Honor the Past + Celebrate the Present + Create a Legacy
I recently had the privilege of being interviewed for the Extreme Genes podcast to discuss one of my previous posts, Southern Heritage- It’s Complicated, where I deliberate the complexities of having slave owning ancestors. The episode aired this week, but both the post and interview occurred before the horrible events in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Within a span of four days, New York and our nation mark two major historic events. Events that forever altered the history and culture of the city. The event that most individuals recall with reverence today is September 11th. The tragic day where two planes flew into the World Trade Towers causing their collapse and the deaths of thousands of people.
I have been researching the mysterious Miss Killian who was part of a story included at the end of my previous Life in the Past Lane post, Major Brown’s Journey: Part One.
Photo Above: Front Doors of Hickory Springs Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church, Bradley County, Arkansas
It’s time for another installment of Crestleaf’s 12 Months of Fascinating Family Finds! As I mentioned in a previous post, Searching for Mary Jane, her husband Major Brown Garison was my second great grandfather. On a recent trip to Bradley County, Arkansas, I had three goals. Continue reading “Searching for Mary Jane Update: Crestleaf’s 12 Months of Fascinating Family Finds- January 2016”
Instant gratification. It’s something many genealogists, including myself, often desire when searching for our ancestors. So much can be found online these days, but often online searches only scratch the surface of records available in the national or state archives, libraries and other places storing original or limited copies of historical records. Those you must often request copies of and wait patiently for by mail!
I had a productive and surprising weekend in Arkansas! First, I attended the Butler Center for Arkansas Studies 2015 Genealogy Conference. For those who live in Arkansas and are doing family research, this is another great resource in addition to the Arkansas History Commission. Located in the Little Rock River Market, its convenient location in an historic and vibrant area of downtown is a must see if you are in the area. Continue reading “Searching for Mary Jane Update & Other Weekend Discoveries”
A distant cousin, who also happens to be a historian/archivist in South Carolina, once told me, “some ancestors won’t let you find them until they are ready to be found.” After five years or more of looking, my 2nd great grandmother, Mary Jane Simril, was finally ready to reveal herself and her family this week. Continue reading “Searching for Mary Jane: Crestleaf’s 12 Months of Fascinating Family Finds-July 2015”
