Searching for family in Laurel County, Kentucky

By Janet Freeman Auman

Dad looked up from the clock he was working on, and then said "Raccoon Laurel, East Bernstadt, Kentucky." He looked down, and wiped the curved clock glass he had in his hands, and then, carefully placed it in a metal bezel. "Did Grandpa live there?" I asked, as my Dad turned to me. "No he was raised near the Alderson Ranch in Fruitvale, Washington." "Your Great Grandfather was born on a farm in Kentucky." Dad would later mention London, East Bernstadt, and Corbin, as if they were all together. I was confused, but kept asking questions. "What did Great Grandpa do for a living in Kentucky?" Dad wasn't sure, but mentioned that he could have been a barber in East Bernstadt. It was just speculation on Dad's part, because I haven't found any documentation to collaborate the possibility of that employment. Most likely, Great Grandpa was a farmer, and possibly a miner as a young man in KY.

Back to the drawing board. "How do I find the house that my Great Grandpa lived in as a child?" I thought aloud, as I went to the Washington State Digital Archives and looked up my Great Grandfather's name. First, I found a marriage license and the names of my Great Grandfather's parents in Kentucky. Next, I found a census in Washington State where he was boarding with a cousin from Kentucky...another clue! (I have found that a census can be a valuable source for place, time, names, and information tidbits.) Eventually my Great Grandfather followed his cousins out to Washington State and he worked with them in the fruit orchards. Further investigation found my Great Grandfather selling a parcel of land to a cousin, and also joining the National Guard. I now needed to go to ancestry.com and add to my family tree. Step by step, the puzzle pieces in my family were coming together. I found many records on the site, and then I activated a DNA kit. A whole new world of cousins came into view. That farm in Kentucky didn't seem that far away anymore.

I started contacting cousins through ancestry.com, familysearch.org, emails, phone calls, and little by little, I felt I was ready to go to London, Kentucky. I had a notebook full of family background, and a book written by a cousin on the family. Surely, I would find the farm. My husband and I settled in our hotel and then went to the Historical Society in London, Kentucky. At the library we met a wonderful woman, Billie Chaney, who took us to Fariston to see the graves of John and Rebecca Read Freeman and Levi and Rebecca Freeman Jackson. We enjoyed talking to her over lunch. After doing research at the library, we realized how grateful we were to have a place to go for local family history. We didn't get to see the old family farm on that trip, but with the help of cousins, and the great couple who owns the farm now, we saw it on the second trip. The old farm house where my Great Grandfather was born is still standing after all these years, and I was able to see where my Great, Great, Grandparents are buried. I am grateful for the research tools that lead me to find my Kentucky roots. I realized also that asking questions and talking to older family members helped me find answers to my ancestry. I found my extended Kentucky family and so can you!