Family Tree Magazine's 40 Best Genealogy Blogs for 2011

You can imagine my surprise when I received the announcement yesterday that Mississippi Memories made Family Tree Magazine's 40 Best Genealogy Blogs for 2011.  The list of 40 is divided into several categories, and this blog was named as one of five in the category entitled "Family History."  Needless to say, I was surprised, thrilled, amazed, and speechless (well, almost!)  Thank you to those who may have nominated me, and a big thank you to everyone who voted for this blog. I feel so fortunate and proud to have Mississippi Memories included among so many outstanding blogs, whose authors are some of the most resourceful, talented, and creative in the blogging community.  To them, I offer my congratulations - you are so deserving.  And to you, my readers, thank you for continuing to visit this blog.

New Genealogy Books about the Franklin and Dodd Families, by Gena Ayers Walls

During a recent contact with Gena Walls, I found that she has written two new genealogy books. The first book is entitled "Franklin Folks, Descendants of Job and Hannah Wheeler Franklin." Based on a flyer that Gena mailed me, the Franklin book is an accumulation of thirty years of research by a great-great-great-great granddaughter, and is a 'must' read for anyone related to Job Franklin of Habersham County, Georgia. Job and Hannah's seven children were Nancy, Jeremiah Richard Warren, Wesley, Thomas Alfred, Jonathan Mitchell, Sara Jane, and Moses. Fifty-four grandchildren made up the next generation, and their descendants' are inter-related by family ties to almost everyone who lives in Habersham County today.

Gena describes the publication as a hardbound, cloth book, containing 600 pages printed on acid-free paper, with 230 illustrations, including charts, copies of documents, and photos. Its index contains more than 10,000 names that represent 1,150 different surnames, all related to Job and Hannah Franklin, either by blood or by marriage.Also included in the book are related families with the surnames Adams, Allen, Barron, Bellew, Benefield, Brown, Burell, Carter, Church, Davis, Dawkins, Dodd, Dover, Edmonds, Fry, Garrett, Henderson, Ivester, Loudermilk, Moore, Rudeseal, Shirley, and Shore.

Dodd family descendants will want to read Gena's second new book, entitled "Dodd Family History: Habersham County, Georgia." This book contains the history of the family of James Dodd, who was born circa 1774 in Virginia and died in Habersham County, Georgia in 1852. Included in the book's 800 pages is the accumulation of fifty years of research conducted by Mr. Dodd's great-great-great granddaughter, beginning with Dodd's children, Marilda, James Allen, Green Berry, Jane E., Levi H., and Mary Malissa. Other surnames included in the book and having familial connections to the Dodd family are Ayers, Burke, Carter, Clark, Harper, Perkins, Watson, Westmoreland, and Whitehead. Related families also discussed in the Dodd book are Blair, Bowers, Farmer, Frye, Henderson, Ivester, London, Loudermilk, Magness, Martin, Massey, Morris, Nix, Odell, Rich, Sanderson, Sisk, Sullens, Tate, Thomason, and Yearwood. The Dodd family book, like the Franklin book profiled above, is also hardbound, printed on acid-free paper, and contains a comprehensive index of more than 10,000 names.

In addition, a few copies of "The Netherland, Leatherlin Legacy with Allied Crane and Walls Families," compiled and written by Gena and published by Gateway Press, are still available as a result of a limited publishing.

If you are interested in one of these three family history books, please contact Gena Walls by email at HFRsearch@aol.com, or she can be reached by regular mail at:

Gena Walls
7418 Swanson Drive
Richmond, TX 77469