Welcome!!

Welcome

Welcome all my relatives!!

I am Denise Diffee Hall, of Burlington, Alamance County, NC.  My mother is Jeanne Brooks Diffee, a descendant of James M Terrell and Lula Morgan Terrell of Alamance County and John R Shepherd and Susan Kinney Shepherd of Alamance as well, maternal side.  She is descended on her paternal side from Joseph Samuel Brooks' and Sarah Catherine Sharp Brooks (this is the grandparents of Jeanne instead of Great Grandparents because I have not found the Great Grandparents yet), William G. Sharp, Jr.and Emily Isely Sharp.

Belva Shepherd Brooks was Mom's mother and she was the daughter of Maggie Terrell and Lonnie Edwin Shepherd Sr.

I have been working on Ancestry.com for a few months trying to trace our heritage.  Some of you may have already done this.  If you have - let me know so I can add the information you have found.  It's quite an adventure trying to trace all these people.

Here are some pictures I have scanned from our collection.  If you have some you would like to share  here that would be awesome!  We can make this our home base and I will give out the password so everyone can upload information as well as pictures.  That is my intention by creating this blog.

Email me if you would like to upload a story, info or picture to this site.  If you don't know how to upload - I can upload from an email you send me.

The email you can write to is :  denisedh22@yahoo.com

Garland Brooks(deceased), husband of Belva Shepherd Brooks in chair, me(the little kid), back row : Ronnie Brooks, Peggy Brooks Moore, Billy Brooks (deceased)

Correction: The child is Billy Burl Brooks! (thanks Katherine!)

Sarah Catherine Sharp Brooks holding one of her grandchildren but I have nothing written on the back so help me find out the mystery child!

The children of Maggie Terrell and Lonnie Edwin Shepherd

Garland Brooks and Belva Shepherd Brooks 

I really need help with the people in this photo.  Who is Joel Shepherd, Granny Shepherd, etc.  Is this
grandpa Shepherd (Maggie's husband) mother?  I really do hope someone is still alive who knows the answers
or we will never know!  My Mom, Jeanne said she knew "aunt" Addie Mitchell - but just can't remember
who this Lizzie and Grandma Shepherd are!

Ruth Shepherd Gurkin and her mother, Maggie!

Lula Terrell, James Terrell's wife

Lula Morgan (?) Terrell

Lula has been hard to find, trace, etc.  So far I have found only 2 references to her.  One, the 1900 census record of her family in Burlington.  She is listed as married to James and having 3 children. The three children are definitely the Terrell's we are searching for.

husband:  James M. Terrell (often the M is not listed in the census - but we have to remember the census takers were not good spellers and sometimes took the word of a child who answered the door about who lived there and how to pronounce their names - thus the bad spelling on census reports.)

1900 US Census report:

Name:	Lula Terrel
Home in 1900:	Burlington, Alamance, North Carolina
Age:	33
Birth Date:	Aug 1866
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Race:	White
Gender:	Female
Relationship to head-of-house:	Wife
Father's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Mother's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Mother: number of living children:	3
Mother: How many children:	4
Spouse's Name:	James Terrel
Marriage Year:	1887
Marital Status:	Married
Years Married:	13
Occupation:	View on Image
Neighbors:	View others on page
Household Members:	Name Age James Terrel 35 Lula Terrel 33 Willie Terrel 13 Maggie Terrel 11 Bula Terrel 4

wife:  Lula or Louvenia Terrell (this is puzzling too - she has been listed as Louvenia)

child:  Willie Terrell
child: Maggie Lee Terrell
child: Bula Terrell (Mom does not have any recollection of this child or wille)

Lenora Terrell was born later - and I have found some interesting records about her life as a young child.



I would love to have more records and background on Lula.  Mom remembers nothing of stories of her from Mamaw Brooks (Belva Shepherd Brooks - Maggies daughter)  I think I have found out why no one knows much about her.

I found on the death certificate for Maggie Terrell Shepherd - that her mother and father were both born in Virginia - and from some other random searches - think they were born in Mecklenburg or Pittsylvania county, Virginia.  If her census record is correct in 1900 in Burlington, she was born around 1869.  I also think that she was married in Virginia in 1887, shortly before or after that - willie was born.

Death Certificate for Lula Turell (Lula Morgan) Terrell Sept 30 1912

Details:  This death certificate was not signed by her husband, but by Bettie White, of Gibsonville, NC.  I don't know where James was at this time .  You may wonder how I can be sure this is the "real" Lula Morgan Terrell.  I linked her to her youngest daughter, Lenora.

Lenora was at the time living with none other than BETTIE SMITH and her husband, as a boarder. She was 7 or 8 years old.  Maybe they were keeping her so she could go to school, etc. because her mother was ill.  Lula died from a terrible disease called Pellegra - which spread throughout the southeast from 1910-1917 when the cure was discovered.  A diet poor in niacin evidently caused it.  Too much corn or corn products and not enough vegetables was the main cause.  Many died from the disease until this was discovered.

Lula Turrell's death certificate:

Name:	Lula Turell [Lula Morgan]
Gender:	Female
Race:	White
Age:	43
Birth Date:	1869
Birth Place:	Micklenburg County, Virginia, United States
Death Date:	30 Sep 1912
Death Location:	Gibsonville, Guilford
Father's Name:	Jamer Morgan
Mother's Name:	Annie Adams

The census of 1920 proved Lenora Terrell's living with this same woman who signed Lula's death certificate - thus the connection:

1920 US census report:

Name:	Lenora Terrell
Home in 1920:	Rock Creek, Guilford, North Carolina
Age:	14
Estimated Birth Year:	abt 1906
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Relation to Head of House:	Boarder
Father's Birth Place:	North Carolina
Mother's Birth Place:	North Carolina
Marital Status:	Single
Race:	White
Sex:	Female
Able to read:	Yes
Able to Write:	Yes
Neighbors:	View others on page
Household Members:	Name Age William A White 64 Bellie E White 55 Lenora Terrell 14

Maggie Lee Terrell Shepherd's death certificate 

*lists that she was born in VA - so Willie must have also been born in VA and their marriage license or record of being married (James and Lula) has not been found by me yet!  Still looking.

Name:	Mrs Maggie Terrell Sheperd [Mrs Maggie Terrell Terrell]
Gender:	Female
Race:	White
Age:	57
Birth Date:	28 Aug 1889
Birth Place:	Danville, Virginia, United States
Death Date:	18 Feb 1947
Death Location:	Burlington, Alamance
Spouse's Name:	Lonnie E Shepherd
Father's Name:	James M Terrell
Mother's Name:	Lula Morgan
Residence:	Burlington, Alamance, North Carolina

Who is James M Terrell?

James Terrell

James Terrell is the confirmed father of Maggie Terrell Shepherd  (mother of the Shepherd gang pictured here).  As of now, and much searching, there is no confirmed birth certificate for him.  

North Carolina State Archives

Name:	James M Terrell
Race:	White
Age:	99 Years 24 Days
Date of Birth:	1858
Date of Death:	1 May 1957
Death County:	Alamance
Death State:	North Carolina
Source Vendor:	NC State Archives. North Carolina Deaths, 1908-67

North Carolina death Certificate:

Name:	James M Terrell
Gender:	Male
Race:	White
Age:	101
Birth Date:	1856
Birth Place:	Virginia, United States
Death Date:	1 May 1957
Death Location:	Graham, Alamance
Residence:	Burlington, Alamance, North Carolina

The informant for the death certificate was Lenora Thompson (Mrs. A L Thompson) - his youngest daughter.  Lenora has been a key link for me as I traced her very illusive Mother's records.  More on that as soon as I can copy and paste it.  

As you can see the age is different on the death certificate - who knows which is right??

If any of you are on Ancestry.com - please visit my open tree - Diffee Hall of NC is the name of it.  It includes all of my ancestors as well as my husband's (Hall) so you will have to search through the tree for the very prolific Terrells and Shepherds!




Here is a peek at the first hint I have of where he was as a young man - there is no birth certificate as of yet - I know I will eventually find it - somewhere in Virginia!
This is from the 1880 census:

census 1880 - I found a James Terrell as a farmhand at what seems like a relative's house.  Remember, on all of his official records - censuses, death certificate , he lists his parents as unknown.

Name:	James Terrell
Home in 1880:	Beaver Dam, Hanover, Virginia
Age:	20
Estimated Birth Year:	abt 1860
Birthplace:	Virginia
Father's birthplace:	Virginia
Mother's birthplace:	Virginia
Neighbors:	View others on page
Occupation:	Farm Hand
Marital Status:	Married
Race:	White
Gender:	Male
Cannot read/write: Blind: Deaf and dumb: Otherwise disabled: Idiotic or insane:	View image
Household Members:	Name Age Timothy Terrell 76 Harriett Terrell 75 John S. Frances 13 John Q. Terrell 63 Margaret Terrell 43 James Terrell 20

1900 census - he is in Burlington, 36 years old, married to Lula for 13 years.  In the 1880 census the James Terrell of Va. is listed as married (his wife was just not living there with him)  I wonder if she was with her parents, pregnant with their first child, Willie??)  They are listed as married in 1887 in another record I've found. 

In the census of 1900 he has 3 children.  The children are: Willie-13, Maggie 11, Bula 4

1900 census:  Willie - born September, 1886

                           Maggie - born August, 1888  (her death cert says she was born in August 28,        1889) in Danville, VA.