I recently returned from a trip to Nashville, Tennessee, where I had the opportunity to visit the Tennessee State Library and Archives (TSLA). I wanted to look through their collections to locate more information on my 3rd Great Grandma Maggie Helfrich, my brick wall, and her first husband, Logan Dennis. Unfortunately, things did not turn out the way I had hoped.
First The Bad News
Before I traveled, I was informed by an archivist that their newspaper collection that was on microfilms would not be available due to re-processing. That was one main reason I was going to the Archives. I wanted to look through the newspapers for Jackson County to learn any new information about Logan and/or Maggie.
Quick backstory: Maggie sued Logan for abandonment in 1872, claiming he left after they were married on October 30th. I have not located a record to back up this claim. I did look through a database of Jackson County Marriages at the TSLA from the same period, but I did not find any entry for Logan and Maggie. So, my plan to look up Jackson County newspapers was out.
More Bad News
Once I got there, I was also told that their ASRS system (Automated Storage & Retrieval System, aka the robot) was out of order. So they could not pull items from their special collections. *sigh* Well, that's not helpful.
So, What Could I Actually Look At?
I wrote up a list of Microfilms I was interested in checking out based on research I did before traveling. The TSLA has guides available online for each county explaining what records they have available on Microfilm. So, I started with that list. Unfortunately, I didn't learn any new information.
After I finished with my list, I inquired about any records that would mention Rivermates or Steamboat Captains. And if there were no personal records, would there be any historical records available. To my surprise, there was something.
What Did I Find?
First, I want to remind you how important it is to write down certain details you come across in your research for later use. I learned about Logan's occupation as a Shipmate from a few different sources: Newspapers, city directories, and his divorce from Maggie later in 1890. All of these records together corroborated the details of his address and occupation. The newspapers also provided details of his excursions, including the names of the steamers. It's these facts that helped me: The names of the steamers.
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| 1887 Nashville Banner Newspapers.com |
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| 1888 Tennessean Newspapers.com |
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| Davidson County Chancery Court Records Mary M. Dennis vs. Logan Dennis Divorce file & Final Decree Metro Archives - Nashville Public Library |
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| 1883 Nashville City Directory Ancestry.com |
Since I had the names of the steamers, the archivist at the TSLA was able to locate a file mentioning those steamers. The file was called the "Douglas, Byrd, Family Papers". Judge Byrd Douglas was the author of Steamboatin' on the Cumberland. Douglas was a licensed operator, owning various boats, including towboats and barges, which he piloted along nearly every navigable mile of the Cumberland River. The papers in the file consist of notes, photos, rough drafts, and more. And the name of one of the ships Logan was on was mentioned in these files. The file was photographed and put on 5 different microfilms. Another archivist pulled the microfilms and gave me an information sheet about the collection. (Link above and here.)
Since I was limited on time for the day, I focused on just a few sections of the collection. Specifically, the section labeled: “Steamboatin’ On The Cumberland – Register – Steamboats, Captains & Crew, 1870-1890". You see, I don't have much information about Logan as a shipmate, so I hoped he would be listed on the register as part of this section. And would you believe... I did find something.
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| Steamboat Register - Crew, Captains & Ships 1880-1890 Byrd Douglas Family Papers - TSLA |
What Did I Learn?
As you can see from the register, there wasn't much listed about Logan Dennis (of course, sigh). But there were a few clues I gleaned from these notes.
- His license number. It's the same as needing a license to drive a car. You would need one to operate a steamer. I asked the archivist if there were any known records of Steamboat Licenses, and he said not to his knowledge.
- Logan obtained a license later than I thought. He definitely was a shipmate starting around 1883, but he didn't get his license until a few years later.
- He really didn't do much. Most of the other men listed had notes associated with their entry; such as which ship they worked on or their titles. Logan had nothing. But at least he was recorded in this register.
Anything Else?
Just by happenstance while I was looking for the section with the shipmate registers, I also found the lists of steamboats from when Logan was a shipmate. It's possible, Logan operated some other ships besides the ones I already knew. I have no way of finding out at this time though.
So for now, I'm going to save this information for a later date, again. Cause you never know when this information will be useful. More and more records are becoming available all the time. What once was buried, is not available online. This trip definitely proved that for me.
When I first started researching Maggie Helfrich, the only way I could find answers was to travel to Tennessee. Now, I find most of everything that I needed to look through, is available online. I'm not saying that traveling out there was a waste but by no means. It was a great experience! And since some things were not available to me this time, it just means I will have to travel back again at a later date. I was informed my library card is still good for at least a couple years!
I also have some feelers out in different counties, so this is definitely not over yet!
