Showing posts with label genealogy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label genealogy. Show all posts

Saturday, January 18, 2014

Cousins By The Dozens

This is just, I think, an interesting little tidbit. I promised to tie in the journey to find my roots, and how it also involves, albeit in a small way, the quest for a life in the country and how I ended up in Georgia.

Dad was always in a hurry "to make good time" [whatever that is] when we traveled. Being a kid, I desired to linger in the beautiful woods that went whizzing past the car windows. On one trip home from western Pennsylvania (early 1960's and pre-Interstate), I have a vague memory of begging Dad to stop in Georgia. I wanted to touch some of that lovely red clay that lined the roadsides in my hands. Red clay was fascinating to a Central Florida girl who grew up with thickets of flat scrub pines, palmettos and sugar sand. Most of the time, he would just shout he was in a hurry. But this time he stopped at a clay embankment, scooped up the clay putting it into a bag, then slung it at me in the car. "Here!" he mumbled, as he mashed the pedal of the Chevy and it heaved itself down the road. I was so pleased to have that silly clay! I kept it for a long, long time. From the very start, something drew me to the Georgia countryside. Was it the natural beauty or was it something deeper?

Back to the Big Land Hunt: we just couldn’t find anything suitable in Florida in our price range. I suggested to my ever patient, understanding husband about venturing further North into southeast Georgia. The siren call of the red clay was still there, little did I know why.

After finding the maternal side of my birth family, we settled into the time consuming part of getting to know each other. That went over fairly well for
people who are basically strangers. We had so little in common, though. Even with satisfying my curiosity about my birth-mother, I still felt empty, disconnected, and left with a hunger to learn more about my family. I still wanted something that would help me feel like I too belonged on this planet and had a purpose. So, I resolved that I would go further back in the family tree.

In the interim, we had moved to our current location in southeast Georgia, in the Spring of 1993. By that time the Internet for public use was coming into it’s own. For us country mice, it was dial-up and very slow, but it almost always worked. Communications where opened up between history researchers. FamilyTreeMaker software for home use premiered. Many Courthouses and Genealogists now had their public info on-line. All this made researching for the Financially Impaired so much easier. I took up the reins of research with the greatest of ease. To aid in the search I ordered the customary Marriage Licenses, Birth and Death Certificates, visited courthouses for documents with my family‘s name on it. Photographed cemetery tombstones hoping for connections. From one of the documents I had ordered I learn my grandmother, Bessie Moore, first wife of George Baxter McMahan and mother to my birth-mother, Marian Estelle "Mary" McMahan, was born in Axson (Atkinson County), Georgia before her parents moved to Florida during the first Great Depression. “Oh, my goodness”, I thought, “I’ll never find her parents, let alone her grandparents. She might as well have been a Smith!” Oh ye of little faith! I was worried over nothing. Thanks to Folks Huxford and his Pioneers of Wiregrass Georgia books, to whom many of us owe much, and his cursory research of the Moore Family in Clinch and surrounding countries, I made all kinds of connections. It was so exciting to find more of my blood kin. At that point I at least had a basic outline of Who's Who in part of my Family Tree. And the further I dug into the research, I was shocked because I had moved into an area where I must be related to a good three quarters of the population. I belonged here! I had truly moved HOME.


So not only had God “adopted“ me spiritually when I first believed in Him, but in His wisdom He gave me more family than I can shake a stick at. He knew I needed this physical connection. It satisfied the deep seated yearning for an association to something or someone deep in my soul. It has brought me comfort and peace that I never had growing up. My Lord is indeed forevermore loving and kind to even the least of His servants. Thank you Lord!

But even there, the story does not end. All the information I had gleaned up to that point was relatively easy compared to how I later found my birth-father from a woman whom was deceased, that I never met, that didn't tell her sisters nor was his name on any of my adoption documents. (I know because I had the records opened by court order.) That story is a novelette from which I will spare my readers. [smile]

The Lesson? Life can take a lot of twists and turns but when we trust Jesus, He will indeed take care of us "exceedingly and abundantly above all we can ask or think" [Ephesians 3:20-21]. He truly will carry us Home whatever that "home" is that we all need. Just be sure you enjoy curvy roads.

Thursday, January 16, 2014

Georgia On My Mind

In the past when people would ask me where I am from, I would temporarily go blank. A fragmented, unhappy childhood had left me like a blank slate. Like an orphan tossed on the seas of life, it seems that I had always yearrned for a place I could call Home. My official Home Town never felt like home, so, where did I come from? Where did I belong? I longed, deeply, to find a place to call my own.

Descendants of German immigrants, my adopted parents where born and raised on farms in western Pennsylvania during The Great Depression. They
married and moved to a small town in Central Florida as a young couple in the early 1950's.  Apparently, Mom could not bare children but I've never learned why. After six years of being on the adoption list, they found an underaged young lady "in trouble" and adopted yours truly. When I was a wee tot, on the rare occasions we traveled to their native Pennsylvania, they would take the time to visit old friends or family still living on farms. I fell in love with the countryside right then and there. I felt a kinship with the trees, the wildlife, the smells, the gentle sounds, the clean air and most of all, the solitude. Even the small town was already beginning to be too much for me. I wanted to enjoy the night stars without the light pollution. I yearned to hear the crickets singing and chase fireflies from a back porch.

Psalms 27:10 "When my father and my mother forsake me, Then the Lord will take me up."

What I share next is not to illicit sympathy but to lay the ground work for this story explaining the reason for my feeling so disconnected. Very rarely do I dwell on this small part of my life. These are only shadows and ghosts of the past. I've given it to God and He has lovingly hidden the hurt away.

I think I was fairly happy as a small child before my mother died in 1966, I don't remember. All I do remember is losing the only mother I'd ever known
that sweltering August day. After the funeral Dad made it abundantly clear he didn’t want me around anymore. It turned my already fragile world upside down. My earliest memory is her funeral with Dad telling me to “Shut up, what do you care?! You’re only adopted anyway.” Yeah, he said that to a grieving 10 year old child. I felt like someone had reached into my chest and stopped my heart from beating. Dad was keen on yelling curse words, snapping belittling remarks (his favorite were I was a bastard, and how stupid I was), open hand slap any body part too close to him, or glare at me for seemingly no reason. I started running away. My grades where failing. I became a bit of a day dreamer. The school psychiatrist was as much help as breasts on a boar hog. Two step-mothers later, things where a little improved. At least the last one was a Christian and wasn't abusive. We had our differences, but still she had a good heart. When I was 14 I gave my heart to Christ in a little non-denominational church. Kneeling at the cross (emotionally) I knew I was a sinner, unworthy of His forgiveness but told Him I believed in Him and to do with me as He will. At least I knew He would never leave me! He gave me the strength to go on. His guidance gave me the fortitude to buckle down, get a good education and get the heck out of Dodge as soon as it was legal. When I turned 18 it was made clear I was no longer welcome in that house. No home there! Frightened and with no confidence in my abilities, I married the first man that asked and in the infamous words of Jimmy Buffett “it cost me much more than a ring“. My first husband wasn’t a bad guy but we where definitely mismatched. He wasn't my 'home' either. Thankfully, we parted on amicable terms without too much damage done.

After all that, my current hubby and I met, then tied the knot. Thankfully, he shared my vision of living in the country. It was going to be a difficult task
since we where living in the Big City, in a State where property was expensive and we are not people of means. Thankfully, by now it was the '80s and times where good. With good jobs and lots of prospects for improvement we worked hard for 18 years. It was exciting to dream and plan. However, even though there can be lots of money to be made in a metropolis, a city setting is emotionally crushing to me. I felt stifled, fought a lot of airborn illnesses, and the stress of living so close to others kept my nerves on edge. I fought the crushing sadness that seemed to follow me like a black cloud. 

In 1981, I was working for a gentleman who was also adopted. He urged me to begin searching for my birth parents. Through his assistance, I managed to learn who my birth-mother was. After many phones calls, letters and false starts I had located her within a few weeks. (Again, God's mercy!) Regrettably, though, I was about 18 months too late to speak to my birth-mother as she had died in a traffic accident not far from where I was then living. But I did manage to make contact with a half sister, two half brothers, several aunts, an uncle and my grandfather. It was a rich and rewarding experience. Trust me, like all things great and small in our lives, this ties in. 

For years we continued the search for land. We wanted that perfect location
where it would be our forever home. On weekends when we weren’t repairing our 1952 Florida home, or out in the woods, we where looking at land. Dreaming about land. Praying for land! I think I exhausted every place in Florida I could think of. Then, I got the notion to start looking in southeast Georgia. One Saturday, after a, what I thought, wasted trip to Reidsville, Georgia, to look at more land for sale, we passed a sign on Highway 121 for a local realtor in Blackshear. It was late so I wrote the number down (this was pre-cell phones, after all) and after driving home, made an appointment for the next weekend to look at property. Short story long [smile], the nice young lady took us city folks all around this postage stamp sized county. It seemed every place I looked at it was “still too close to town”. I guess she couldn't believe that we would want to live so far out. Several available properties later, she finally believed me, and took us out to this place. 

Leviticus 25:23 "The land shall not be sold in perpetuity, for the land is mine. For you are strangers and sojourners with me."

It’s no kidding, as soon as I stepped out of her car, and my foot hit the property, with the towering oaks and pines, the inviting quiet, the simple country road, I knew this was it! My heart sang with joy! Hubby and I prayed for success. God mercifully opened the doors for the loan to go through without a hitch. Then we started down the long, curvy road of making this our permanent residence. It would take almost 8 more years of scrimping and saving but we where finally on the way Home





Sunday, January 24, 2010

Cay Creek Wetlands Interpretive Center

Yesterday, we traveled to the Savannah Wildlife Refuge in South Carolina again. It was cold, windy and overcast with very few migratory birds yet. So, after making the 4 mile loop around the park, we headed south towards home.

There we discovered a new public nature walk that is now open. It's near the little community of Midway, Liberty County, GA. Cay Creek is located just west of I-95 off Highway 84.

The Cay Creek wetlands was set aside for the public in honor of Mayor, Willis Britten Hollingsworth (1998-2001).

Since I'm related to many Hollingsworth, I thought I'd check out his lineage. I couldn't find a connection to my bunch (not yet, anyway) but for those interested, I found some of his genealogy here:

Hollingsworth, Willis Britten (1930 - 2001) - male
b. 24 JAN 1930 in Tifton Co., Georgia, USA
d. 22 APR 2001 in Midway, Liberty Co, Georgia
s/o Willis Britten Hollingsworth, Sr. and Minnie Hazel Cook
Source: Bissett/Cook Family

I also found this about Mayor Hollingsworth on-line:

Willis Hollingsworth, Jr. (DVM 1955) of Savannah, mayor of Midway for the past nine years, died April 22. With a deep interest in nature, he made the Cay Creek Wetland Interpretive Center a major project of his for the past five years.
Source: Class Notes, Grad Notes, and Obituaries; December 2001: Vol. 81, No. 1

Turns out, even in the face of adversity, he was quite a 'do-er'. He lost his first wife in a tragic auto accident but still he persevered and made a good life for himself.

The free open access walkway winds it's way through the woodlands leading down to the salt marshes of Cay Creek. Like all wetlands, it has abundant wildlife and native plants to view. Even though it was a ugly overcast day we still enjoyed the stroll through old Georgia. Then we hopped back in the car and had a hearty meal at Captain Joe's Seafood on US Hwy 17 before heading home.


Cay Creek Sign



Best to begin at the begin



Cay Creek Elevated Walkway



Observation Tower



Can you tell I DON'T like heights!



Now that's a good lookin' guy there! :)



Too bad the picnic area was flooded.
It would be lovely to have lunch here some day.



Holly Tree
Anyone know the species and name?


I'm glad we went now. This trip was definately worth the effort.

All photos are here for those interested.

Hope you enjoyed the trip too! ;)

Monday, July 27, 2009

Hudson Motorcar Company

Cars. TM & © 1995- Disney/Pixar

We were watching the Disney movie "Cars" on DVD last night, and one of the 'characters' in the animated movie is a Hudson Hornet.

That got me to wondering about the Hudson Motorcar Company. Could the company have been created by a relative?

It turns out there really was a 1951 Hudson Hornet and it was indeed fast ... fast for it's day, anyway!

"In 1909, four former associates of Ransom E. Olds (Roy Chapin, Howard Coffin, Frederick Bezner and James Brady) began building a line of cars that became known for value, performance and solid engineering.

Each of the founders put up $1,500, not much by auto industry standards, even in those days. The big bankroller was Joseph L. Hudson, department store magnate who invested $90,000 in the new motor-car venture. Hudson's portion was by far the largest investment. Roy Chapin, who emerged as the leader of Hudson Motor Car Co. and whose son, Roy Jr., would later run American Motors, the result of a merger of Nash-Kelvinator and Hudson, prudently decided to name the car after the man who put up most of the money.

The Hudson Motor Car Co. came to life in the winter of 1909, with a total capitalization of $100,000. First factory was that of the Aerocar, a venture that had gone under. Chapin and Coffin both were "graduates" of Ransom Olds' Olds Motor Works. They subsequently had built the Thomas-Detroit and the Chalmers-Detroit before launching Hudson."

In the 1930's Hudson was an innovator with its Essex and Terraplane lines, offering a choice of either six or eight cylinder engines. The Company was the first to use "unibody" designs. Eventually Hudson languished, merged with others and moved on to other endeavors.

1951 Hudson Hornet

After reading about the Company, I decided to study more about the man behind the money, Joseph Lowthian Hudson and his genealogy. I was curious to whether he was one of my husband's distant cousins or not.

According to other researchers, Joseph L. Hudson was born Oct. 17, 1846 in England and died Jul. 5, 1912 in England from a bout with pneumonia. He earned his money by being a Department store magnate in Detroit. He is buried in the Woodlawn Cemetery, Detroit, Michigan. I did a little more digging and Joseph was the son of Richard Hudson (b:c1820 New Castle-Upon-Tyme, England) and wife Elizabeth Lowthian (b: c1824 England).

Joseph never married, but his brothers and sisters did. Looks like he's not one of hubby's long-lost cousins but probably back somewhere in the murky waters of history, he and hubby are related. He may be one of the "lost" direct descendants of hubby's original Gentleman Henry "Harry" HERDSON, or a brother of same, but that is beyond my expertise and current monetary situation.

Well, it was fun learning about yet another Hudson anyway and a car company I'd never paid much attention to until today.

Sources: Hudson Motorcar Company, Pixar, FindAGrave, FamilySearch.Org, Personal Knowledge

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Just Call Me Money Bags


Can anyone explain this poster to me? I know, it's a military gentleman in his camo fatigues on a matching couch. But the "made of hidden and sleep" is beyond my comprehension. It's cute though, don't ya think?

That's what I need this afternoon, more sleep again. I set the alarm and arose at O'Dark Thirty to start surveying again at the Greenlawn Cemetery in nearby Waycross. This cemetery is so huge it's probably going to take me all summer to complete. What am I doing this for? Welllll ... I'm photographing all visible tombstones for genealogy research. I place all known information at a web site appropriately titled "Find A Grave". By the way, if any of y'all are ever researching family members in this little part of the world, me and several other unselfish contributors, are placing all this data on-line. Sweeeet.

On another subject. This week is turning out to be rather costly for us.

First the giant pine tree had to be removed on Monday. [$$cha-ching$$]

Then, the Hustler Zero Turning Radius mower needed three new blades in mid-season because we're not only cutting our grass but an invalid neighbors. It's also running our gasoline bill up. [sigh]

The car was due for it's 6 month oil change and my husband only uses the best grade available. He takes very good care of our chariots. No complaints there but add another [$$cha-ching$$] and a [heavier sigh].

Then, the self-same neighbor mentioned above had to be rushed to the hospital again and she asked me to take care of her five big smelly hounds. Of course, there was no food, soooo, that came out of our paycheck. [GROAN]

Can we please stop spending money NOW?! [lol]

Good news though, the stock market is up and gasoline prices are down. Also, hubby is cooking a very scrumptious smelling Boston Butt on the cooker. He's making 'pulled pork' (the odor is driving me NUTS with hunger!!). Oh, and I hear that there aren't enough votes to pass that fascist Cap and Trade bill. Wahoo!! It's not a done deal yet, but I'm feeling all "Wahoo" about it. [lol] Now if the Senate will just strike down the ObamaCare, we're cookin' with gas.

Well, I'm gonna pig out [giggle] on the pulled pork then I'm going to hide under the bed and turn off all the phones until Monday and hope nothing else needs fixing, repairing, removing or feeding.

Well, it's a thought anyway ... [lol]

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Too Old To Die Young

Happy Birthday To Me!


I LOVE birthdays!

Especially mine.

It means I'm still alive.

I like that.

It annoys all the right people.

So, we're out and about today. Hubby has plans that he won't share with me ... yet ... about what he has in store. So, you'll just have to wait too to see what the Sparkster et. el. where up to today. [smile]

In the meantime, how about some old photos?

The first one is my birthmother. Once I made up my mind to find her, it took me all of three weeks to find her burial location. Yeah, she was deceased by the time I got 'round to locating her. Mary died in a tragic auto accident in June of 1980 in Yulee, Florida, just about 18 months before my search.

Too little, too late.

But ... I have learned oodles about my roots irregardless. I'm still glad I searched (and so are many other folks going by all the e-mail of Thanks I get).

My birthmother, Marian Estelle "Mary" McMahan (left), and a friend

In the above photo, Mary was preggers with me. Being unmarried she wisely allowed me to be adopted by a loving married two parent family. I wish I could have told her "Thank you for not killing me". Sure do appreciate that.

Now finding my birthfather, since he wasn't named on my original birth certificate, is a real detective story! Pappy would have been proud of me. You can run, but you can't hide ... am I right Pappy? Never tell this ol' Bulldog (me) that something can't be done because then I will probably do it.

I've learned a lot in my short 53 years on Earth.

Here's a few of my pearls of wisdom. Feel free to leave your pearls too.

* After all my family research, and helping others do the same, I'm amazed at how closely related we all are.

* Life is very precious and every moment should be treasured. It can be tragically short or painfully long. But a good attitude makes the path a whole lot more pleasant.

* That friends may come and go, but they stay in our hearts forever.

* Our Judeo-Christian western European capitalist culture really is superior to all others. There's no denying history.

* That a loved ones smile or gentle touch at just the right moment is worth more than diamonds and gold.

* And mostly, but certainly not lastly, that God's love above all else stands the tests of time, even unto death. He is always there for us.

Now, off we go to celebrate the end of Sparky Birth Month. [tee hee]

Thanks for coming by and singing "Happy Birthday". Sing loud now so I can hear you!! :o)

Freshly Squeezed Sparky


Saturday, March 21, 2009

It Was A Lazy Day In Paradise

Zephyr Lilies
Zephyr Lilies line the roads and fill the fields this time of year.

Tiger Swallowtail On The Azaleas
The butterflies are beginning to make their Springtime appearances.

Azaleas Are Blooming

Lord's Prayer Statue At Greenlawn Cemetery (Waycross)
Stopped by a local cemetery to see if the office was open. It wasn't. They must not work on Saturdays. I'm going to start surveying this one next and will put the information at FindAGrave for other genealogists. Greenlawn is not old but it is quite large. I really need a map of burial locations before beginning. I'll get to the surveying after our Texas vacation.

Sunset At Red Bird Acres
Well, time for y'all to go in and get ready for bed. Sleep good bloggy buddies. Hope you enjoyed the brief stroll through southeast Georgia. Spring has sprung!! Wahoo! I hope your weather is nice too.

♥ ∞

Monday, March 16, 2009

Bruce Maloy, Hometown Hero

Somehow, I missed this event in the news recently. I remember my bloggy friend Janeen mentioning this in passing but it didn't stick in my memory because we have a needy neighbor who is eating up a lot of my time. I'm really concerned about my neighbor (how do people let their lives get into such a pickle!?), but that's not what this is about today.

It's about a Hometown Hero in southern Alabama.

I am a Maloy family researcher. They are my blood-kin via my birthfather of the KEITH family clan. My particular branch of Maloy live/lived mostly in southern Alabama in Geneva and Coffee counties. Unfortunately, I don't know any of these good folks as I was adopted out of the family.



Alabama Welder Hailed as Hero For Trying to Stop Mass Murderer
Friday, March 13, 2009
Associated Press

SAMSON, Alabama — Many around Samson knew Bruce Maloy as their town's comedian, a goodhearted, wiry little jokester who was always boasting about hitting it big someday.

In life, he never really got the spotlight he was seeking. But in the days following the massacre that shattered their small Alabama community, some have dropped the comedian label and replaced it with another: Hero.

On Friday, witnesses and authorities said Maloy, the 10th and final victim of Tuesday's shooting rampage by Michael McLendon, single-handedly tried to end the violence with his beat-up old pickup truck.

With gunshots still echoing through downtown Samson and the killer headed toward a bigger city 12 miles away, Maloy chased McLendon's dark red Mitsubishi out of town, ramming the vehicle at least once.

Maloy slowed down the killer briefly, and he may have given police and state troopers time to catch up to McLendon, said Geneva County Chief Deputy Tony Helms. But it cost him his life.

"There's a hero in all of this that nobody is talking about, and that's Bruce Maloy," said Jim Stromenger, a dispatcher with the Samson Police Department.

McLendon shot the 51-year-old welder to death at a lonesome spot on Alabama 52 before eluding police in Geneva and killing himself with a single gunshot to the head at a former workplace, Reliable Products.

"Whether Bruce was following him in an attempt to find out where he went, stop him, I don't know. But I think he deserves recognition for what he did," said Helms.
Helms was one of two officers involved in a dizzying, final shootout with McLendon at Reliable Products, where the killer ran inside and killed himself.

A divorced father with three grown children, Maloy lived in an old trailer off a dirt road on the outskirts of town. Christmas lights still hang from the side.

Maloy's youngest child, 19-year-old Eva Maloy, helped his ex-wife and friends gather a few items from his home Friday as others made funeral arrangements. She's not exactly sure what her father did that day, but the idea of him giving his life to help others wasn't surprising.

"It sounds like him," said Maloy.

Initial reports depicted Maloy as the final victim of random gunshots sprayed by McLendon after he killed his mother, four more relatives and four others in the Alabama's worst mass killing. A truer picture emerged when investigators spoke with witnesses, piecing together details of McLendon's 24-mile path of death, Helms said.
Maloy was stopped at a traffic light on Main Street in Samson, headed west toward his home. Shots rang out to his left at the Big Little Store, and McLendon pulled out of the parking lot going east toward Geneva.

Two workers at Samson Feed and Seed saw Maloy whip his ragged old Isuzu pickup to the left, doing a U-turn and gunning it as he took off after McLendon.

With Maloy behind him, McLendon shot at a hardware store and a car stopped at a red light and kept going. Within seconds, Craig Harrison saw both vehicles speed past his business.

"The car came by and Bruce was right behind him. He wasn't two car lengths away from him," said Harrison, who formerly employed Maloy at Craig's Cycle and Marine. Harrison heard two more shots and believes McLendon was trying to get Maloy off his tail.

Maloy's chase ended 2.4 miles from where it began. Damage to the front of Maloy's truck indicates he rammed McLendon at least once, and the Mitsubishi had damage to its rear, although a police car could have done that.

Near a pipe plant just inside the city limits, McLendon fired at least three shots at Maloy after a collision. Two bullets hit metal, a third went through the windshield and struck Maloy.

Some people didn't like being around Maloy because he was such a big talker, Harrison said. He could be a little obnoxious with his joking and boasting.
But Samson now knows him as someone much different.

"He needs some recognition for what he did," said Harrison. "It was something he always wanted, and now the old boy won't see it."

This article is at FoxNews.

Rest in peace, cousin. May God bless you and your family.

♥ ∞

Monday, February 2, 2009

It's All Relative

I am always on the hunt for more Georgia cousins. Recently I learned that I had a few MOORE family members who where buried not too far from our place. So this past weekend Sweetie and I traveled to the area to photograph their tombstones. I only partly surveyed the rather large cemetery. It is located in what is now Long County, Georgia at Elim Baptist Church, just a stone's throw from Walthourville. Long county was once a part of Liberty County (south to Savannah).

For some time I had wondered what happened to this line of MOORE. A direct descendant contacted me and very kindly shared his information. This particular lineage of MOORE got 'daughtered out', as we say here, and the trail runs cold with the MOORE surname at that generation. Their only son died young and is buried next to his mother.

He told me that I am also related to the wife that married my Mr. MOORE. It's a funny thing, it seems the further back I go on most of my known blood-kin, the more often I find that the person they married turns out to be another of my cousins!

It can get to complicated sometimes! Good thing I use Family Tree Maker software or I'd be totally lost in the quagmire of intermarriages and remarriages.

Case in point, this lady below:


Mrs. Caroline Mary "Carrie" Keaton Moore
Born: Jun. 7, 1866 in Taylor's Creek, Liberty Co, GA
Died: Aug. 27, 1924 in Savannah, Chatham Co, GA


Miss Carrie KEATON married my known cousin, Eli A. MOORE, C.S.A. She is a direct descendant of my PEACOCK blood-kin and is therefore also my cousin. Happens all the time now. So, I've learned to never say "We're not related" until I do a little checking. [smile]

Gosh, if I keep diving back into history, I'm going to turn out to be related to myself! [lol]

After the 'graving' we took a nice leisurely drive to the west through Tattnall County en route to Waycross for the evening meal. Along the way I spotted this old store just begging to be photographed.

Long County, Georgia - Photo Sharing by MyPhotoAlbum
An Abandoned General Store on County Line Road
Long County, GA

Click the photo to enlarge in a new window. See the old gas pump off to the side? And look at all that healthy Spanish Moss. It was just as pretty there as it looks in the photo. Makes me wish we had brought a picnic lunch so we could sit and enjoy the area for awhile. Georgia is quite picturesque. One of the many reason we enjoy living here.

And I also enjoy finding so many 'new' relatives and feeling connected to something bigger than myself.


♥ ∞

Sunday, December 7, 2008

This Is The Day The Lord Has Made

Yesterday, we drove our Jeep to Emanuel county here in Georgia. The roadways are so alive with color this year! The Turkey Oaks are absolutely stunning with their bright orangy red leaves. The Cherry Trees are brilliant yellows. Slash Pine trees stand out like sore thumbs now with their perpetual green leaves. There's just so much color everywhere.

This was a combination Genealogy and Motorcycle trip. I had a couple of tombstones to look up at the Old Canoochee Primitive Baptist Church cemetery for genealogy research. Then, we scooted on over to Statesboro to look at .... yeah .... you guessed it, dirt bikes. [blush] I still want one doggone it. I have looked at every possible 200 or so size dirt bike except the one I really want: 2009 Kawasaki Super Sherpa 250. But, I think this 'want' will be put on the side line. Got too many things that need to be done to the ol' homestead. Aw, well. There's always next year. I feel very, very blessed (more than I deserve) and oh so thankful. I don't know what it is about being out in the woods. I always feel so much closer to God than in any building (but if you're reading this Pastor Scott, todays sermon was very good indeed).

Here's some of the views we were treated to yesterday.




This is the day the Lord hath made;
He calls the hours His own;
Let Heav’n rejoice, let earth be glad,
And praise surround the throne.

Today He rose and left the dead,
And Satan’s empire fell;
Today the saints His triumphs spread,
And all His wonders tell.

Hosanna to th’anointed King,
To David’s holy Son;
Help us, O Lord; descend and bring
Salvation from Thy throne.

Blest be the Lord, who comes to men
With messages of grace;
Who comes in God His Father’s Name,
To save our sinful race.

Hosanna in the highest strains
The Church on earth can raise;
The highest heav’ns, in which He reigns,
Shall give Him nobler praise.

Words: Isaac Watts, The Psalms of Da­vid, 1719.
Music: Ar­ling­ton, Thom­as A. Arne, 1762; ar­ranged by Ralph Har­ris­on, 1784

God bless y'all!



♥ ∞

Saturday, November 15, 2008

FYI: Genealogy Buff News

As you all know, I enjoy family genealogy. Does anyone else 'subscribe' to the web site Genealogy Buff? It's a free service through the Yahoo! Groups feature. The gentleman that runs the site, Bill Cribbs, has transcribed and placed on-line thousands of pages of wonderful genealogy information. Plus, he links to much of the Rootsweb sites for free. I use his site quite often.

I recently received an e-mail from Genealogy Buff that more info has been added:

NORTH CAROLINA - Craven County - Miscellaneous Obituaries
MISSISSIPPI - Lauderdale County - Miscellaneous Obituaries
TENNESSEE - Unicoi County - Miscellaneous Obituaries
TENNESSEE - Lake County - Miscellaneous Obituaries
WASHINGTON - Chelan County - Miscellaneous Obituaries
CALIFORNIA - Ventura County - Miscellaneous Obituaries
ILLINOIS - Lawrence County - Miscellaneous Obituaries
ILLINOIS - Saline County - Miscellaneous Obituaries
COLORADO - Park County - Miscellaneous Obituaries
WASHINGTON - Island County - Miscellaneous Obituaries
ARKANSAS - Pope County - Miscellaneous Obituaries
TEXAS - Collin County - Miscellaneous Obituaries
TEXAS - Dallas County - Miscellaneous Obituaries
TEXAS - Hutchinson County - Miscellaneous Obituaries
FLORIDA - Pasco County - Miscellaneous Obituaries
TENNESSEE - Coffee County - Miscellaneous Obituaries
TENNESSEE - McMinn County - Miscellaneous Obituaries
NORTH CAROLINA - Wake County - Miscellaneous Obituaries
FLORIDA - Suwannee County - Miscellaneous Obituaries
ALABAMA - Mobile Area - Miscellaneous Obituaries
MICHIGAN - Oakland County - Miscellaneous Obituaries
LOUISIANA - St. Mary Parish - Miscellaneous Obituaries
GEORGIA - Cherokee & Cobb Counties - Miscellaneous Obituaries
OREGON - Lake County - Miscellaneous Obituaries

Bill states that the above information is in the User-Contributed Data Forum at http://www.genealogybuff.com/ucd/webbbs_config.pl .

Of course, there's much, much more at the site. If you don't use it already, I would suggest checking it out. Be sure to bookmark the site as new information is added frequently.

Enjoy!


♥ ∞

Monday, September 15, 2008

Mt. Plesant Cemetery, Waycross, GA

What a job I have taken on for myself! I am in the middle of surveying the Mount Plesant Cemetery in Waycross (est. 1837 A.D.), alone this time, since Steve is on the sidelines. All photos and known information is being uploaded to FindAGrave.Com. Plus, I will type up a list of who's buried where when it's completed. There must be over 600 people buried in Mt. Plesant and I'm only up to about 150 so far! I'm also locating Georgia Death Certificates (free on-line) when available and learning each individuals lineage, if someone is researching them. It's hot as the blue blazes again, the love bugs, mosquitoes and dogass gnats are as thick as thieves. The cemetery is overrun by sand spurs and fire ants. Many tombstones are broken, moldy, worn thin, or covered in tall weeds or bushes. My hands hurt constantly now. Gosh. This one is wearing me out. I'll bet it takes me a month just to take all the photos. Well, when I'm done, I hope there will be more people able to locate their loved ones. I've already found many that are related to me.

Today, after physical therapy we stopped at the Tharon's Barber Shop in Patterson. I need to get a trim too but have to wait for the female barber, Pat, to get back next week.

Happy Researching Y'all!

♥ ∞

Monday, August 25, 2008

Pilot Record Search Database at LDS

I have copied this from another web site: http://mountaingenealogy.blogspot.com/ . I have been using this Pilot Family Search today and it has oodles of wonderful genealogy information.

FamilySearch added over 2 million new images or indexed records this week to its pilot Record Search databases. Thanks to all of the wonderful volunteers who help bring these projects to the Web for public access. Patrons can search these databases for free online at FamilySearch.org or directly at http://pilot.familysearch.org/ .

WWII Draft Reg. Cards
1,651,453 images
Updated - 1 new state (Ohio)

1930 Mexico Census Index
314,548 indexed records
104,849 digital images
Updated - 1 new state (Coahulia)

West Virginia Vital Records (Marriages)
306,782 index records
Updated - 14 new counties

Lima, Peru Civil Registration
134,664 digital image
Updated - User guidance added

1885 Florida State Census
8,468 digital images
New collection

1935 Florida State Census
36,019 digital images
New collection

1945 Florida State Census
51,686 digital images
New collection

So, whatchya waiting for! Go find your family!

Enjoy ~ Sparky ♥ ∞