Time Line Thursday William Bella Millsap Great Grandfather 3x Great

Recently I have been putting together the records I have on William Bella Millsap and decided to start a time line on his life to help me see what I have and to help search for more.

1797 10 January born to Robert and Marcia (Lacy) Millsap in Green, Tennessee

1821 26 July married ElizabethMcGuyer at the age of 24 years old Lawrence, Indiania

1822 daughter Nancy is born

1824 son Gamaliel is born

1825 daughter Elizabeth is born Lawrence, Indiania

1830 is living in Indiania

1832 son Flavious Armenenious is born ( my grandfather)

1835 son J A is born

1835 wife Elizabeth passes away

1837 married Jane Bunch in Washington Indiania

1837 son Irenus is born

1839 wife Jane passes away

1850 residing in Flinn, Lawrence, Indiania with daughter Sophronia and sons Flavious and Irenesus

1856 living in West Fork, Iowa

1870 living in Decatur, Decatur, Iowa

1880 census has him living in Boon, Bates, Missouri with son Flavious and his family

1885 census has him in Bloomington, Decatur, Iowa with Flavious and his family

1885 15 August passes away in Decatur City, Decatur, Iowa

I am putting a copy of this in family note book with Bella's information and in my traveling research binder so I can remember all the states he lived in with family.

Thanks for stopping by... Grace

Identifying ZION Family Photos Who Are These Relatives

I have a pile of photos that are relatives. Problem is they are not identified and everyone who may of known are no longer around for me to ask.

First photo I know 4 people for sure.

Squatting on the ground in the front second young male is my father

Next row back women with her arms around young girl's waist is my grandmother Alta mother of my father and the young girl is my aunt Alice twin sister to my father. Two ladies to the right ( facing photo ) little women in the dark dress is my great grandmother Rachel Millsap Zion mother of my grandfather Perry.

I do not recognize my grandfather Perry so either he is not in the picture or that is him back row right side hiding behind the child. I am guessing that the young man on my dad's side may be his brother George and on other side brother Joe.

I am dating the picture mid 1930's. My father and his sister were born October 1921 and they are probably about 13 or 14 years old in this picture.

More work to be on this photo to see if anyone else can be identified. Oh how I wish some one would of written on the back of this photo

Second photo is from my father's side I think, but so far I can not identify any one in it.

I will be sending a copy to some cousins to see if they can identify any one. I need to accomplish as much of this as I can or my children and grandchildren will have no clue.

One of my goals this year is to work on family photos and trying to identify those that I can. If I should luck out and someone sees from the name Zion in the title and thinks they are related please let me know in comments.

Thanks for stopping by.. hope that you will stop again

Amanuensis Monday 05 1952 Polio Epidemic In The News

Genea-blogger John Newmark (who writes the TransylvanianDutch blog) started his own Monday blog theme many months ago called Amanuensis Monday.

What does "amanuensis" mean? John offers this definition:"A person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another."

Last week I shared a letter that I had come across that my mother wrote to her family June 1952. She wrote this on letter head from a company my father either worked for or had worked for. The letter is newsy but also she is sharing that she is not feeling well. She would be taken to the hospital with days and be diagnoised with Polio.


Last summer my sister and I with our husbands took a day trip to Baytown, Texas. Our parents lived there in 1952. We found the house we had lived in, had lunch and then went to the library to find articles of the Polio epedimic at that time.

It is so much different to read these articles when you see your mother's name in print.


All articles are from the Baytown Sun ... Baytown, Texas


June 14th 1952

Polio claims second life

Concern over the polio epidemic in Baytown increased after the death of Jules N Weathers, 35. A Cyrpress street housewife was also added to the list of patients. Mrs. A. R. Zion of 1201 Cypress was taken to Hedgecroft clinic Fiday morning in a Paul L Lee Ambulance.




June 16th 1952

Latest Polio Victim Taken To Hospital

Mrs. A. R. Zion, 1201 Cypress Baytown's latest polio patient, was reported Monday to be in serious condition in Hedgecroft clinic in Houston.



June 17th 1952
Three Iron Lung Cases From Area Reported Critical

Three polio patients from the Baytown area were in Iron lungs at Hedgecroft clinic ( Houston) Tuesday and were reported in critical condition.
There were Lee college Instructor J C Chamberlain, Mrs. A. R. Zion 23 year old Baytown housewife and George Mathis of La Porte.
A special nurse was being sought for Chamberlain, Mrs. a W Costley, a friend of the family said that she had been able to obtain one on a temporary basis after calling all day yesterday in the Baytown area.
She asked that any available nurse call her.
Other polio patients from this area were reported resting comfortably.


June 18, 1952
Shortage of Nurses Is Biggest Problem Says Hospital Chief

Still critical
Three polio patients from Baytown in Hedgecroft clinic remained in critical condition Wednesday. There were Lee college Instructor J. C. Chamberlain and Mrs. A R Zion of Baytown and George Mathis of La Porte. All remain in iron lungs


Late Bulletin
Eleven new patients, one of them the mayor of Richmond, Texas were diagnosed Wednesday as having polio and four others were listed as " possible " cases as the outbreak continued unabated in Houston and Harris county.


It is interesting to read newspapers from this time period. My mom came out of this horrible disease alive, many did not. She was handicapped, wearing a brace and using crutches her whole life.
This never stopped her. She could of sat home and felt sorry for herself but did not.
She raised my sister and me and had two more children. Arthur Jr who passed away shortlay after birth and my brother David. She was involved in the church and my school. She is my inspiration.

thanks for stopping by and reading some of my sharings of my mother.
I hope that you will return soon. Grace

On This Day McCormick Zion Dies in 1863

On this day December 26th 1863 McCormick Zion passes away. He is one of my third great grandfathers

McCormick was born January 22, 1795 in Virginia to John W Sr and Lucy McCormick.

McCormick was married twice, first to Sally Stuart with whom he had Sarah Zion. Sally died young some time before 1818.

McCormick then married Mary Gobble shortly after Sally's death in 1818.

McCormick and Mary had four children, Eliza , Mary, John Henderson ( my ancestor ) and Andrew.

I have copies of historical documents from a family bible where McCormick has recorded his marriages. You can see them here if you like.

They are surely a pleasure to own these copies with our family history regarding McCormick

Rest in peace grandpa... grace

Wishing You A Merry Christmas With A Few Thoughts From Me

Meet my great nephews and neice .. are they not adorable.. Boy do I miss seeing those faces weekly.
As this wonderful Christmas holiday approaches us I want to wish you all a Merry Christmas and pray that we all welcome in a wonderful New Year. I pray that our next year is better and more prosperous than the last for all of us.
As we share the holidays with our family and friends lets please think and pray for those that are less fortunate then us.
Pray for the hungry, the homeless and those suffering from addictions , diseases and mental illness. My one thought always is " but for the grace of God there go I ".
Lets take a moment and pray for our service men and service women. And for those that are in harms way in a foreign country give them an extra thought and prayer. Pray for their families that are left here to deal with every day happenings without them. The majority of them do so much for so little.
Lets pray for our government officials that they have the wisdom to do what is best for all of us and the knowledge to do it with out fighting.
If you are still blessed to have your parents, grandparents, uncles and aunts be thankful. Take a moment to hug and kiss them. Take a few minutes and ask them to share their stories with you. Some day sadly they will be gone and you will then wish that you knew more of their history.
I am reminded of a conversation at my hubby's birthday party. I made a comment about getting married the first time and my step son and his family had never heard that story. I have been married to husband #2 for almost 22 years. We celebrate our wedding anniversary on the 30Th of December. They know very little about my history. That is probably my fault and maybe some of theirs.


This is hubby and me 10 years ago at a dinner theater on New Years eve. Guess it is time to get a new nice picture of us. He still has the tie and I probably still have that outfit. Question is can I still get into it.
So much contact today is emails and text messages. I personally detest text messages saying
" happy anything " Take a moment and call your family. Here a voice and say I love you to some one. When I get one I just delete it as if it did not happen. Except for one text message from my grand daughter Kirsten. She sent me one and it is of a loud " Kiss " and "I Love You"
I play it often. It was not sent for a birthday, Christmas message or any reason other than she thought of me and sent it. Grandpa got one too. Thanks Kirsten I smile when I replay it.
I am busy always searching and writing about my ancestors but I guess it is time to do some sharing of my life in writing. How I wish I had more of my parents, grandparents and past relatives stories. There are so many stories untold. As I share some of my life on my family blog site I have been printing some of them so I can give to family in the future.
Now with all of that I will leave you for now. It is time to make another pot of coffee, put on one of my favorite Christmas movies " Love Actually " with Hugh Grant and make my Watergate Salad for our Christmas eve party tonight.
I appreciate all of you that take a moment to visit my sites and to those of you who leave a message an extra thank you . Merry Christmas to you and your families .. Grace

Advent Calendar - Day 24 Christmas Eve

Advent Calendar - 24 December: Christmas Eve .. Oh the memories of Christmas past will be with me over the next days.

Christmas eve was always a time we spent with family as a child and continues to today. As a child we of course went to my grandparents house for dinner and gifts.

As a young married adult we would switch every year to one parents or the others.

Now that we are older and on our second marriages Christmas goes for several days or even a week or two a part. We need to spend time with this child or that child and scheduling it all around the weather and their jobs.

This year we will be at one of my son's house where my other son, grandchildren and even my ex husband and his wife will all meet.

Tomorrow we will be with my oldest step son's with his family. Next week it is off to see my youngest step son and family. That week is chosen because grandson Carter is in a hockey tournament and we can see him play as well as celebrating Christmas.

So with us Christmas eve is busy time and trying to work around every one's families and celebrating the time and our families. ... grace

Christmas Advent Day 23 Sweetheart Memories Las Vegas Style

Today is Day 23 of the Christmas Advent... Christmas Sweetheart Memories
Do you have a special memory of a first Christmas present from a sweetheart?

How did you spend your first Christmas together?

Hubby # 2 seems to have swept me off my feet. We had only known each other a few months. We were middle age, had been previously married and divorced to others. We knew that we had met some one we were comfortable with, some one we loved and we wanted to be together.

My soon to be hubby had bought me for Christmas a real pretty black suit to wear selling Real Estate. I had decided to stay through New Years at his place. It was about December 26th or 27th when he came home for lunch from work. Hubby the true romantic and a tax nerd announced " If we got married before the end of the year we could save enough money on our taxes to equal the cost of a trip to Las Vegas". Lets run away and get married.

Sounded good to me, so while he went back to work I got on the phone that afternoon. I was able to book 2 plane tickets, I found a chaplain at the " Missions Of The Bells" and got all the needed info for getting a marriage license. All I had left to do was to find us a hotel room. Now you need to remember that this was just days before New Years Eve. Everything is booked up. The only room I could find was on Las Vegas Boulevard, but was several miles from the casinos. It looked like the Bates Motel Las Vegas style. And best of all, it was within walking distance to a Denny's Restaurant. Now if you can walk to Denny's for breakfast it can't be all bad can it?

That night we called our parents and kids to share our plans. No one said anything negative but I am sure they thought we were off our rockers.

We flew to Las Vegas on the 29th of December. On the 30th we took a Limo to city hall for the marriage license, next stop was Mission Of The Bells. Our minister was toothless and a retired minister. He really was adorable in a funny way. We were lucky that I had friends who had moved to Las Vegas so we had witnesses to our wedding and to share dinner with us. Dinner was at Hugo's Cellar at the Four Queens. It was fantastic, total class and delicious food all paid by my bosses.

Next stop was some casino on the strip where hubby and I did a little gambling. We found nickel machines and were having the time of our life. Three o'clock in the morning came and I was tired. I said "sweetie I'm tired call me a cab" My darling bridegroom turned to me and said " your a cab"

First fight, picture a huffy bride walking out of casino mad, smart hubby grabbing his nickles, and running after said bride and yelling " cab".

This was almost 22 years ago and we are still adoring each other. Over the years we have made a few trips to Las Vegas for New Years and to celebrate our marriage. I think the Mission Of Bells may be gone but we always do a little gambling at Four Queens and remember our first trip to Las Vegas.

And he has brighted up and has not called me a cab since.. but we do chuckle over it every year on our anniversary.

Wordless Wednesday ( Almost) Birthday Greetings From Grandma Day

I have been going through piles and piles of pictures, letters and cards. I have been the keeper of all since sometime in 1998.



My plans all these years has been to sort, make copies and put in family history binders and share with cousins, children, grandchildren.



My grandmother Grace and grandfather Bill Day sent me lots of birthday cards the first years. We lived in Texas and they were in Minnesota at that time. I have not been able to find any Christmas cards as of yet.








Here is a very pretty Birthday card that was sent to me September 1949. I was one year old and the first grandchild. Within days my cousin Bonnie would be born.

I am sharing this post on gratituesday

Thanks for stopping by and sharing some of my memories. Now back to the piles of treasures. Grace

Advent Calendar Day 22 Christmas and Deceased Relatives

Advent Calendar - Day 22 is about Christmas and deceased relatives.

As a young child we did not visit the cemetery at Christmas. Growing up in Minnesota the grave stones were covered deep with snow and some of the cemetery is even closed due to road conditions.

As an adult with my parents and grandparents gone Christmas is not the same with out them.

I have been spending time these last days going through boxes of pictures and scanning them to put on http://www.ancestry.com/ and attempting to put some organization to them. That has brought a lot of smiles to my face as I look at old pictures.

Recent finds

Great Grandma Mabel Coleman Hall mother of my grandmother Alta Hall Zion

My grandpa Perry Zion with his cart full of milk cans on the way to the barn. Grandpa passed away December 21, 1958

This is my great aunt Mary. Back of picture says second adult back row. Does not tell me left or right side. I am thinking left but who knows. Probably taken in Wisconsin. I need to date picture better so I have a better idea. Mary was born in 1866 -1934

Great uncle Russell Esler taken in Mora Minnesota. I love the hat

And last is my daddy taken in Texas late 1940's with one of his many cars. He loved his cars.

Some of these relatives I was lucky to meet and some left before I was born. I love these old photos.

Thanks for stopping by to visit.

Tombstone Tuesday Great Great Grandfather John T Lockwood

For Tombstone Tuesday I am featuring one of my great great grandfather's John T Lockwood.

John was born the 12 of February 1840 Columbus New York to Hiram and Emma (Moiser) Lockwood and passed away 13th of February 1911.

John is my civil war hero and was with the Wisconsin Calvary. He served one year and did his brother Ferdinand.

John married Betsy Eddington in Wisconsin 25th of September 1863 and together had four children Rosa, Carrie Estella and John. Carrie is my great grandmother.

John lived most of his years in either Fon du Lac Wisconsin or Big Stone Minnesota. His later years were he suffered with a lot of pain. I was able to view his Military papers and copied all of his requests for money for his disability and not being able to work due to the war.

John is buried in Clinton, Big Stone, Minnesota. This picture of his tombstone was taken by Morgan222 and I am thankful to have found it on http://www.ancestry.com/.

Rest in peace Grandpa ...

Advent Calendar Day 21 Christmas Music

Today the memories for Advent Calendar Day 21 is all about Christmas music.

1) What songs did your family listen to during Christmas?

Christmas songs as a child would of been " Joy To The World", "Silent Night", "Little Town of Bethlehem" for example.

2) Did you ever go caroling? I never went caroling but did sing in the Church choir and 9th grade choir

3) Did you have a favorite song? My favorite song was "Winter Wonderland" . As a teenager I loved Christmas songs sung by Elvis and to this day turn the radio up when Elvis is singing anything. And of course there is the old time classic of " Grandmother Got Ran Over By A Rain deer".

As I type this we are in the middle of a winter wonderland. It snowed last night big time in some areas of Duluth, Minnesota.

The school are closed in the area. Depends on where you live to how much snow you got. I am guessing we got 6 inches and other places in the area probably got 8 t0 10 inches of snow.

Amanuensis Monday 04 Mama's Letters To Family 1952 The Threat Of Polio Is In The Air

Genea-blogger John Newmark (who writes the TransylvanianDutch blog) started his own Monday blog theme many months ago called Amanuensis Monday.
What does "amanuensis" mean? John offers this definition:"A person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another."

Today I am sharing a letter I have come across that my mother wrote to her family June 1952. She wrote this on letter head from a company my father either worked for or had worked for.

Here is a little back ground. My parents moved to Texas so my father could go to bible college. They lived in Highland and Bay town and I was born in San Antonio so they lived there also.

Mama came down with the terrible disease of Polio in 1952 and they did not expect her to live, but she did live to the age of 76. She was 30 years old and the mother of two adorable little girls.

Bay town, Texas

June 8, 1952

Dear Mom, Dad, Daisy, Lil, Don & Bonita

Just a short letter tonight as I'm not feeling a bit well. I've had the flue yesterday & today & really feel weak. I was terribly sick yesterday I ache all over and had a fever of over 102 degrees. Today my fever is down but I still ache & and I have a sore throat. It's so hard too when I'm sick as there are things that just have to be done, such as taking care of Grace (me 3 3/4 years old) & Mary (1 3/4 years old). If I was dying I'd have to stay up. I was a little afraid to as there's so much Polio going around and my neck felt stiff. & I hurt all over. The day before ( Friday) I took Mary & had the doctor give her a shot of Penicillin as she had a real high fever. He said it was caused by a real sore throat. She had the fever Thursday evening too. She's been feeling fine yesterday & today. I probably should of had a shot too as It takes a while for it (flu) to wear off & I feel like I've been in bed two weeks I'm so weak.

Arthur has been doing quite well the last week. He took a drop in sales the last 2 weeks of May. He changed from selling to teachers to Federal Employees & it took a couple weeks to get things to rolling again. I'm enclosing a letter from Mr. M of the World Insurance Co. Of course I have to brag about my daddy a itty bit ha!.

Well daddy you, Arthur & Don will be big shots next Sunday as it's papa's day. Arthur kids me & asks if he can have breakfast in bed. I say " No, indeed, I didn't get breakfast in bed on Mother's day."

She goes on to write about sending a mother's day card to Bessie my father's step mother, her cousin Don having to go into the arm service. Then ends with

Well, I must close soon. I'm not very newsy tonight I'll write more later when I get to feeling better. Pray for me.

love and kisses Muriel & all.

On June 14th 1952 my father sent a money order and message to my grandparents saying that "my mama was doing fine. Meet you Monday afternoon. "

From the newspaper that same date there is an article saying see she went to the hospital in an ambulance. My father probably did not want to worry them to much or could be he never wanted to think things were as bad as they were.

I am so glad that have these and other family letters. I feel it is so sad that so much is said on the Internet instead of written word that can be passed on.

that's me with the mouth open trying to catch flies I think and my sister in front of the house we lived in at that time. We really lived in half of it since it was a duplex.

This last year my sister and I went to visit Bay town and at the library we were able to print newspaper articles of when my mother was in hospital. I will continue to share these over the next days and will making copies to give to my sister, brother and children.

Thanks for stopping by and sharing a little of my family history with me.. Grace

Advent Christmas Calendar Day 20 Religious Service

For day 20 of the Advent Calendar the question is ... Did your family attend religious services during the Christmas season? What were the customs and traditions involved?

Being that my father and uncle were ministers religion was a big part of our family. They both had other occupations to support the families but were also part time ministers.

My father had a small church for a few years and my uncle was the family minister for weddings and funerals. Some where I have a picture of my sister and cousin on the church stairs in our Spring coats.

At Christmas time we would have church services and Christmas programs. Wonderful memories of a close family all year long and even so at Christmas time.

Sentimental Sunday Meet My Great Grand Aunt Etta Anna Zion

I just found this photo on http://www.ancestry.com/ in the last few days. It was posted by a distant cousin Soozinn3 on her family page. After contacting her I learnt she had inherited the photo and was happy to share the photos with relatives.

I would like to introduce you to my great grand Aunt Etta Anna Gertrude Zion

Etta was born 21st of September 1868 Decatur County, Iowa and passed away 31st of December 1890 Lamoni, Decatur, Iowa.

She was only 22 years old and I really know very little of her. How did she die so young. Was it an accident or illness that caused her early death.

She was born to John Henderson and Mary (Cassell) Zion and had four siblings Mary, William, Jonathan Adam ( my great grandfather).

I find this photo very interesting. She appears to be in her early 20's so close to the time she passes away. She is holding on to a pole which could be an umbrella and there is someone standing next to her, but all you can see is an arm and a shoe and a small part of his body.

I went to Soozin family page on http://www.ancestry.com/ to see what she had on Etta and found that Etta had married a Maley Percy the 20th of August, 1890 just two months before her death. How sad is that.

From that knowledge I feel this could be a wedding or engagement picture with Maley and for some reason some one left him out of the picture when they had this printed. Could this even be a postmortem photo printed after she passed away to show she had died? That is what I think it is.

Another interesting fact is the Iowa Cemetery Records have her listed as Etta G Zion. She is buried in the Lillie cemetery where her parents are buried.

The more I think of her, the more I want to know about my great grand aunt Etta Anna Gertrude Zion.

Advent Calendar Day 19 Christmas Shopping

As I was growing up and into my early adult years, Christmas shopping was done some time during December. I do not remember any Black Friday or people lining up at the door for deals. And of course it was not left till Christmas eve.

By the time Christmas eve came gifts were bought, wrapped and placed under the tree. Time was spent at Christmas programs at school and church.

Christmas gifts were always done on a budget, you knew what you would save and money was hopefully put in a savings account every month.

Surname Saturday Riordan Family Line Ireland to Wisconsin

This picture is of Johanna and Patrick with two of Bridget's children before 1898.

Tonight for Surname Saturday I am at the Riordan family line using an Ahnentefel Report.

I know really nothing about this family and have searched very little. It is a real brick wall for me.
My great great grandmother Johanna Riordan came from Ireland in the 1850's. She married Patrick Gallaher another Irish immigrant. Did they marry in Ireland and travel to USA or did they meet and marry. Sadly I have no idea.
They lived and died in LaCrosse, Wisconsin and are buried there.

For now this is what I have on this line

1. Grace Zion daughter of 3. Muriel Day and 2. Arthur Zion

3. Muriel Day daughter of 7. Grace Daly Esler and 6. William Henry Day
7. Grace Daly Esler daughter of 15. Katherine Gallaher/Gallagher and Andrew Daly. Katherine and Andrew never married.

15. Katherine was born 10 May 1874 La Crosse Wisconsin and died 19 March 1940. She married Appleton Esler of Minnesota. With Appleton, Katherine had two more children Merle Esler 1906, and Jesse Wayne Esler 1909.
Appleton had two children before he married Katherine, Tillie and Russell. They were raised by Appleton and Katherine. My mother and her siblings never knew Andrew Daly and thought of Appleton as their grandfather.
15. Katherine Gallaher/Gallagher daughter of 30. Patrick Gallaher/Gallagher and 31. Joanna Riordan

31. Johanna Riordan was born about August 1833 in Ireland and died in La Crosse, Wisconsin the 12th of July 1902. Johanna married Patrick Gallaher before 1866 ( 1838 - 1898). Together they had four children, Mary 1866, Bridget 1869, William, and Katherine 1874. Mary never married and William died early so there is no descendants from either of them.
At http://www.ancestry.com/ I have listed her father as Dennis but I need to prove this and find out her mother's name.

My clues are to see if I can get death certificates for them and then to find family that is related through my great grandmother Katherine.
She had a sister Bridget that married and had children. This will have to be my link to them.
I also have some old photo albums that belonged to Katherine and maybe her sister Mary. I will need to pull these out to see if there is any hints there.
At one time a distant cousin contacted me through http://www.ancestry.com/ . On my to do list is to contact this person again. I saved her email to me so I do know what she has found so far. Even though she offered to share copies with me this has not happened as of yet.
Thanks for stopping by.. please come back again soon.. Grace

Creating A Family Itinerary # 1

In today's emails I received a FREE offer to sign up at New England Historical Genealogical Society. I am only getting a limited search area but a great start to see what I can find on my family lines. And best of all it does not appear to be on a time limit.


I was wandering around there for just a few minutes but I know I could spend hours just reading articles there.


Check out for yourself if you like . My dream is to spend some time this next year traveling and searching for family along with seeing sites of interest and meeting people along the way.


The article that interested me this morning was "Coming Home to New England: Creating a Family History Itinerary" by Maureen A. Taylor

Back in march of this year I wrote on this same topic with the hope of traveling when we got to Minnesota in August. Sadly this never happened for a couple of reasons.

Here is that article..

Be sure to pack the following tips when you visit your ancestor’s home so you can hit the ground running when you arrive.
Before You Leave:
Jot down addresses. Use city directories and street addresses from census records (you’ll find these in the left-hand margin in 1880 and beyond) at Ancestry.com.
Copy photos.
Look through the Ancestry.com postcard, newspaper, and yearbook collections to add to the collection of photos of the neighborhood you already have.
Get oriented.
Pull up a map online or select the town name from your ancestor’s profile in your Ancestry.com family tree. Use street views, when available, so you can see what the street looks like now – and when you get there. Keep in mind that street names and numbering may have changed over the years.
Local libraries, historical societies, and municipalities may have this information. For example, the Chicago Historical Society has posted street address conversion guides from 1909 and 1911 here. City directories can also contain this information.
In Person:
Find an expert. Visit the local library, visitors’ bureau, or historical society to ask questions about the neighborhood. See if historic tours are available. Learn what’s available.If finding in-person records are your goal, ask about what’s available at the library and the historical society. Visit the county courthouse to search for land and probate records.

Take in everything. Use your camera to recreate scenes from the old family photos you brought along.
Follow the paths your ancestor would have taken to school, to church, to work.
Get the real story. Stop by the local diner, sit at the counter, and start asking questions about what life used to be like there. Name drop – someone might have known your family.

Make notes. Pack a diary or start a blog (where you can also upload photos) and write about your experience. Note who you met, what you saw, and where you went.
You’ll want to revisit everything when you return home.Pinpoint answers.Snap photos at the cemetery of your ancestors’ tombstones and other ones you might find interesting (maybe you’ll discover you’re related one day your family is connected to them, too).
Have a GPS phone, camera, or other device? Jot down GPS coordinates of the places you’d like to visit again.

The New England Genealogical Article goes into more detail and worth the read if you are interested in doing travel research. I really love the part on going on historical tours where family lived but first things first.

The first goal is to start with making a list of all the places your ancestors lived and when.
We can find those place names probably in the genealogical documents we have accumulated—court records, census documents, and more.
Next they should be organize by surname (for a family specific trip) or by place name for a more general family history tour.
These records will depend on where and when our family lived.

This will be my first step: to go through the information I already have and list where my ancestors lived by state then area including which family lived there and when.

First stop is my own state, Minnesota and next will be Wisconsin since they will be the easiest to visit. Now to find my map and grab another cup of coffee.

Hope that you will join me on my plans to travel in search of my family roots. Grace

Advent Calendar Day 18 Christmas Stocking

Today is the 18th day of the Advent Calendar and the posting is about Christmas stockings. As a child I probably had a Christmas stocking but the memory has faded. If I did it would of been filled with small gifts , maybe a toy and fruit.

As a young adult I embroidered stockings for my boys. A few years back I gave the stockings to my sons to have in their own homes. They were so pretty when new, but with time they show their age and have yellowed. I do remember having a great time making them.

Best Bytes For The Week

For Best Bytes I enjoyed reading a posting that was just written by My Tangled Vine.

She gave us a link to free newspaper articles and some of what she has been able to find on her family. Sadly when I clicked Decatur County to see if there was anything on one of my families there was little transcribed as of yet.


I have hope that more will be transcribed in the future for me to read from my home computer..


I have also enjoyed reading this week the postings of benotforgot. She has been sharing newspaper articles about a murder in the family. I have always been a little morbid I guess and have a couple of unsolved deaths in my family.

These are just a couple I have enjoyed this week.

Advent Calendar Day 17 Christmas Memories

Some of the best gifts are family heirlooms

Advent Calendar Day 17 Christmas Memories... During the last years my mother was with us every year she would give us gifts of her favorite treasures as Christmas gifts .
This is one of my favorites. It is a brooch that my mother bought as a gift for my grandmother Grace about 1942.
She gave me a note in her handwriting telling me that it cost her $12.00 which was a whole weeks wages and tips. She worked at the Asia Cafe, the same cafe my father went to and introduced himself to her after seeing her picture on my grandparents mantel.
I posted about this brooch before on December 10th 2009. It is one of my most priced possessions.

Advent Calendar Day 16 Christmas At School

Advent Calendar - Day 16 Christmas At School .. I do not remember an awful lot of grade school, but I am sure we made Christmas cards for our parents and probably the chain for the Christmas tree out of construction paper.

I do remember being in 9th grade and being in the choir. We had a Christmas program, all dressed up in our best and singing Christmas songs. It was so much fun and exciting with our parents in the audience. My favorite song was " Winter Wonderland "

At that time I was crazy about Jeff and he was in the choir also. I thought he was so cute.

In a couple of months I would meet future husband # 1 and that would be the end of Jeff and me until 20 plus years later. We would meet again and date briefly after my divorce.

Memories are great... thanks for stopping by.. please visit again soon... Grace

On This Day December 15th Mandania Saxton Grover Reynolds Died

On this Day December 15th Mandania Saxton Grover died in 1855 in Fredonia New York. Mandania was born February 12th 1815 in Vermont. Father's first name unknown at this time. Mother's name was Mandania Saxton.
Mandania married John Gilbert Reynolds. To this marriage at least eight children were born. Louisia Maria was one of them and is my ancestor.
I know very little of Mandania at this time. She died at the young age of 39 years old. She has a story that needs to be told some day. Mandania is one of my 3rd great grandmothers on my father's side of the family.
Rest in peace grandma Mandania.

Advent Calender Day 15 Holiday Happenings

For today's posting of Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories December 15 we are to share Holiday Happenings.

Were any of my ancestors born, marry or die on or about Christmas?

I had searched December for my " On This Day " Postings. I found that my 3rd great grandfather McCormick Zion passed away December 26th 1863.

McCormick was born January 22, 1795 in Virginia to John W Sr and Lucy McCormick.

McCormick was married twice, first to Sally Stuart with whom he had Sarah Zion. Sally died young some time before 1818. McCormick then married Mary Gobble shortly after Sally's death in 1818. McCormick and Mary had four children, Eliza , Mary, John Henderson ( my ancestor ) and Andrew.

I am thankful for each one of my ancestors. Because of them and their lives I am who I am. They once again come alive as I search and learn about their lives. This is why I will continue to tell their stories.

Tombstone Tuesday William Albert and Carrie Lockwood Day

For Tombstone Tuesday I am remembering my great grandfather and great grandmother William Albert and Carrie Lockwood Day. My hubby and I went to Sacred Heart, Minnesota a few years back and found their gravestones. I previously wrote on these great grandparents should you be interested in more information on them. Should you find you are related through them I would love to hear from you.

Thanks for stopping by today for Tombstone Tuesday .. grace

Advent Calender Day 14 Fruit Cake

Advent Calender Day 14 Fruit Cake .. oh the dreaded fruit cake. As a young girl there was always fruit cake on the dessert table. Some one in my family must of ate it, but I am not sure who. I did take a taste once years ago, no thank you on the fruit cake

My thought is if some one gives it to you, pass it off to some one else. A great regifting idea.

Hope everyone is doing good as Christmas gets closer and closer. i have to get out there and finish my shopping.. maybe tomorrow... Grace

On This Day December 13 Harriet Carpenter Is Born

On this day December 13, 1814 my third great grandmother Harriet Carpenter Christman Anderson Cocagne was born to Harmon and Phebe Christman Carpenter in New York.

Harriet's first husband was Daniel Christman who probably was some relative of Phebe, Harriet's mother.

Harriet had two children with Daniel naming them Daniel Christman and Monica.

Harriet's husband Daniel passed away and her son Daniel went to live with his grandfather. After this his name was changed to Carpenter. It is a mystery to why Harriet would send her son to live with her father and let him adopt him. Her son did inherit a large portion of Harmon's estate.

Harriet second husband was Levi Anderson who is my third great grandfather. Harriet married Levi Anderson the 26th of August 1837 and together they had 7 children, Betsy my great great grandmother was the oldest, Abram, Phebe, William, George, Fairfax, and Welcome.

Levi either passed away or they separated or divorced and then Levi died. This is a mystery still to us. We know he died somewhere around 1858. I have not been able to find him in the 1860 census. There was a newspaper article that had a Levi Anderson being found dead in the snow and alcohol being the reason. This was after reports of our Levi dying. The date we have comes from one son but what is the real truth. Did he really die in 1858 or later. Need to hunt for a death certificate.

Some time between 1860 and 1870 Harriet moved to Zumbro Falls, Minnesota with her sons.
Harriet third and last husband was Charles Cocagne. They were married the 24 of September 1872. They are buried together at Pleasant Prairie Cemetery, Zumbro Falls, Minnesota.
Happy birthday Grandma Harriet.

Advent Calender Day 13 Holiday Travel

As children we never traveled at Christmas. Christmas was spent in Duluth Minnesota with my grandparents Day. My grandfather Perry lived in the state of Washington and would send a gift to us. Probably was his second wife who really sent the gift. Sadly I do not remember any of these gifts. I do have letters he wrote and mentions me and how he felt and that is the best gift possible. Will find those letters and share another time.

Advent Calendar Day 12 Charitable / Volunteer Work

Advent Christmas - Day 12 Charitable work is what is the memory for today. As a child I do not remember much other than putting money in the Salvation army bucket.

As an adult I have done some but not enough. Always give money to Salvation Army to help them. One year served dinner there with a girl friend. She was Jewish and I was newly divorced from hubby 1. Boys were with father so I went with her. Was a great experience.

In California worked with another friend filling bags of food for the needy. That was a good experience but not as much as when I worked with my friend Fern serving dinner.

On This Day December 12th My Grandpa Perry Was Born

Today is December 12th 1886 and in my grandpa Perry was born in Kendal Kansas to Jonathan Adam and Rachel Millsap Zion. Grandpa Perry married Alta Hall and together they had 5 children. Grandpa Perry moved from Kansas to Craig Colorado were the last four children were born and then on to Winlock, Washington where he raised his children and Angus Beef.

Sadly I grew up in Minnesota and only saw grandpa Zion probably two times, remembering only the last time. I remember getting up early in the morning to help him gather eggs.

Grandpa passed away December 21, 1958.

Happy birthday grandpa, I love and miss you.

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun - Contribute to GeneaLeaks!

Well it is Saturday night and time for some fun with Randy Seavers.
Here is what Randy says..

Come on geneaphiles - it's Saturday Night - time to have more Genealogy Fun!

Your mission, should you decide to accept it, is to

:1) You've probably heard about WikiLeaks - the web site that has been exposing United States government secret documents to the world. Well, Travis LeMaster on his TJLGenes blog posted GeneaLeaks this week - please read his post. I had to make this a SNGF topic..

.2) For SNGF, please answer one or more of these questions:*

What GeneaLeak do you want to expose to the world from your own research or experience? Do it!*

What GeneaLeak about your own family history research would you like exposed to help you in your genealogy pursuit?*

What GeneaLeak about genealogy websites, collection providers, genealogy software or genealogy bloggers, writers, or colleagues would you like to see exposed? Be creative, but not mean, please!

3) Share your GeneaLeaks list on your own blog, as a comment to this blog post, or in a note or comment on Facebook.



Well here my GeneaLeaks
George Chauncey Carpenter a distant relative was shot and killed by longtime neighbors Ralph and Jay kilbourn over a wire fence line 31st of July 1927.

What I would like to have leaked is information on my great grandfather Andrew Daly of LaCrosse Wisconsin who fathered my grandmother.
Other than a picture of him in his 20's I really can not document him till I can find someone with the same picture. I have found a census that has his name and are when he was young but since then I have hit a brick wall.


this is my GeneLeaks.. if you have any that you want to share go over to Randy's blog..

thanks for stopping by.. Grace

Advent Christmas - Day 11 Other Traditions

Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories for December 11 .. Other Traditions. I can not think of any other traditions during this period of my childhood. So no posting tonight on the Advent calender.

Surname Saturday -- Eddington Family

It's Surname Saturday, and I am counting down  my Ancestral Name List each week.

 I am working on my great grandmother  and up to #27 Betsy Eddington
(1.) Grace daughter of (2.) Arthur and (3.) Muriel

(3.) Muriel Day daughter of (6.) William H Day and (7.) Grace Esler /Daly Day.
Muriel married Arthur Zion October 1943.
Muriel and Arthur had four children. Muriel passed away February 1998.

(6.) William Henry Day was born 21 October 1889 to (12.) William Albert and (13.) Carrie Lockwood Day.
William married Grace Esler/Daly. William and Grace had 5 children.
William passed away 21 February 1964.

(13.) Carrie Lockwood was born 07 October 1870 to (26). John Lockwood and (27). Betsy Eddington Lockwood.
Carrie married William Albert Day.
Carried passed away April 1946.
This picture is of William H holding my aunt Daisy. On the left is Carrie Lockwood Day and on the right is her mother Betsy Eddington Lockwood.

(27.) Betsy Eddington was born 01 October 1842 in New York to (54.) Augustus and (55.) Henrietta Curtis Eddington.
Betsy married John Lockwood. John and Betsy had four children.
Betsy passes away April 1946 in McGregor, Minnesota.

(55.) Augustus Eddington born March 1819 in New York parents unknown at this time.
(55.)Augustus married Henrietta Curtis and had 7 children.
Augustus passed away 07 September 1903 in Rock county, Wisconsin.

Advent Christmas - Day 10 Christmas Gifts

Advent Christmas - Day 10 Christmas Gifts is what is the memory for today.

Christmas memories of my childhood are of a wonderful time. It was a busy time with getting ready for Church Christmas programs, decorating the Christmas tree and planning what we would buy as gifts.

It would start at Thanksgiving. As the grownups were in the dining room drinking their coffee my sister Mary, my cousin Bonnie and myself would sit in the kitchen trying to figure out what we would buy our Grandma and Grandpa Day. My cousin Cheryl was to little to sit in the discussion. I remember sitting in the kitchen looking around at all their belongings trying to figure out what they could use. The memory that brings me the greatest pleasure was the year we bought them a new canister set for their kitchen.

For these postings I am staying with my childhood and plan to print and give to children and grandchildren for them to read if they want to.
Times were different then from now. Money was tight and credit cards were not used. There was not a lot of presents but great thought and planning went into the gift. The money we spent was saved or probably given to us by our parents.

One Saturday we got on the bus and headed to Glass Block to find that canister set. The three of us were so proud and so excited to give it to them. The canisters were a beige and probably made out of plastic. They had little red figures on them.

We would give one present to them and another to my Aunt Daisy. Aunt Daisy usually got gloves or a sweater. One year we gave her a pair of sexy panties with red tassels. We thought this was so funny at that time. Giving our sweet maiden aunt something like this. Still makes me chuckle today. She just said " You naughty girls"

We would receive one present from the them. One year it was a doll, I think her name was LuAnne. I still have her. Her hair is a mess and her shoes are missing but I adore this wonderful doll. Another year it was a bride doll. I lost that one in a fire but found one at a toy show years later to replace her.

Advent Christmas - Day 9 Grab Bag Topic

Advent Christmas - Day 9 Grab Bag I am suppose to come up with my own topic of a memory.

My most treasured memory is of the warmth of Christmas time spent with my parents and grandparents and uncle and aunts. They are all gone in body, except for my Aunt Lil, but always close to me in my thoughts and heart.

The house would be warm in temperature, full of light and laughter, great food and the smell of coffee for the adults. Us girls would get a bottle of ginger ale and then egg nog later on.

I miss them all daily but it is hardest at Christmas time.

These memories are around my childhood so I can print and give to sons and grandchildren for them to read if they ever want to.

The picture above shows my Grandma Grace, Grandpa Bill and left to right me, Cheryl ( in front) cousin Bonnie and my sister Mary.

Advent Christmas - Day 8 Christmas Cookies

Advent Christmas - Day 8 Christmas Cookies is what is on my memory today. I am not sure who made the cookies. Grandma Day, Aunt Daisy, my Mama or Uncle Don & Aunt Lil. There was cookies, pretty little cookies. Sugar cookies with colored sprinkles and my favorite, little cookies with a chocolate kiss in the middle. Oh how I loved those pretty little cookies.

I have not had these cookies in years so searched on line and here is the recipe. Just may have to make my self some cookies this month.

Hershey's Peanut Butter Blossoms Cookie Recipe
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup (8 ounces) Crisco solid shortening
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup (8 ounces) Peter Pan, Skippy or Jif peanut butter
2 large eggs
4 Tablespoons whole milk
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup sugar for rolling (optional)
60-70 Hershey Kisses, unwrapped
Directions: How to Make Hershey Kiss Cookies
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Line baking sheets with parchment paper or spray with vegetable shortening.
In a large bowl, blend flour, salt and baking soda together and set aside.
Using a stand or hand-held mixer, beat shortening and white and brown sugar on high together until light and fluffy.
Add eggs one at a time beating after each one. Mix in milk and vanilla and scrape down sides of bowl. Add peanut butter and beat again, scraping one more time.
Turn mixer to low speed and add flour, salt and baking soda one cup at a time until the dough is mixed well and no dry spots remain. Give the bowl a final scrape.
With a cookie scoop or Tablespoon, measure out balls of dough, rolling in the optional sugar if desired.
Place peanut butter cookie dough on the prepared baking sheets and bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until cookies are lightly browned and firm around the edges. Don't over bake.
While the cookies are still on pans, and immediately out of the oven, place one unwrapped Hershey Kiss in the center, pressing the Kiss down just a little so that it gets stuck partially in the cookie. Don't press too hard!
Remove to wire racks and cool completely before storing in an air-tight container.
Makes 70 deliciously warm and chewy Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies!



The memories I am sharing are from my childhood. I plan to print and give to my sons and grandchildren to read if they ever want to.
thanks so much for stopping by.. hope that you come again soon.. Grace

Advent Christmas - Day 7 Christmas Parties

Advent Christmas Day 7 .. the topic is Christmas Parties.

Our Christmas parties were about getting together with family and revolved around the church.

We would spend time with my Grandma and Grandpa Day, Aunt Daisy and Uncle Don, Aunt Lil and cousins Bonnie and Cherryl.

My other Grandfather lived in Washington and we never spend any holidays there. My Grandma Alta had passed away about 4 years before I was born.

Christmas mainly revolved around church and spending time with the family. My daddy and uncle Don were ministers and the church was very important in our family.
When I was a pre teen, my family and a group of others left the church they had been attending and started their own little church. This church was just blocks from where we lived and when the weather was good we would walk to church.
Every year at Christmas time there would be a Christmas program. I sure wish I had some old pictures of those Christmas programs.

The only program I kind of remember is, the children were to dress in costumes of a country their families were from. I wore something that was to look like England and think my sister Mary wore something green for Ireland. Bonnie was either for Scotland or Finland.

The memories I am sharing are from my childhood. I plan to print and give to my sons and grandchildren to read if they ever want to.

thanks so much for stopping by.. hope that you come again soon.. Grace

Advent Calendar - December 6 Santa Claus

This Blog is pleased to join with other GeneaBloggers around the world in presenting this Advent Calendar over the next 24 days leading up to the Christmas celebration. There will be a different topic each day. I will attempt to post on each of the topics.

Did you ever send a letter to Santa? Did you ever visit Santa and “make a list?” Do you still believe in Santa Claus?

I am sure I wrote a letter to Santa as a child but that is the best I can do with this memory. As a child Santa Claus came to visit us at my Grandma and Grandpa Day's house on Christmas eve. A big jolly fella in his red suit, I thought he kinda resembled Vern from our church. But of course Vern resembled Santa all year round.

My sister reminded me that one year our cousin Bonnie told us there was no real Santa Claus. My sister says her heart was crushed. I knew Bonnie was lying and teasing us and I still believe that today.

Of course there is a Santa Claus and he lives in the heart of true believers all year round. I love this wonderful, generous Jolly Old Man. I even see him on the street waving to us as we drive by this time of the year. And of course I always wave back. You gotta love that guy.

I am doing these Christmas memories of my childhood only. I will print and give to my sons and grandchildren for them to read if they like someday.

Advent Calendar - December 5 - Outdoor Decorations

This Blog is pleased to join with other GeneaBloggers around the world in presenting this Advent Calendar over the next 24 days leading up to the Christmas celebration. There will be a different topic each day. I will attempt to post on each of the topics.

On the 5th Day of Christmas, I am supposed to talk about Outdoor Decorations.

I grew up in the 1950's and I remember no real outdoor decorations. There may of been a wreath on the door but nothing like we see today with the huge displays of lights, huge plastic Santa's and characters from the " Grinch Who Stole Christmas" by Dr. Seuss.

I believe it was a different time. The decorations were inside and had not moved outdoors for all to see. The tree may of been in the window for those passing by to view. I remember fake candles in the window. The candle stem was a beige plastic, there would be 5 candles at varying heights and they had Christmas bulbs screwed in at the end to look like a flame. They were placed in the windows and plugged in at night.

Every once in awhile I will still see something like this is a window. It always makes me think of my childhood and another time.

I am doing these Christmas memories of my childhood only. I will print and give to my sons and grandchildren for them to read if they like someday.

On This Day Harriet Carpenter Anderson Died in 1908

On this day 5th of December 1908 my third great grandmother Harriet Carpenter Christman Anderson Cocagne passed away. Harriet was born the 13th of December 1811 to Harmon and Phebe Christman Carpenter.

Harriet's first husband was Daniel Christman who probably was some relative of Phebe. Harriet had two children with Daniel, Daniel Christman and Monica. Daniel went to live with his grandfather and his name was changed to Carpenter. Daniel passed away and Harriet then married Levi Anderson who is my third great grandfather.

Harriet married Levi Anderson the 26th of August 1837 and together they had 7 children, Betsy my great great grandmother, Abram, Phebe, William, George, Fairfax, and Welcome. Levi either passed away or they separated or divorced and then Levi died. This is a mystery still to us. We know he died somewhere around 1858. Have not been able to find him in the 1860 census.

Some time between 1860 and 1870 Harriet moved to Zumbro Falls, Minnesota with her sons.

Harriet third and last husband was Charles Cocagne. They were married the 24 of September 1872. They are buried together at Pleasant Prairie Cemetery, Zumbro Falls, Minnesota.

Rest in peace Grandma Harriet.

On Or About This Date Robert Millsaps Died in 1793

On or about this day Robert Millsaps passed away in December of 1793 in Randolph North Carolina.

Robert was born in Belfast, Ireland in 1719 to Thomas and Mary (Poplin) Millsaps. Robert married Ellender King. To this marriage 10 children were born, Moses Taylor, Mary, James Madison abut 1755, Jane 1757, Ellen about 1760, Thomas about 1762, Edward about 1766, Joseph about 1768, Robert about 1772 and William about 1774.

While searching Robert Millsaps on http://www.ancestry.com/ I found the following

Brief History Of The Millsaps Family

Our Millsaps family history is greatly enhanced and enriched by a letter written many years ago by one Billy Millsaps who was born in Greene County, Tennessee in the winter of 1797. (The letter is on file in the History and Genealogy Department of the Rowan Public Library in Salisbury, North Carolina.) In the letter, Mr. Millsaps writes of his ancestor, and the following are tidbits from the letter in regard to our line of Millsaps.

" The oldest son of my Grandfather, Robert Millsaps, who at the age of sixteen came to America from Ireland with his father.. and family about the year 1735, who settled in Augusta Co, Va. in two miles of Stanton. My grandfather had three brothers, whose names were: Thomas, Joseph, and William. They all four finally left their father's settlement in Virginia in the hands of John McDowel, one of their brothers in law settled in North Carolina. My grandfather and mother, Robert and Ellen (her father's name was King) Millsaps had ten children. The oldest was named Ellen, she died when small; Thomas, Jane, James, Edward (he was drowned when about grown), Joseph, Moses, Mary, Robert, and William. Thomas, James, Moses, Robert and their two sisters and brothers in law Samuel Yates and Thomas Farmer, left Randolph County, N. C. and settled in Greene Co. Tenn, a little before I was born, January 10,1797. As to Aunt Jane's children, she had five, the first was called Jesse Millsaps. He lived in Sullivan Co. Tenn. He was drafted in the time of the War of 12 and went on his way to the seat of war under Jackson.

We have documented Thomas Millsaps as having been listed in the records of Augusta County, Virginia as early as 1747. Thomas was born circa 1679 in Belfast, Ireland, and he was the son of William and Elizabeth Millsaps. Thomas married Mary Poplin, and their son Robert was born circa 1719 in Belfast. Robert married circa 1747 to Ellender King, and their daughter Jane Millsaps was born circa 1754. Jane bore Jesse Millsaps out of wedlock, and she later married Samuel Yates, a Revolutionary War veteran who died in Cocke County, Tennessee in 1844.
Jesse Millsaps (aka Jesse " Yates") married on the 2nd of April 1799 in Carter County, Tennessee to Mary "Polly" Hyder, daughter of Michael Hyder(1740-1790) and Elizabeth Wood (1745-1841). Jesse and Mary's daughter, Elizabeth Millsaps (1798-after 1880) married in 1820 in Carter County, Tennessee to Jacob Kite (1798-after 1860). Elizabeth Kite and her husband Jacob Kite removed to Blount County, Tennessee before 1830, and were separated sometime before 1840 to 1850. Jacob was found in later years in Greene County, Tennessee and Elizabeth Millsap Kite remained with her children in the area of Blount County, Tennessee, where she must of died sometime after the 1880 census of that county was taken.

Family information on http://www.ancestry/ states he moved to Tennessee after leaving North Carolinia but that he died in North Carolinia. Did he go to visit and die or move back to North Carolina. This is a guestion that needs to be studied further.

Advent Calendar - December 4: Christmas Cards

This Blog is pleased to join with other GeneaBloggers around the world in presenting this Advent Calendar over the next 24 days leading up to the Christmas celebration. There will be a different topic each day. I will attempt to post on each of the topics.

This post is number 4 in a series of 24 for the 2010 Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories.

On the 4th Day of Christmas, I am supposed to talk about Christmas cards. Did my family send and display Christmas cards?

Oh yes, and it was my mama's joy to do this. She kept a book with everyone's address and there was a little box to mark if she sent one and if they received one. Of course if she sent them out several years in a row and did not receive one ever back then eventually she probably would stop sending out a card.

This is the last of my mom's little Christmas address book. It is really messy with names and addresses changed, little sticky address labels passed over when they moved and sent a new address and some are crossed off when they passed away. It is from the mid 1980's. I wish I had some earlier ones.

My mother always loved getting cards with messages and if they just signed their name and had not even a little note she thought that was sad and why even bother sending out the card. My grandmother and aunt Daisy were of the same thought.

Christmas cards were displayed on a mantel if there was one and taped on the door if there was no mantel at that house.

The Christmas cards above are two of my favorite. The card on the left is from 1958 and from my grandma and grandpa Day. I have several early birthday cards, some valentine and Easter cards but this is the only Christmas card I have found so far. The pretty card on the right is one of the last Christmas cards from my dad. He has written his name which is so lovely to see. I think these two will be displayed with any others I receive this year.

I am doing these Christmas memories of my childhood only. I will print and give to my sons and grandchildren for them to read if they like someday.