Southern Christmas Show

This is my grandson Ryan who is 3 years old. He is in awe of the tree, lights and 'snow'. Of course he wanted to touch everything. We were entering the Southern Christmas Show that is held in Charlotte, NC each year at the old Coliseum. We had Ryan's stroller and after a little while of walking we put him in it. It wasn't long until he was lulled to sleep. The Christmas Show is an annual event and we have been three times. It is very crowded. You see so many pretty trees, sample lots of tasty food and drinks, get a chance to purchase some Christmas Gifts, hear Christmas music and get into the Christmas Spirit. I got sick right after this event with the flu and it took me almost two weeks to get back to normal. But we had a good time. My daughter, my sister and I went together. We always have lots of fun together and the Christmas Season is just very special. I hope everyone recognizes the reason for this season, the birth of our Lord. I hope you will take time to engulf yourself in His love and care. He is Our Heavenly Father who wants the best for us but expects our best for Him. Praise God from whom all Blessings Flow.

Tell Me More Ancestor Stories, Grandma

As an avid genealogist I have learned that if another person is not interested in their ancestors, you may as well stop talking about them. Not so with children. They will listen for as long as you can talk. They will ask you 'why?' They will laugh at your stories. They never seem bored or wonder when you are going to stop talking. Lastly, they love stories. They seem to think the things you are telling them about when you were a little girl are just so great! I tell them what they call 'ancestor stories'. Then, the next time I see them they will say, "Tell me more ancestor stories, Grandma." Then, of course, I get started!

OUR ANCESTORS

Beatitudes Of A Family Genealogist
Blessed are the great-grandmothers, who hoarded newspapers and old letters, for they tell the story of their time. Blessed are the great-grandfathers, who filed every legal document, for this provides proof. Blessed are the grandmothers who preserved family Bibles and diaries, for this is our Heritage. Blessed are the fathers who elect officials that answer letters of inquiry. For some they are the only link to the past. Blessed are the mothers who relate family history traditions and legends to the family, for one of her children will surely remember. Blessed are the relatives who fill in family sheets with extra data, for to them we owe the family history. Blessed is any family whose members strive for the preservation of records, for theirs is a labor of love. Blessed are the children who will never say, "Grandma, you have told us that old story twice today".
. . . . . . . . Genealogist climb trees

I Loved My Grandmother - her name was Maggie

My paternal grandmother was born in 1900 and died in 1969. I was very close to her and remember her very well. I have so many wonderful memories of her, the things we did, the trips we took and her kindness and goodness. She inspired me with her work ethic, her love for her church, her love for her family and her ability to always be there for everyone and make it appear to be without effort. I loved her very much. When she died, a part of me died too. I was 21 years old. She was born in Georgia and she left her home and family when she married my grandfather and came to North Carolina. I know she must have missed them terribly because she only went back to Georgia occasionally due to work, family and responsibility. She and my grandfather had one son, my dad (1924-2001). She is on the left in the photo above. This was made about 1940. Life moves on.........

How I was Bitten by the Genealogy Bug!

I became interested in genealogy in 1978. I was completing the genealogy section of my daughter's baby book. She was two years old at the time. I realized then that I did not know (for sure) who her great-great grandparents were. I decided to find out. Little did I know that by doing this, I would be bitten by a bug named Genealogy. Once bitten - you're infected forever. Back in those days, we had no computer. You used the library, the courthouses and you corresponded with other people. I subscribed to a magazine called, 'The Genealogical Helper'. In it you could post queries and see if others might be searching the same family. You would travel to out of town courthouses and cemeteries. You made lots of pictures and paid to have them developed. Then you sorted the pictures, your data and notes into manilla file folders. I remember keeping my file folders in alphabetical order - in a cardboard box. In 1981, when she was 5 years old and started kindergarten, I returned to college to finish my nursing degree. I put the Genealogy Folders in the closet - but from time to time, I would get them out. Someone would write me with an inquiry and I just had to respond. So off and on during those years - I continued to add to my data and correspond with others but not as much, due to working and raising two kids - (my daughter and her brother who was 5 years older than her). In the year 2000 - genealogy once again came to the front of the line. About that time I bought the Family Tree Maker program for my new computer. I began making family files and adding lots and lots of data. Since then I have updated the Family Tree Maker program three times. I was so afraid I'd have a computer crash that I invested in a computer backup program. It backs up my computer data every Wednesday so now I've stopped worrying that I would loose everything. I bought the 3 volume McDowell County, NC cemetery books - and also have been a member of Ancestry.com for about 7 years now. This lets me do research from home most of the time. So you could say that I am a Family Genealogist. I love helping others research their family. I love sharing my notes with others. I am always eager to learn new things about genealogy and I am always so happy to find new cousins.

All human experiences are not unique, but are shared by generation after generation. Love, loss, ambition, hope, grief - the whole big journey. Others have gone before us and others will go after - it's a comfort somehow. To be ignorant of what occurred before you were born is to remain perpetually a child. For what is the worth of a human life unless it is woven into the life of our ancestors by the records of history?
Marcus Tullius Cicero

Since 1978, I have been interested in my Ancestry. I have wondered who my many ancestors were, where they came from, why they came to this country. So began my search and my passion for genealogy took hold, with very deep roots. A couple of years ago, I became interested in joining the DAR - never believing I'd actually get in. It is very hard to find all the data you need and that they will accept. You must prove a straight line from yourself, back to your Revolutionary War Ancestor. From the year they were born in the 1700's to the year you were born. About a year ago I decided to give it a try. I spent many hours pouring through census information, military records, going to cemeteries, to courthouses, sending to other states for birth, death and marriage certificates, making copies and last but not least meeting many times with the local DAR chapter representative who would look over my data and send me back home to look for more, or to arrange it in a different format. Finally the day arrived when the local chapter accepted my data and said it was ready to be sent to Nationals in Washington, DC. I was told that it could be rejected once there or 'they' could request more data. So with baited breath I waited and waited. Then two week ago the local chapter contacted me and said I was accepted and I would be receiving my certificate soon. On Monday of this week I got it. I just sat and looked at it in awe! My goodness - such a wonderful feeling. Then I began to think back to this ancestor who never knew me, never knew that anything like the DAR would ever exist, never knew I would try to join using his name. Then I also realized that if it had not been for this ancestor, I would not be here today - a new member of the DAR. His name is Isaac Grindstaff.

THE OLD HOMEPLACE
It's been ten long years since I left my home
In the Hollow where I was born
Where the cool fall nights make the wood smoke rise
And the fox hunter blows his horn
I fell in love with a girl from the town
As I thought she would always be true
We raised a family and had a good life
Simple living was all we knew.
Now years have gone - I know not where
And we visited to the old homestead.
It didn't stand where it once had stood
I had such a feeling of dread.
What have they done to the old home place?
Why did they tear it down?
Why did I leave the plow in the field,
And look for a job in town?
Now the geese fly south and the cold wind blows
As I stand here and hang my head.
Gone are my dreams, gone is our old home
All was lost with the old homestead.

Genealogy is more than just a hobby. It can become an addiction. We search our family history in many strange places. We stumble through forgotten graveyards and sneeze our way through dusty vital records archives. We search out our ancestors in census indexes, passenger lists, Church records and various finding aids. We beg (bug?) our elders for any bit of memories they can dredge up. We discuss the events of a hundred years ago and how they might have influenced the lives of our ancestors. We are thrilled about old newspaper clippings and a marriage certificate dated 1852 is a treasure to be wondered at. Most of all, the Genealogy hobbyist loves to share. We work with each other and share our findings with anybody that may be interested in 'our line'. Do we have other jobs - things we have to do? Of course. But a good genealogist knows how to 'Multi-Task' and get all of that done. Then we can settle down, dig through those old papers and smile brightly when we find what we have been looking for - for so long.

Strangers in the Box

STRANGERS IN THE BOX
Come look with me inside this draw, in this box I've often seen
At the pictures, black and white. Faces proud, still, serene.
I wish I knew these people, these strangers in this box.
Their names and all their memories, are lost among my socks.
I wonder what their lives were like - how did they spend their days?
What about their special times? I'll never know their ways.
If only someone had taken time - to record who, what, where or when.
These faces of my heritage , would come to life again.
Could this become the fate, of pictures we take today?
The faces and the memories - someday to be passed away?
Make time to save your stories, seize the opportunity when it knocks,
Or someday you and yours could be, the strangers in this box.

Be thankful for this country we live in. No matter how bad things seem - it is by far the best country in the world. Freedom is a Gift - provided to us by our ancestors, who loved this country. If you are not happy with the way things are, then vote. That is your right and privilege. Pray for our country everyday and thank God that this is where you live.
It is easy to take liberty for granted, when you have never had it taken from you. ~~~Dick Cheney

There are some days, when I am lucky enough to find missing pieces in my family tree, that I just don't want to stop looking. Times when I've looked for a person or information for months, maybe years, then all of a sudden - there it is. So, I want to keep on looking, searching, recording and happily not sleeping until I'm satisfied that I've found it all ( well for today anyway!).

Research Sites

For those of you wanting to do some genealogy research, please check out these sites:
1. http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/
2. http://www.deadfred.com/
3. http://userdb.rootsweb.ancestry.com/regional.html#North%20Carolina
4. http://www.rootsweb.com/~obituary/
5. http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexechtx=board&r=rw&p=localities.northam.usa.states.northcarolina.counties.mcdowell
6. http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Prairie/2685/genlink.html
7. www.genforum.com
8. www.rootsweb.com
9. www.familysearch.org
10. www.ancestry.com

The picture above is the gravestone of my Great-Grandparents. My Justice ancestors have been in this country for a very long time. This is my maiden name. They were in America as early as 1659. I have been fortunate to trace them back to that period in time. We should be grateful to all of our Ancestors. Had it not been for them, none of us would be here. They laid the path for us to travel today. As one person put it, genealogy is finding our roots, our family, and our home.

This is the gravestone of my gr-gr-gr-gr-Grandmother. Her name was Mary Grindstaff Effler. She was born in the mountains of Eastern Tennessee in 1791 and died in Erwin, Unicoi County, Tennessee on Nov. 10, 1860. I wish I had known her.

The mail is all for Grandma, it comes from near and far.
Last week she got the proof she needs to join the DAR.
A momumental project - to that we all agree,
A worthwhile avocation - to climb the Family Tree.

There were pioneers and patriots mixed with our kith and kin,
Who blazed the paths of wilderness and fought through thick and thin.
But none more staunch than Grandma, whose eyes light up with glee,
Each time she finds a missing branch for the Family Tree.

To some it’s just a hobby, to Grandma it’s much more.
She learns the joys and heartaches of those who went before.
They loved, they lost, they laughed, they wept -- and now for you and me,
They live again in spirit around the Family Tree.

Confusing, right? This is the way you feel when you've searched and searched for that elusive ancestor. Confused!! Should I look left or should I look right? Was he hiding out when the census taker came around? Did he 'not want' to be found? If so, I wonder what the reason? Do we have skeletons in the closet? Was he one of them? Was he in the war? Did he desert? Was he 'wanted'? Will I ever know?

A Little Genealogy Humor

You know you're too deep into Genealogy when . . . .
Your fear of snakes and bugs is
overshadowed by the need to get
through those brambles to that
old gravestone.

Who was on the Mayflower, and What Happened Next??

Type the link below into your address bar. This will show the complete Mayflower Passenger List. Click on the name of a person on the list and read a little more about them. Enjoy!

http://www.mayflowerhistory.com/Passengers/passengers.php

The Mayflower

At least two dogs are known to have participated in the settling of Plymouth. In Mourt's Relation Edward Winslow writes that a female mastiff and a small springer spaniel came ashore on the first explorations of what is now Provincetown. There may have been other animals on the Mayflower, but none are mentioned.

The Way Children Were Named, Back Then . . . .

Historically, naming traditions existed in some places and cultures. Even in areas that tended to use naming conventions, however, they were by no means universal. Families may have used them some of the time, among some of their children, or not at all. A pattern might also be broken to name a newborn after a recently deceased sibling, aunt or uncle. An example of a naming tradition from England, Scotland and Ireland:
Child . . . . . Namesake
1st son . . . . paternal grandfather
2nd son . . . . maternal grandfather
3rd son . . . . father
4th son . . . . father's oldest brother
1st daughter . . . . maternal grandmother
2nd daughter . . . . paternal grandmother
3rd daughter . . . . mother
4th daughter . . . . mother's oldest sister

Genealogy is fun.

Genealogy Sites I Use

Genealogy sites that I use for research are Ancestry.com, Rootsweb.com, Genforum.com and myfamily.org. I pay for additional features on ancestry.com in order to read the US census records. There are many genealogy sites on line when you do a search. The message boards on Genforum and Ancestry are very helpful as you can post questions and share information with other people who are seeking info on this same family. Rootsweb and Ancestry.com share their message board information. Genealogy is never boring but is sometimes frustrating especially when you are searching for that elusive ancestor! (smile)

Genealogy Information; Surnames I am Researching

At the present time I am researching the following surnames (last names). If you have any information or interest in any of these surnames, please contact me at ohn48@hotmail.com
Black, Blanton, Burgin, Collins, Corder, Corn, Davis, Effler, Elrod, Frye, Gilliam, Grindstaff, Hogan, Hughes, Justice, Kirkpatrick, Levister, Loftis, Marlowe, McCurry, McFalls, Messer, Odom, Pace, Penland, Presnell, Phillips, Riddle, Seagle, Shehan, Simmons, Sowers, Tate, Wages.
I have done 4 books total and two are in the McDowell County Public Library. I have the McDowell County Cemetery Books and will be happy to do look ups for anyone. They go through 1995. I am a volunteer for the RAOGK (Random Acts of Genealogy Kindness) and will do lookups for McDowell County, NC for births, deaths and marriages records. I also post information on Find-A-Grave. The webiste for this is: www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi I have also posted gravestone photos on the Find-A-Grave website.

There’s been a change in Grandma, we’ve noticed as of late
She’s always reading history, or jotting down some date.
She’s tracing back the family, we’ll all have pedigrees,
Grandma’s got a hobby, she’s Climbing Family Trees

I started this blog called Our Ancestors to use for genealogy, family and friends. I have been doing genealogy since 1978. I had to put it on the back burner for years due to working in nursing and raising two kids. I finally semi-retired from nursing and jumped feet first into Family History Researching.

New Blog

I am now beginning a new blog. I hope to use it for Family, Friends and Genealogy