Man Overboard

Benjamin Amos "Bennie" Jackson
February 2, 1885- January 12, 1913

The few people I've talked to recently about genealogy work all have one thing in common: they have that one ancestor they seem to have a fascination with.  While I admit that I seem to have a fascination (some might say obsession) with nearly all my ancestors and their mysteries, I do have one ancestor in particular that for reasons unknown by me, I was always sort of drawn to.

Benjamin Amos "Bennie" Jackson was born on February 2, 1885 and died January 12, 1913.  He is my second great uncle; the son of John Aaron Jackson and LuElla Daniel and brother to Ralph Monroe.  As a child, I saw his grave in the cemetery in Deltaville, VA.  Bennie was and oysterman by trade, and one day in January while out on his boat he fell overboard.  When I was young I remember my grandmother saying that he had drowned.  More recently, I found his death certificate that lists tuberculosis as a contributory factor in his death.  Further discussion recently revealed that he did in fact fall off the boat, but he didn't die immediately.  I imagine the cold waters of the Chesapeake mixed with a case of tuberculosis was more than his lungs could withstand.
I never knew what Bennie looked like until recently.  My cousin and I are fortunate to have a large number of family photos that have been scanned and store on computer.  However, I have no idea who many of the people in the images are.  Luckily my aunt is able to name some, and my cousin adds them to the tree as she gets the information.  Just a few days ago, she uploaded a photo of Bennie.  It was a photo I have myself, but never knew his name.  It is thrilling to finally put a face to a name for someone who last lived over a hundred years ago, especially for someone you've always wondered about.

Grave of Bennie Jackson