2 - Eliza Elizabeth King Worth
Eliza Elizabeth King Worth
This week's ancestor is one of my paternal great-grandmothers, Eliza Elizabeth King. There are stories to share about Great Grandma Worth and much more to learn! The things we do not know about Eliza King fascinate me. I hope to uncover more details about her background to share.
Here is what I know about Eliza King.....
Here is what I know about Eliza King.....
Eliza was an orphan.
Being an orphan has a way of throwing genealogy research into a brick wall. My grandmother, Eula Mae Worth, her daughter, told me that Eliza was a Native American. She described her coal black hair and that they were the same size which was small in stature. Grandma said her mother's hair was as black as coal when she died, whereas, her own hair, presently, was as white as snow. Grandma said that her mother told her she was from a Native American tribe in Oklahoma and that she was taken away from her parents as a young girl. Grandma Goodrich was not positive which Native American tribe to which she belonged but she believed it was Cherokee.
On a video tape of my Grandmother Goodrich, which I recently found, Grandma Goodrich shared that she and her mother had been offered land in Oklahoma by her Native American tribe, under the condition that they live there and occupy the land. She was a young girl, at that time, so her memory of details was a little unclear. However, she and her mother chose not to stay in Oklahoma. Eliza King shared with her daughter that she was taken away from her family when she was very young and made to do work for the families in which she lived. She was not always treated very kindly. She told my grandmother that she once had very long braids and the family she was living with cut them completely off. She also said that there were times when they would withhold food from her and she would have nothing to eat for long periods of time.
We are not sure the origin of her name, Eliza King. To date, I have no information about her parents, so I am continuing to research this part of her family history. My thoughts are that if she and her mother were offered a place to live in Oklahoma, then she should be registered with her Native American tribe and may possibly be the Elizabeth King that I found on the Cherokee, Creek, or Seminole Dawes' rolls discussed later in this article.
Through Ancestry DNA, I do not carry any Native American DNA that has been identified. There are various theories as to why this may not have been identified as such, but again, this is an area I will continue to research. Here are some of the documents I did find which may be our Eliza King.
Being an orphan has a way of throwing genealogy research into a brick wall. My grandmother, Eula Mae Worth, her daughter, told me that Eliza was a Native American. She described her coal black hair and that they were the same size which was small in stature. Grandma said her mother's hair was as black as coal when she died, whereas, her own hair, presently, was as white as snow. Grandma said that her mother told her she was from a Native American tribe in Oklahoma and that she was taken away from her parents as a young girl. Grandma Goodrich was not positive which Native American tribe to which she belonged but she believed it was Cherokee.
On a video tape of my Grandmother Goodrich, which I recently found, Grandma Goodrich shared that she and her mother had been offered land in Oklahoma by her Native American tribe, under the condition that they live there and occupy the land. She was a young girl, at that time, so her memory of details was a little unclear. However, she and her mother chose not to stay in Oklahoma. Eliza King shared with her daughter that she was taken away from her family when she was very young and made to do work for the families in which she lived. She was not always treated very kindly. She told my grandmother that she once had very long braids and the family she was living with cut them completely off. She also said that there were times when they would withhold food from her and she would have nothing to eat for long periods of time.
We are not sure the origin of her name, Eliza King. To date, I have no information about her parents, so I am continuing to research this part of her family history. My thoughts are that if she and her mother were offered a place to live in Oklahoma, then she should be registered with her Native American tribe and may possibly be the Elizabeth King that I found on the Cherokee, Creek, or Seminole Dawes' rolls discussed later in this article.
Through Ancestry DNA, I do not carry any Native American DNA that has been identified. There are various theories as to why this may not have been identified as such, but again, this is an area I will continue to research. Here are some of the documents I did find which may be our Eliza King.
I found a 1900 Census that shows an Eliza King, listed as an orphan, who was living with a family named Brooker. The census shows an Eliza King as a 12 year old orphan who was born in Georgia, living in Nassau County, Florida, in 1900. This would match her estimated birth year of 1888.
One of my cousins, who I just found through my DNA, who is also a great granddaughter of Eliza King, said her father shared with her that Eliza King believed she was Cherokee or Souix and was taken to work as a slave as a child.
My grandmother, her daughter, stated on video that her mother said she was from Oklahoma. I began researching her within many of the Native American links and continued to read about many of the events concerning Native Americans around the time of her birth, 1880s. I found two possible matches at: Native American Enrollment Cards for the Five Civilized Tribes, 1898-1914:
My grandmother, her daughter, stated on video that her mother said she was from Oklahoma. I began researching her within many of the Native American links and continued to read about many of the events concerning Native Americans around the time of her birth, 1880s. I found two possible matches at: Native American Enrollment Cards for the Five Civilized Tribes, 1898-1914:
This card shows where I found an Elizabeth King on the Dawes' Roll who was born about 1883, rather than 1888. The 1888 was an estimated age, so the 1883 is a possible match. This person was only 1/16 Native American and appeared to be born in Georgia. If this is the correct Eliza Elizabeth King, then the orphan with the Brooker family is unlikely the same person.
As I research, these are the facts that we do know from my Grandmother Goodrich about her mother:
As I research, these are the facts that we do know from my Grandmother Goodrich about her mother:
- born around 1888
- taken from her home and parents in Oklahoma
- had contact with her Native American group as an adult as she was offered land in Oklahoma after my Grandmother was born
This leaves key hints in which area to search for the truth about her Native American heritage.
An Elizabeth King on this database below is the second of only two Elizabeth King's listed during that time period on these rolls. I believe that this second listing is closest to the facts we know about our Eliza Elizabeth King.
The above Elizabeth King was born around 1900 and was a member of the Creek or Seminole Rolls. What stands out about this discovery is this Elizabeth King was Full blooded Native American and lived in Oklahoma which is where my Grandmother said she lived and was offered land as an adult.
After Elizabeth King was married, most of her key life events are documented.
After Elizabeth King was married, most of her key life events are documented.
On the 29th of April, 1908, Eliza King married Robert Daniel Worth in Coffee County, Georgia, USA, when she was 20 years old. Robert was a widower with a young six year old daughter, named Pearl. Pearl's mother, Missouri Sapp Worth, passed away two years before, in 1906.
Marriage License - Robert Worth and Eliza King - 29th April, 1908
In the 1910 Census, Robert and Eliza Worth lived in Coffee County, Georgia. She was a homemaker and he was an engineer on a locomotive.
Step-daughter:
Pearl Worth (a.k.a. Pearlie) 1902-1985
In addition to having Pearl by a previous marriage, Robert and Eliza Worth had the following children:
Eula Mae Worth 1910-1986 - (My paternal grandmother)
Robert Dan Worth 1913-1972
Louise Margaret Worth 1916-2002
Elbert James Worth 1919-1998
Lucille Virginia Worth 1921-1993
Lula Mae Worth 1924-1990
In the 1930 Census, Robert and Eliza Worth were working on a farm in Lakeland, Lanier County, GA.
By the 1940 Census, Robert and Eliza Worth moved their family to Oak Hill, FL.
My great-grandparents lived on the Maytown Road in Oak Hill, FL. Great-grandma's oldest daughter was married to Clarence Q. Goodrich, Sr. (my paternal grandfather) and they appeared to live nearby; Eula Mae Goodrich (my paternal grandmother) and Clarence Q. Goodrich, Sr. had Census information listed on the same page, inferring they were neighbors.
Three years later, Eliza King Worth became a widow when her husband, Robert, passed away on Sept. 20, 1943, at the age of 64. They had been married 35 years.
Eliza Worth lived with her son, Robert Daniel Worth a.k.a. Dan Worth, until her death in 1951.
My research on Eliza King continues. I hope to update this blog post with new information as it is uncovered.
Last updated 08/28/2017
© 2017
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You have uncovered an unbelievable amount of valuable information and presented it beautifully! I am so excited about getting the picture of Grandma Worth to see if I have remembered her correctly since I only met her twice, many years ago!
ReplyDeleteThis is great stuff. What I heard about Eliza is from my father. He is the son of Lucille Virginia Worth. He said that Eliza was Cherokee and Souix and had been a slave after she was stolen from her family on the Trail of tears. Thanks for all of your hard work!
ReplyDeleteAfter researching, The Trail of Tears, it took place fifty years before Eliza was born, however, her family may have been a part of it... just not her.
Delete