Voting has always been important to my family. I remember going with my Granny, Gladys Denson Mays, when she worked the polls during elections in the 1980s. I would pack my lunch and some books and sit in the back while she worked. My father and mother would always go vote together. I remember registering to vote when I turned 18. That is when I really felt like I was an adult. I would have to wait another year before there was an election. I was in college for my first election in 1996 and requested an absentee ballot, and I’ve been voting in every city, county, state, and national election since.
When I’m unmotivated in my research, I often shift focus to exploring new information and records about my ancestors. I will also draw from current events to enhance my research ideas for ancestors within our nation’s history. What is the main topic on every news channel, social media, and discussions around the water cooler? The 2024 Presidental Election is what is on everybody’s mind. So, I thought I would try and find my ancestors voter registration cards.
I had attempted to find these records years ago specifically the years after the civil war 1865-1870 with no luck. So, I thought I would this time around I would look for any year I could find. I used my typical research sites, Ancestry, FamilySearch, and the Arkansas State Archives Digital Collection but was unable to find anything. So, something said check out my hometown library website. I discovered they have a digital collection that includes the Stream of History which is the journal of the Jackson County (Arkansas) Historical Society. To my surprise I found a List of Jackson County Registered Voters in 1914 in Vol. XXXVI 1999 1-4, on pages 36-45 that included my ancestors’ names as registered voters.
Once I knew this was a record that I could actually go through page by page, I went to my family tree and wrote down all of the men in my family that lived in Jackson County Arkansas that would be voting age. I wasn’t able to find them in the beginning, then I remembered the time period that I was researching. Often times public records during this time were segregated by race, I then scrolled all the way to the end to see if there was a section for colored men, and that is when I found my first ancestor my paternal 2X great grandfather, Rufus Goodlow. Once I found one ancestor, I knew the rest would be there too.
One thing that helps me out a lot in my research is that both my maternal and paternal sides of my family lived in the same county. Once I find a record, usually I am able to find multiple ancestors. I was able to find my 2X paternal great grandfather, John Moose. I was able to find my maternal 2X great grandfather Peter Hatchett and his children, Robert James and Eva. I was also able to find Robert James’ children, Chester, RJ, and Oliver Hatchet. Three generation of Hatchett men in the same record. But more than that three generations of African American men registered to vote in America 44 years after the 15th amendment was ratified prohibiting states from denying the right to vote based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude. Of all the men I found, two of them, John and Peter, were born into slavery.
Discovering my African American ancestors who were registered voters in 1914 in a southern state is a powerful moment of both pride and reflection. At a time when systemic racism and oppressive laws sought to silence Black voices, finding proof of their participation in the democratic process symbolizes their resilience and courage. My ancestors exercised their right to vote, asserting their place in society and paving the way for future generations. This discovery honors their determination and serves as a reminder of the hard-fought progress that continues today.
All records were provided by the Newport Public Library Digital Collection
Journey Through the Generations 