tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18688033.post5654232032811250802..comments2023-10-28T05:33:15.060-05:00Comments on The Writing Playground: Family HistoryMarilyn Puetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16073134550080890157noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18688033.post-40309602322861024652008-09-12T11:29:00.000-05:002008-09-12T11:29:00.000-05:00SP, you nearly had me crying in this post. What a...SP, you nearly had me crying in this post. What a gift of love you're giving your mother. And y'all both have the same beautiful smile.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18688033.post-43454258129068101812008-09-12T10:43:00.000-05:002008-09-12T10:43:00.000-05:00What a labor of love, SP! I'm so impressed with a...What a labor of love, SP! I'm so impressed with all that you're doing to make this a most special day for your mom. :-)<BR/><BR/>DH's family came from Switzerland in 1867 and settled in the Swiss Colony on Monteagle Mountain in Tennessee. His grandmother is related to Betsy Ross through Betsy's husband.<BR/><BR/>I've got a family tree for the Stratton's that dates back to the early 1700's. A major courthouse with paperwork trailing the Stratton's back to Europe burned down taking all records with it. I'd love to have time to trace them into Europe someday, somehow.<BR/><BR/>My great-grandfather was a bigomist. Go figure. :-)Katherine Bonehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14701961380138616355noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18688033.post-29254318361489287832008-09-12T10:12:00.000-05:002008-09-12T10:12:00.000-05:00Your mother is going to love this party. You both...Your mother is going to love this party. You both are lucky to have such a close relationship.<BR/><BR/>And if I ever need a party planner I will know who to call. :DSherry Werthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03411488573654323096noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18688033.post-49352941025880717642008-09-12T09:30:00.000-05:002008-09-12T09:30:00.000-05:00This is a wonderful thing you are doing for your M...This is a wonderful thing you are doing for your Mom; I'm sure she will cherish the moments and the scrapbook.<BR/><BR/>I've done a little genealogy research when I was trying to nail down my Native American heritage. Didn't churn up as much as I had wanted to, but maybe one day...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18688033.post-51464186925547315892008-09-12T08:34:00.000-05:002008-09-12T08:34:00.000-05:00SP, your organizational skills know no bounds! M...SP, your organizational skills know no bounds! My mom has to settle for a card and a present on her birthday. *g* Your mom will appreciate this memory you are giving her so much.<BR/><BR/>I did the genealogy thing a few years ago. I had the full membership to Ancestry.com. It's cool, but very very time consuming. Searching those census records takes forever.<BR/><BR/>I only did one branch of one side (maternal grandmother), but I found a prominent judge and a Revolutionary War patriot. Nobody famous on that side, but there was a plantation owner in VA. Most of that part of the family are Virginians (West VA after the Civil War).<BR/><BR/>Now as to my grandmother, her mother died in the Spanish flu epidemic in 1919. She was 3. She and her older sister got farmed out while the infant girl was adopted by her aunt and husband. The sister was raised feeling like she was their child, though she knew she had two older sisters. They were never close.<BR/><BR/>Grandma and her eldest sister were returned to her father later when he presumably got over his grief and was able to take care of them. But the aunt and her husband refused to give the baby back.Lynn Raye Harrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05823590040842807378noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18688033.post-14046812685078906352008-09-12T08:32:00.001-05:002008-09-12T08:32:00.001-05:00How sweet and touching. What a wonderful way to ce...How sweet and touching. What a wonderful way to celebrate your Mother's birthday. <BR/><BR/>PM you are right...I was told that the Shelton side of your family descended from Charlemagne (snicker, snicker!) Of course I still carry out the garbage every day. There is one genealogical mystery in your Ballenger heritage that I wish I had been more inquisitive about when my Dad was alive, and that is about the Cherokee Indian lineage. Maybe you can research this.PM's Motherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10589041787489100928noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18688033.post-76935008883966303932008-09-12T08:32:00.000-05:002008-09-12T08:32:00.000-05:00Your mother is going to love the scrapbook and the...Your mother is going to love the scrapbook and the genealogy! <BR/><BR/>My dad's side of the family had a huge family reunion in Chaleston when I was about 12. I mean several hundred people that I'd never met family reunion. They did a very extended family tree for it. Turns out we're related to Swamp Fox Marion (The Patriot pretty much was his life although they never said the movie was based on him), one of our ancestors received a sword from Lafayette and my great (great?) grandfather had a chance to be one of the first investors in the coca-cola company and declined. Said the beverage would never catch on *slaps forehead* Sigh. To think, I could be the coca-cola heiress right now. <BR/><BR/>InstigatorKira Sinclair - AKA Instigatorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14274056066229852126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18688033.post-46676076036734237502008-09-12T08:27:00.001-05:002008-09-12T08:27:00.001-05:00Not too much genealogy in my family. Your mom loo...Not too much genealogy in my family. Your mom looks great! And you are a wonderful daughter and you mom will be so very proud of you (and I know she is any way)for this awesome surprise that you are planning. She will have some great memories from this birthday.<BR/>robertsonreadsAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18688033.post-31033160241067803422008-09-12T08:27:00.000-05:002008-09-12T08:27:00.000-05:00Sorry, PC. You are all welcome to bring your mothe...Sorry, PC. You are all welcome to bring your mothers to the party if that helps... :)Andrea Laurence AKA Smarty Pantshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13518751514879244662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18688033.post-51256924545249964412008-09-12T08:26:00.000-05:002008-09-12T08:26:00.000-05:00My father is into geneology and has done a lot of ...My father is into geneology and has done a lot of research on his side of the family. The only cool thing I know is that we're related to John Alden, one of the founding pilgrims, served as governor of Massachusetts, and was immortalized in the poem "The Courtship of Miles Standish" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.<BR/><BR/>SP, You rock!!! Your Mom will feel so special that night. I'm going to find a way to get there, somehow! Even if it is only to clean up when it is over.<BR/><BR/>My Mother also turns 50 this year, in November. I wanted to do something really special, but it is hard with her living 6 hours away. I think we're going to have them up for Thanksgiving. Maybe I can find some time during that weekend to take her somewhere nice.<BR/><BR/>AngelAngelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17010424240956906870noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18688033.post-30237949563866221992008-09-12T08:00:00.000-05:002008-09-12T08:00:00.000-05:00You are a very good daughter, SP. You're making t...You are a very good daughter, SP. You're making the rest of us look bad.Problem Childhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01456049865200737618noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18688033.post-45332988338944549602008-09-12T06:33:00.000-05:002008-09-12T06:33:00.000-05:00SP, you are a wonderful daughter to a wonderful, d...SP, you are a wonderful daughter to a wonderful, deserving mom. I have no doubts that this party is going to be utterly fabulous.<BR/><BR/>As for genealogy, I've got a cousin who is really into it. She even made a special trip down here to go through some of the local cemetaries to find a specific grave. (She lives in Maryland.)Rhonda Nelsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14282645541260334424noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18688033.post-55080451136744878152008-09-12T00:31:00.000-05:002008-09-12T00:31:00.000-05:00The DH was very into genealogy back in the 70's an...The DH was very into genealogy back in the 70's and 80's and we have boxes and boxes of stuff. He learned his family is related to both Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone. My maternal and paternal family trees were already done by someone in the family. Nobody famous. No bank robbers or madames or oil tycoons -- at least not that we know of. But it's fun to see where your family came from and how the various branches have spread out across the country. (Of course, my mom will probably post and remind me of the family icon I've forgotten.)<BR/><BR/>I love what you're doing for your mom's party. It's such a labor of love. And the photo of her is awesome! You're a good daughter, Smarty Pants.Playground Monitorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07444337591281145863noreply@blogger.com