You’re probably wondering how genealogy could be connected to the fictional story in Guilty of Love. 

On the maternal side of my family.
For me, it’s another avenue to fuse the missing links in my family tree. The hunt begins with interviewing the eldest family member who either can’t remember, or refuses to recall the events in the past. I have a distant cousin who informed me it makes him physically sick to think, or talk about it. I’ve staged sit-ins at the county library in the genealogy department minutes before closing because I’m one click or microfilm away from finding that one elusive relative. 

Then there’s the must have birth and death certificates that turn out to be someone else’s relatives. It’s digging for treasures locked away in the tomb of an Egyptian pharaoh. The excitement, the awe, the blur vision when I discover my great-grandfather’s 1912 draft card only to get a headache from the recorder’s scribble. Even a magnifying glass can’t perform miracles. 

   My heart pounded with anticipation when I located “the” slave schedule. Unfortunately, slaves were lumped together, not by age, sex, or families. It’s the copy of a death certificate that renders me speechless, not because it confirms birth and death dates. Many certificates list death “about 60 yrs”—what does that mean? Or birth mother’s name—unknown. That’s it! No more frustration. I’ll give my ancestors their own personality, physical description, and of course, attitude. At least one of them appears in each of my novels. 
        
   There’s nothing like reading a story, choking of that sip of soda, falling out of the chair, and yelling, “Hey, I hear Aunt Peabody mention her grandma or great-cousin. In Guilty of Love, my great-great-grandmother, Charlotte Jamison—born about 1842—has a small part, but enough for someone to connect the dots. A footnote: I wrote her into the story before I was aware of any Jamisons in my lineage, hmmm. 
   
   In the Bible, God let us know how important lineage is from Adam to David to Jesus. I’m not trying to go that far back, I’d be happy with a few centuries. Here’s what I’ve found out about Charlott Jamison (Jamieson) Wilkerson (Wilkinson). The names in the pararenthsis indicate the variations of how her name might be listed. Unfortunately, I don’t have a picture of her, so here is a picture of her son, William, b. 1866. 
   
   On November 10th, 1850, ?, MS… **Robert Jamison had 26 slaves, 22 males, ranging in ages 2-45; 4 females, ages 2, 3, 25, 40. It’s unknown if Charlott (w/o the “e”) is one of the toddlers since the ages could be off 3-6 years. 
   
   On September 1st, 1860, Robert Jamison was again listed as a slave owner in Chickasaw County, MS, Division 1 Township. **In his home, resided a John Wilkinson, 23. His occupation was “Teacher in Academy.” Wilkinson was born in AL. One month earlier, on the August 4th, 1860 census, Jamison had 23 slaves living in 6 slave houses. 10 were females. Only one of these women was listed as a mulatto (mixture of a white slave master or overseer and black slave). She was 35 years-old. I believe an 18 year-old girl might’ve been her daughter. If that is the case, which I haven’t verified, this mulatto is my great-great-great grandmother. 
      
   On the July 28, 1870 census, Charlott Jamison, 28, was the head of the household and a housekeeper in Township 16 in Chickasaw County, Palo Alto, MS. The census lists her birthplace as South Carolina. Charlott is listed as a mulatto with 2 sons, William, 5, and Samuel, 3. In 1880, Clay County, Beat #4, MS, Charlott Wilkinson, 40, a mulatto, was a widow with 2 sons, William, 14, and Samuel, 12. Charlott was living with another widow, Martha Leopard, 39, white, and her son also named Samuel, 19. 
   
    Questions that remain about Charlott and John are: What was the name of the academy? How and when did John die? Was there any relationship between Martha Leopard and Charlott Jamison Wilkinson? Could they be sisters separated by slavery since both were born in South Carolina? What happened to the 35 year-old mulatto in 1860 who could’ve possibly been Charlott’s mother?

Rhoda Brownlee Wilkerson (William's first wife)
Rhoda was born about 1870 and died in 1926 in Clay County, Mississippi. Although, I'm still researching her parents, I believe a Martin Brownlee is her brother. I'm trying to verify that. On the 1920 census, Martin was 50 years old married a second twice to Minnie. I don't beleive Martin and Rhoda were twins, but I'm still investigating.









Jessie B. Wade was born February 24, 1918, to Odell Wade and Minerva (Nerva) Brown Wade in Turner, Arkansas. Jessie and twin, Louis (L.C.) were the fourth and fifth children, respectively, born to this union. All siblings—Ann, Timothy, Theaster, Adell, Ivory, and Louis, and her parents preceded her in death.

            Grandma Jessie had a full and fascinating life. She and Louis were the third generation of twins on the maternal side of the family—Minerva’s twin younger brothers, Louis and Ellis (Ellis lived to 100 years), and Jessie’s grandmother, Nellie Lambert’s (b. 1872) had a twin brother Solomon. Grandma’s sister, Theaster, had twins (one died at birth); cousins: Liz Harris, Camille Wade, Berdia Griffin, and Charles Wade.

            Much isn’t known about Grandma’s early childhood days, church affiliations, or beliefs. Yet she departed this earth with a testimony. Months prior to her receiving hospice care, she verbally repented and worshipped God from her hospital bed. Grandma called out to the Lord and sung old hymns. The Bible says in First John 1:9: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

            As a teenager, she married Roscie Cole, Sr., who preceded her in death July 1998. To this union one son was born, Roscie Cole Jr. He preceded her in death in December 1995. Although this union was later dissolved, Grandma embraced her son’s half-brother, Ernest “Dan” Cole, and his children, Ernest Jr., MaryAnn, and Brenda Cole as her own flesh.

            For almost thirty years, Grandma worked as a coach cleaner for Terminal Railroad in St. Louis, Missouri. She met Willie Atkins, who was serving in War World II in Normandy, France. After he returned home, they were married in November 1947. Her mother, Minerva, officiated at their ceremony. No children were born to this union. While at the railroad, she formed a lasting friendship with co-workers Ethel Jackson Dockery, who preceded her in death in the 1960s, and Josie Anders, who still lives at the age of 92. Later, Grandma worked for the defunct HomerG.PhillipsHospital in North St. Louis from 1972 to 1980, as a housekeeper.

            Grandma and Papa Willie and LC and his wife, Hazel, purchased a house she used as a boarding house in the 4000 block of Washington, blocks west of the St. Louis Symphony. Eventually Grandma became the sole proprietor. Her generosity was legendary. She gave lodging to family, friends, and strangers at little or no charge. Today, that building is a Bed & Breakfast. At times she paid someone else’s mortgages, funeral expenses, etc. She easily called many her nieces and nephews.

            In 1996, she entered her first of four nursing homes, finally residing at Delmar Gardens North where she passed away on Sunday, July 23, 2007, at one o’clock in the afternoon. Until Grandma’s health failed, she was known to be a vibrant. Many times she was found cleaning, sweeping, or wiping off a table or counter. These tasks were performed with her harmlessly fusing. As her health declined and her legs weakened, she used the heels of her feet to paddle her wheelchair around the nursing home like a go-cart driver.

            Later, Grandma and her son formed, ATCO, a remodeling team who brought and repaired houses and apartment buildings. She worked along side Roscie, painting, plastering, and hammering on every project.

Below is a picture of her mother, Minerva, (1891-1988):

Minerva "Nerva" Brown married Odell Wade.
Her parents were Joseph (Joshep) Brown and Nellie Palmer-Lambert.
In 1910, Minvera and her younger brother Louis were living her Uncle Wyatt Palmer and his wife Ollie.
At least one character in every one of my novels bears the name of one of my ancestors.

Start off your adventure into my family tree with Charlotte Jamison. The fictional mother of Parke Jamison. 
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