More cousins?!?!

Every time I talk to my family, they give me more and more information.

On a conversation with my grandmother about a month ago, she was telling me about a funeral home in Elizabeth City. It was owned by Dennis Stallings. She said that he was a cousin of ours. But, of course, she didn’t know how. She knew that Dennis’s mother was Betty Spence and she married Dennis Sr. The current owner of the funeral home is the son. She also mentioned another name, Oscar Spence and he was related to Betty some kind of way.

So, as a genealogy freak, I was searching Ancestry.com as I was holding the phone w/my grandmother.

After about 20 minutes of searching, this is what I was able to find:

• Betty Spence’s real name is Dorothy Elizabeth Spence.
• She married Dennis Stallings in 1950.
• Dennis was the son of Cader Stallings B: 1885 and Ella Bright B: 1892.
• Betty was the daughter of James A. Spence B: 1891 and Bettie Temple B: 1896.
• James and Betty also had a son named Oscar.

DING DING DING. There is my Oscar and Betty Spence connection. They’re siblings. But, how are they related to me? *happy dance subsided*

Well, I don’t know. I do know that James and Betty married in 1912. So, in 1910, James would be listed either alone or living with his parents. He would only be 19 at that time. DAGNABIT, there is no James Spence in 1910. Maybe he’s off working somewhere. But, in 1900, I did locate him. Living with his parents Moses Spence B: 1846 and Louisa Turner B: 1855.

This takes me back to the possible slave owner, Thomas B. Williams. He owned a male slave in 1860 that was age 12. Maybe Moses is a sibling of my ancestor Aaron Edward Spence.

But, what I will be doing to verify this is.

• Order a copy of Betty Spence’s birth, marriage & death certificates
• Order a copy of Moses Spence death certificate
• Order a copy of Moses and Louisa’s marriage certificate
• Order a copy of Oscar Spence's birth, marriage & death certificates

Luckily Moses died after 1913, how morbid but we genealogy freaks love when ancestors die AFTER records are kept. Which in Pasquotank, it was after 1913.

Am I the only one that wished family kept records knowing we're going to research this later?!?