Oh, my Darling Clementine

52#Ancestors No. 19
May 7-13, 2018
By Myra Vanderpool Gormley ® 2018

Among the dozen or so women in my family tree that I know next to nothing about, is Clementine Johnson. At least I think her maiden name was Johnson. That’s the claim from a cousin who purportedly once saw the family Bible. I’ve never been able to track down a copy of the Bible, so I rely upon the second-hand information.

You’d think that woman who had 15 children and lived for 72 years would have left more clues and information about her family. Of course, there’s the possibility that she did not know much about her forebears either.

Periodically, I tackle this genealogical problem of learning more about Clementine by exploring the data I have compiled on her 11 children who survived to adulthood. I dig out my Research Log and see if I’ve overlooked something and I continue to research Clementine’s children, grandchildren and even the great-grandchildren.

She married Randle Hensley about 1829, probably in Tennessee, although a marriage record has not yet been found. They lived in Tennessee, North Carolina, Georgia and Alabama.

The six sons have been the easiest to track, but four of the daughters have left fairly good trails. Then

there’s the one daughter, Elizabeth. I don’t know whether she ever married. She was 17 in the 1850 census and so far, I haven’t found a marriage record for her — and she is not with her family in the 1860 census, but I’ll keep looking.

Since Elizabeth was one of the older children, she may be the one who has the information I need to find my darling Clementine, who hopefully, is not lost and gone forever.