52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks

         Coming up next week is Memorial Day. But did you know that it was originally called Decoration Day, and it was started just after the end of the Civil War as a way to pay tribute and remember all those who died in that war, both Union and Confederate soldiers. And it provided a bit of healing to all. The end of May was chosen because many spring flowers were in bloom, and those blossoms were used to decorate the gravesites and cemeteries. After World War I, the name Memorial Day was slowly adopted to replace Decoration Day. Many areas of this country, particularly the southeastern states, carried on the tradition of Decoration Day, and it became a day to visit cemeteries, clean gravesites, and gather with family to share stories about those loved ones passed on. Those activities still occur on Memorial Day, but there is something special about Decoration Day. Now here comes the twist! Please read on!   I’m sure you are all slightly tired o...

          I never realized how attached you can feel to an ancestor who lived well over 170 years ago, one who you had never met. But when you devote months of research time trying to uncover information about a specific person, that is what happens. John Mervyn Reilly, my 2nd great grandparent is such a person for me.   This is a photo of Jane Reilly and her son William, taken around 1890. She was a sister of John Reilly, the only sibling we have a photo of. It was this family line that lead me to the DNA match that helped answer many questions. I only knew a few scant facts about him until recently. And the more I learned, the more questions surfaced, not necessarily about the details I uncovered,   but the “why” behind those facts. Family history enthusiasts deal with these unknowns every day. We consider different scenarios in our brains about our ancestors’ lives. Facts and records only get us so far. Many deeper questions probably will nev...

          I have been wanting to dive into the digital world of audio/visual creating and sharing for quite a while now, but for this almost 80 year old grandma it seemed daunting to say the least. I thought this could be a good week to jump into those waters in a very simple way.   And I have taken that leap finally, but alas only to realize that Youtube requires a short time frame before videos will be public (at least for my account level).   So I am writing this blog with the video link inserted, but it won’t be available until midnight tonight. (lesson learned). The theme for this week is “tradition,” and I am writing about Thanksgiving from long ago, specifically 1956. When I was but a child, we spent Thanksgiving with my mom’s parents, Nannie and PopPop (Florence Koetzle Harley and C. Wilbur Harley). They lived in the Atlantic City area. Along with our family, Mom. Dad, Jim, Bob and me, all of Nannie’s brothers, sisters and spouses attend...

SALT ! SALT ! SALT ! If any of you are Jimmy Buffett fans, you might know that this is the common audience participation refrain when he performed his famous song Margaritaville in concerts. But in this case, that same refrain might have been heard well over 230 years ago by settlers in the county of Kentucky, which was still part of Virginia around 1775. You see, salt was a necessity for survival back then. It was used to preserve meat and fish, it was a much needed dietary nutrient, and was so valuable it was used as currency. Early Kentucky explorers found many natural mineral springs that were rich in salt content. One of these areas was named Bullitt’s Lick, and it is the focus of this post. Bullitt's Lick historical marker I have been researching my 3x great grandfather, John Hinch (1804-1862), and am attempting to prove his lineage back to Capt John Hinch (b. about 1745), so two generations back. I will refer to him as Capt John. I know that he married Hannah DeWitt be...

        What is a quiet life? Is it living in a quiet area, like an isolated cabin in the mountains, or residing in a home by yourself, or having a quiet voice or even a quiet persona? I thought about this a few days, as I couldn’t seem to pinpoint a particular ancestor to write about.   Many of my ancestors lived in rural areas, and many of them farmed for a living. But these same families had 7 or more children. So even though their surroundings were quiet, I bet their lives were anything but. And they had neighbors in the same situation, also with large families. Uncle Roy Hinch, in college days So how about living on an island? That is what my Uncle Roy did, starting in the early 1930’s. He had just graduated from college with a degree in teaching. He grew up in Cumberland County, Tennessee - pretty land-locked! His first teaching job was on an island in Lake Erie. It was (and still is) called Put-in-Bay, close to Sandusky Ohio. The only access...