Journey Through the Generations
Uncover Your Roots: Exploring Ancestry & Family History
My maternal grandmother, Ernestine Wright Hatchett was born on January 1, 1926 in Grays, Arkansas to Oscar and Nona Wright. Being the youngest girl in the family afforded her the opportunity to attend a private high school, Cotton Plant Academy. She went on to attend Shorter College in Little Rock after she graduated high school.... Continue Reading →
My maternal grandfather, Gus Hatchett, was born on May 25, 1905 in Newport, Arkansas. He was the husband of Ernestine Wright Hatchett. He was also the father of six children. He worked for the Southern Oil Mill as a seed cleaner in Newport. He was a deacon of Morning Star Baptist Church and also a... Continue Reading →
My paternal grandmother, Gladys Denson Mays was born on June 11, 1913 in Newport, Arkansas. She was the oldest of her siblings. She decided at a young age that her education was important, and she wanted to become a teacher. She moved to Little Rock, Arkansas at the age of 14 to complete grades 10-12... Continue Reading →
My paternal grandfather, Booker Mays, was born on February, 10, 1910 in Mississippi. He lived in Mississippi until the 1930s when he moved to Missouri. He worked for the Missouri Pacific Railroad while in Missouri and after he moved to Arkansas. He married Gladys Denson in 1939 and started a family in Newport, Arkansas. He... Continue Reading →
My Mother was born February 12, 1952 to Gus and Ernestine Wright Hatchett. She is the youngest of her father's six children and the only child of her mother. She graduated from W.F. Branch High in 1970 and attended the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. After she married my Dad, Wayman Mays, she moved to... Continue Reading →
My father, Wayman Allen Mays, was born February 28, 1951 to Booker and Gladys Denson Mays. He was the youngest of their three children. He graduated from W. F. Branch High school in 1969 and Philander Smith College in 1973. After graduating with a bachelors in education, he worked in Little Rock for the Boys... Continue Reading →
My Aunt, Mozell Powell Williams
The Mays Family - Wayman, Patricia, Trisha, Russell, Russell, and Leslie Mays (2015)
I'm excited to announce that I have been chosen as a RootsTech 2022 Influencer (formally known as Ambassador). This will be my third year as an Influencer and my fourth RootsTech conference. RootsTech is undoubtedly the largest genealogy conference in the world. It is usually held in Salt Lake City, Utah the last week of... Continue Reading →
My Aunt Bertha Wright Balentine with her grandmother, Nona Skipper Wright
One of my favorite TV shows is The Cosby Show. If you have ever watched the show, then you remember that Cliff and Claire attended Hillman College. So did their daughter, Denise, and Cliff's father, Russell Huxtable. Hillman held many memories for their family and was the subject of the show's spin-off, A Different World.... Continue Reading →
Journey Through the Generations 