Oh, say can you see by the dawn's early light
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars thru the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?
And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

So thankful to live in a Free Country - one our Ancestors fought and died for.  Thank you to all of them -  for without them, we would not be here.
                                    GOD BLESS AMERICA 

A Little Genealogy Humor

                                      FAMILY TREE OF VINCENT VAN GOGH

 

His dizzy aunt     ----------------------------------------------- Verti Gogh

 

The brother who ate prunes-------------------------------     Gotta Gogh

 

The brother who worked at a convenience store ------ Stop N     Gogh

 

The grandfather from Yugoslavia     ----------------------------- U Gogh

 

His magician uncle --------------------------------     Where-diddy Gogh

 

His Mexican cousin ----------------------------------------     A Mee Gogh

 

The Mexican cousin's American half-brother ------------     Gring Gogh

 

The nephew who drove a stage coach --------------- Wells-far     Gogh

 

The constipated uncle -------------------------------------     Can't Gogh

 

The ballroom dancing aunt --------------------------------     Tang Gogh

 

The bird  lover uncle --------------------------------------     Flamin Gogh

 

An aunt who taught positive thinking ------------------     Way-to-Gogh

 

The little bouncy nephew -----------------------------------     Poe Gogh

 

A sister who loved disco      -------------------------------------- Go Gogh

 

And his niece who travels the country in an RV --- Winnie     Bay Gogh

 

I saw you smiling . . .. there ya Gogh 

 

Easter 2013

Easter is March 31, 2013.   Easter is always a time for revelation. I wish you encouragement and inspiration.
May the emptiness of Good Friday.  Be refilled by the promise that Easter morning has fulfilled. May the joy of Easter morning be a kind light. May the peace of Easter shine around you at night. May this peace and joy fill the hearts of all you know.  Filling empty places wherever they may go.  May Everyone had a Happy and Blessed Easter, Christ has Risen. 
 

Happy Valentines Day               My Valentine took me to Ruth Chris             Steak House at Harrah's in Cherokee. Salad with walnuts and apples; Steak and Shrimp, Mash Potatotes Sauteed Mushrooms, Bread, Peanut Butter cake                       with Chocolate Ganache.

                     I see dead people - but that's a genealogy thing. Hand me a shovel, my files and a pen. 


Have you ever thought about the odds that you would be here reading this? Prepare yourself for a shock. Obviously, you have a mother and a father, and each of them had a father and a mother. This makes you having four recent ancestors, and so on. The following is a chart that reveals how many direct ancestors you had in the 1600′s, assuming births were from about 30 year old ancestors. You would have 1,024, 7th great grandparents.

1 (your self)1948

2 (parents) 1924

4 (grandparents) 1889

8 (great grandparents) 1863

16 (great great grandparents) 1840

32 (great great great grandparents) 1804

64 (great great great grandparents) 1765

128 (great great great great grandparents) 1737

256 (great great great great great grandparents) 1695

512 (great great great great great great grandparents) 1656

1024 (great great great great great great great grandparents) 1623

            MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL MY FRIENDS AND FAMILY, NEAR AND FAR.
2012 has been a year of Happenings.  Jim retired in March which has enabled us to take some trips, work on projects at home that we have been putting off.  My son got married to a beautiful girl in September and we love her.  I live in NC and they live in NV.  We went out for 3 weeks and since I don't fly, we drove.  You see so much more of the beautiful country this way.  My son has a daughter who will be 12 on Valentines Day and she is a Pitcher on a Fast Pitch Soft Ball Team and loves it.  She does great.  My daughter, who lives in NC and works in HR has a little boy who is 6 .  He was  2 pound preemie when he was born.  He is now in Kindergarten and doing great.  Jim's daughter's oldest was married this year and the two youngest girls are 10 and 13.  We took them to see the Christmas Lights in McAdenville, NC last week.  This little town has been a big 'thing to see' for the past 56 years.  They decorate the entire town, every house, every tree.  It is truly amazing.  My prayers for the new year is good health and happiness for all our children and grandchildren, and for Jim and me as well.  We are looking forward to a trip to the NC Outer Banks in late Spring to do some resting, relaxing, fishing and of course eating fresh seafood.  I pray for our great Nation because right now, we need God more than we ever have.  Family will be at my house for Christmas.  Lots of great food, fun and opening gifts.  Then, on December 26th, this tree is coming down and the decor will be put away.  I'm already thinking Spring.

My New Daughter