I've spent fourteen years on this platform, writing about my family's trees. I've written about postcards and photographs, pension files and census lists. The most satisfying posts connected people to details in humanizing ways. Of course not every entry succeeded. I am much more discriminating about pressing "publish" these days, so fewer posts are getting … Continue reading Family Herstory
genealogy
Grandma Serena Had A Cat
This week's #family history challenge--What's Your Favorite Discovery--from Amy Johnson Crow's #52Ancestors52Weeks sparked a vivid memory. In mid-January 2009 I discovered first hand what our nation's capital is like in winter. Washington, D.C.'s humid air wraps your body in a vise; a cold breeze off the river increases its grip. I walked briskly from the … Continue reading Grandma Serena Had A Cat
Letters from Home:
Donald C. Minor to his daughter, Marilyn--1954 This letter written from my Grandaddy Minor to my mother, Marilyn, made me chuckle. Though decades old, its mixed sentiments about the holiday season could have been written in just the last few days. As 1954 drew to a close, Donald Minor paused before heading to bed to … Continue reading Letters from Home:
Minor Details: A Pension Certificate, A Letter, & A Curious Descendant
Not long ago a cousin set out on a quest to determine the provenance of a Minor family heirloom--a sword, rumored to have belonged to John Pearson (Pierson) Minor. Some folks suggested to my cousin that the sword must be from the American Revolution. But J. Pearson Minor was born in 1791, not even a … Continue reading Minor Details: A Pension Certificate, A Letter, & A Curious Descendant
Amanuensis Day: The Last Will and Testament of Happy Stone
North Carolina, wills and Probate Records, 1665-1998 for Happy Stone, Franklin County; accessed digitally on ancestry.com, 20 August 2021. On a Tuesday morning in March three springs before her death, Happy Stone sat with H. H. Davis and Robert Mannas and dictated the terms of what should happen to her farm and estate upon her … Continue reading Amanuensis Day: The Last Will and Testament of Happy Stone
Shoots, Roots, and Leaves 