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)