Anyone who has had a conversation with me in the past couple years most likely knows about the letters. The letters my sister and I found in my mom's attic. The letters my sister so graciously let me possess. The letters my grandparents wrote to each other almost daily just shy of 100 years ago. …
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Paulina and Theodosia
This Mother's Day, homage is due to two women who will not show up in anyone’s direct ancestry line. Paulina Smith and Theodosia Harris both entered my family’s lineage as stepmothers to my Grandmothers. Both of my Grandmothers being the youngest child in their families, I can only imagine that Paulina and Theodosia may have …
250ish year round trip
500 miles apart at birth. 175 miles apart when they raised children. Ida Smith Reynolds and Lorena Susan Dickens were 6th cousins, once removed. Each was my grandmother. Ida was my Grandmother Kyzer, my maternal grandmother. She was born and raised in Dooly County, Georgia. A school teacher, she met my Grandaddy through teaching and …
Pen Pals….1940’s social media
A small handful of letters written by two Columbian pen pals, Jose and German, to my mother in 1945, say a lot about how our world has changed. The letters are fairly benign. The boys speak of their age and physical description. Mentions of the family farms that produce coffee. Classes they were taking and …
Sideways glances……
Walking through cold, damp European cathedrals as a teenager, I became intrigued that hundreds of years ago people were buried in the floor, in the walls and in the crypts of these magnificent structures. Chartres, Reims, and Notre Dame in France. Salisbury and St Paul's in England. All of these cathedrals with their beauty and …
Valentine’s Day 1922, or not
Hallmark produced their first Valentine's Day card in 1913. Apparently expressions of love were being professed annually as far back as the 15th century in Europe. In 18th century England it was becoming a common practice to send cards and letters as expressions of love. 1922, in South Georgia...squat! Literally several hundred love letters …
Dear Mr. Miller, Thank you and I am truly sorry.
A while back, I was searching through turn of the century Georgia newspapers in hopes of finding an obituary or two for my Georgia progenitors. I did find an obituary or two along with societal happenings, postal reminders, legal proceedings, etc. A search of my Grandfather's name brought me to a September 13, 1908, front page …
Continue reading Dear Mr. Miller, Thank you and I am truly sorry.
In the Census
The hunt to trace my paternal grandfather's roots led me to Ancestry.com. Those wiggling leaves can be so exciting and initially yield bountiful relatives. It's the dead twigs that make me search and search again for my progenitors. Currently census records are available from 1790-1940. Discoveries of ancestors can be made in the US …
Invite to Dinner
While not exactly an invite to dinner, this invitation somewhat fits the bill. It was nestled snuggly and compactly amongst receipts and tax records in the belongings of my in-law's progenitors. The paper is delicate. The creases are close to parting ways in some spots. 114 years later, the penciled handwriting still shows strong. I …
Longevity
Not having run across any centurions in the family, I went with another aspect of the term. Endurance, perseverance and resilience come to mind. How did someone press on through a life situation. Searching back, my maternal 4th great-grandfather stands out. John Yost Meetze was born December 2, 1756 in Ederbringhausen, Hesse, Germany. Stories …
