was born in cotton valley, la in 1907 and died in 1969. i know there were four children three boys and one girl which is my mom beverly. my mom told me that when her mom was ten she moved to ark and married 5 yrs later to a banks. sometime later she moved to chicago and married my grandfather robert lee smith in 1946. would like any information on her life in la especially her mom and father. all i have is their names amanda roberson/robinson and james manuel amos. i know james was born in miden, la.
any help anyone can give me will be helpful. thanks in advance

I have some Banks connection do you have more information. Who did she marry?

thanks for reading my post and replying. i know she married augustus banks and had my uncles earl banks and agustus jr banks. do not know waht city and state they were married in i am assuming arkansas since thats what state she moved to when she left louisana. i know my uncle earl was born in philadelphia, moved to chicago, then moved to baltimore area. can this be one of your relatives?

I am not related! In your shoes, I would be planning a trip to Webster Parish, LA. Your great grandmother, Amanda/Mandy, had an older sister Martha born 1882/1884. Martha married Robert Bell and remined in Louisiana to raise her family. The Bells owned their home and sheltered Amanda's family in 1910. Find them in Webster Parish-Police Jury Ward 2-District 115-Image 46. The Bells were: Robert(36), Martha(26), Savannah(9), Robert Jr.(8), Jessie(6), Johnny(3), Davie(1 3/12), and Joanna(32)-Robert's sister. The handwriting interpretation of Amos misidentified as "Amons". Amanda(19), James(8), Willie A.(6), Joseph)4), and Odessa(2). Odessa misidentified as "Carsa". In 1920, the Amos children were still in Louisiana. Their mother, widowed in 1910, may have remarried prior to 1920? She was enumerated as Mandy Levingston in Police Jury Ward 2-District 132-Image 15. Unable to verify parents of Martha and Amanda. Per census, they were Georgia-natives.

not sure if these are my ancesters but sounds like it because my mom says amanda did have a sister names martha. can you tell me if there are any other sisters or brothers of amanda? i was able to pull the census record for mandy livingston but was not sure because two of the boys were listed with the same age. do you know if any family is still living in louisana? thanks for your help

I can only relate information from the census records. If you are going to get "hung up" on census ages, expect lots of "brickwalls". That was Odessa and Joseph listed as age 12 in 1920. It is obviously incorrect. Martha was already married to Robert Bell on the 1900 Census. I did not find Amanda-as Amanda-in 1900 or any Robertson/Robinson who could have been their parents. There probably are descendants of Robert and Martha Bell still residing in Louisiana? John B. Bell listed on Social Security Death Index (18 Sep 1906 - 30 Dec 1999 in Minden, LA

thank you so much for the information, relayed info back to my mom and she said she always remember her mom talking about a aunt martha so this is my great grandmother. found them in census record you told me to look but when doing search in census 1910 the bells are listed as hell. from what my mom says martha and amanda owned land but can not find any record can you guide me on search? once again thank you i am greatly appreciated

With more experience, you will learn to overcome the many errors on census and vital records. Also, understand that many people were functionally illiterate through the 1930s. Education simply was not a priority! Then, there is the problem of interpreting someone else's "poor handwriting". Ever try to read a doctor's prescription? Yes, the 1910 Census-Webster-Police Jury Ward 2-District 115-Image 46 has the head-of-household "Robert Hell". His sister is identified as "Joeana Prell"! Go to 1900 Webster-Police Jury Ward 2-District 106-Image 45 for a clearer picture? Robert Bell(27), wife Martha(17), mom Lizzie(40), sis Joannah(25), sis Luella(20), and sis Fanny(19). The pictures in 1920 Webster-Police Jury Ward 2-District 132-Images 13 and 14 plus 1930 Webster-Police Jury Ward 2-District 40-Image 6 are much clearer! They also depict a community in which the sisters, Martha and Amanda, lived. In 1910 their families lived under the same roof. Amanda was a 19-year old widow with four children and in need of help! "Blood is thicker than water." In 1920, Amanda had gotten back-on-her-feet and can be found on Image 15 while her sister's family was on Images 13 and 14. They lived in the same neighborhood. Be aware that genealogy cannot be done strictly online. You will have to travel to Webster Parish to find answers to many of your questions. Before going there, try to establish contact with descendants of Robert and Martha Bell? John B. Bell died 30 Dec 1999 in Minden. Try to obtain a copy of his obituary from the local newspaper and/or library. The obituary aka "funeral program" should list his survivors and where they lived? Anywho.com is a free telephone lookup. There are 38 Bells listed in Minden. Property ownership is forfeited when taxes are not paid. Unless someone paid the taxes on Amanda's land, be prepared for the inevitable? Your search is on the right track and that's better than average. Where and when did your grandmother and great grandmother die?

thanks again hl2604 for your help, i believe without your assistance i probably would have given up. it seemed i was running into all kinds of brick walls. due to that bad handwriting amanda's age is incorrect. my mom called her cousin and she had a copy of her dad's birth certificate and at time of his birth she was 27, so by time odessa came along she was actually 29. she was a widow because her husband james manuel amos died before odessa was born. that could be why her and martha were living together, then again on all census robert and martha always had a house full. both amanda and odessa died in chicago. i know they both lived in ark for a while but odessa and her brothers moved to chicago and they sent for amanda in what yr do not know but that is where she died. odessa died in 1969. i believe land info might be a rumor but if my mom wants me to pursue, i have to abide by her wishes. thanks again. i need help with my grandfather, he has a very common name and i am trying to find out what city and state he died in.
i'm assuming that once my grandmother passed away in 1969 my mom lost contact. i have found his military enlistment record, i found him in census with grandmother and sister but no death info. his name is robert lee smith born 1906 brookhaven, ms. any suggestions? thanks in advance

Finding grandpa's roots may be easier than you realize? Brookhaven is in Lincoln County, MS. There are two likely candidates. The first Robert Smith can be found in Beat 1-District 81-Image 15 with parents: William F.(39) and Dora(36) Smith. The second possibility is at Brookhaven Ward 2-District 84-Image 21 with parents: Furd[?](34) and Mary(26) Smith. What census did you find him with your granny. Since you have his military records, search for a social security number? The original social security card application, for any deceased person, is available to the general public. Back in the day, the application was completed by the individual requesting the card. There are spaces for the names of parents, and this is one way to learn same. The cost is $27.00 when the SSAN is known. http://www.socialsecurity.gov/online/ssa-711.pdf