Category Uncategorized

Jan 9 2013

5 Ways to Stay Connected

I’ve been collecting bits and pieces of information about ancestors for a while – since I was a teenager.  My mother introduced me to the idea when she took me on several clue gathering trips of her own.   It seemed to me that there was value in finding and knowing about the people who preceded me in life and shared their DNA with me, whether they meant to or not.

My kindred dead are not the only people I’ve harvested information on.  I started a couple of personal histories about myself and have kept a spotty journal over the years.  My histories are not up to date, but because I wrote them early on, they have details of my life that I have forgotten since and it seems the journal keeping has become a fine source of therapy.  The page always listens.

I was reading a speech by Amy Jensen in which she says, “We all have the opportunity and the responsibility to be record keepers.  Beyond journals and photographs, we now have at our disposal an immense system of record keeping and sharing.  Our blogs, family videos, Facebook pages, and tweets are all opportunities to inject goodness . . . into the world.  Your digital footprint – your record of experiences . . . will have the greatest impact on those who are the most important to you . . . ”  (for full speech see http://speeches.byu.edu/?act=viewitem&id=2023)

5 WAYS TO STAY CONNECTED

  1. Follow a Family History Webpage (my favorite is My Kindred Tree)
  2. Make Comments on a Webpage (like My Kindred Tree)
  3. Contribute to a Family History Webpage (send a picture, description, story, etc. about an ancestor to My Kindred Tree website)
  4. Have a “Virtual” Family Reunion (this would be Facebook for a some)
  5. Tweet, Tweet (is anybody doing this?  please share your experience)

    Snow capped mt with reflection of hands holding camera

    Share your pictures, documents, and stories.

It  is because of this “immense system” of sharing via computers, the internet and clever programs I’m able to connect with you and share my bits and pieces.  The world needs a little more goodness in it.

Jan 8 2013

WWII Navy Memento of C.E. Hopkins

12.5 x 17 inch fabric banner with words: Let Freedom Ring - God Bless America" with a bell, 2 American flags and an eagle on top and a sepia toned picture of Charles E Hopkins standing outside.

WWII Fabric Memento Banner featuring Charles E Hopkins

This memento fabric banner features Charles Eugene HOPKINS.  The banner itself is about 12.5 x 17 inches and looks like a silk screen type design on cotton twill fabric with a photo image in sepia tone.

The background of the banner is a wine/red hue with red, white, and blue flags.  The eagle, bell, wording, fringe and thread are gold toned.

The photo image seems to be clearer in  black and white rather than color.

The surroundings, time and circumstance of this unique memento are a mystery.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dec 24 2012

A Joyous Christmas to All

A joyous Christmas to all.  This past sunday our Church’s choir presented a musical program based on the theme “Out of Darkness and Into Light”.  It seems that the more I learn, the more enlightened I am, even when it comes to history and ancestors.  Being able to learn, be kind, expand, hope, and give are becoming part of a great whole that includes my awe and gratitude for a leader who I esteem as my Lord and Savior.
This video clip by Spire Music/Rob Gardner made me think of dark, light, awe, and a great whole centered on Jesus Christ.

Dec 16 2012

Turkey Dressing: A Family Legacy

Etching of Tom Turkey, Hen and Chicks.FOOD

Yes, food is a lovely and delicious thing.  Not only essential, but a strong element in developing and maintaining a family’s legacy.   Jeff Anderson writes:

“Food is much more than our body’s fuel; it is an integral and sacred part of human culture that unites families and transcends generations. Many families strengthen their bond and maintain their identity by passing on recipes from generation to generation.”

For full article see <http://www.aplaceformom.com/blog/preserve-your-familys-living-legacy-12-12-12/>

There seems to be one recipe that stays alive for me – it’s DRESSING.  No, not the tasty liquid stuff you put on top of green leaves, but the one made in a pan with turkey drippings.

As far as I know, the recipe has been handed down word of mouth for at least 3 generations.  The ingredients are simple but how much to use of them contributes to the legacy.  I don’t think they’ve ever been measured and recorded.  Here’s an attempt:

  • 1 round skillet of cornbread (cooked ’til brown in a cast iron pan)
  • bread pieces torn in little pieces (some hotdog buns for good flavor)
  • turkey drippings (a lot)
  • 1-2 onions (I think white ones are best, Vidalias aren’t strong enough)
  • 2-5 stalks celery (crispy fresh stalks are preferable to old, wilty variety)
  • 1-4 eggs, raw

Tear up all the bread and mix together.  Blend (meaning: whiz in a blender until you can’t tell what it is) the onion and celery with the turkey drippings (from a turkey that’s been cooking for about 8 hours in a low oven inside a foiled sealed roasting pan).  Add the blended-up liquidy mixture to the bread – and this is important – mix with your fingers.  Add enough turkey drippings/broth to moisten all the bread sufficiently so it has the consistency of partially congealed jello.  Add eggs and salt and pepper to taste.  Stir it all up (again, make sure to use your fingers).   Bake for about 40-50 minutes in a 350F oven until it starts to brown on top.

Dec 11 2012

Bow Ties – It’s Natural for a DEAN

Smith DEANE & Caroline MAINOR DEANE with John Wesley DEAN and Bessie BURKHALTER and two of their 9 children (Mildred & JR)

Smith DEANE and Caroline MAINOR DEANE sitting with their family behind them.

John Wesley DEAN is wearing a bow tie holding his oldest son J.R. DEAN.  Bessie BURKHALTER, John’s wife is in the second row to his right with a dark skirt.  Mildred DEAN, near her mother, is the older sister of J.R. on the front row wearing a white bow in her hair.  Mildred and J. R. are the oldest siblings of Cecil Bradley DEAN.

Dec 9 2012

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

I was listening to Ella sing “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” while messing around the house last week.  The words of the lyrics jumped out at me, probably because I’ve been thinking about so many ancestors and relatives that I hope one day to see.  It’s the lyric that goes:

“Someday soon, we all will be together if the fates allow.  Until then, we’ll have to muddle through somehow.  So, have yourself a merry little Christmas now.”

The song was written in 1944 for the movie “Meet Me In Saint Louis”.  It was war time.  The following video was produced by the ND National Guard which shares a bit about the hard times and circumstances in which this song became known and why it became a hit.

Below is a clip of Judy Garland singing the song from the movie:

Dec 7 2012

Looking for Photos & Service Records

Charles HOPKINS sitting at table with other uniformed men, one other in Navy and 4 in another uniform. Charles HOPKINS is in the middle with a man's arm around him.

Charles HOPKINS in center of photo with other uniformed men.

On the last post I asked about the navy service record of Charles HOPKINS.  A reader named Ollie promptly replied that I could search for it at:    http://www.archives.gov/veterans/

If any one beats me to it, please let me know what you find.

Also I’m looking for photos of:

  • Ancestors
  • Meaningful Family Objects (send story as well)
  • Documents of Ancestors – letters, wills, deeds, etc

You can take a picture of any pictures/items you have with your smart phone, I-pad (tablet) or camera.  Please send it along.  There is interest in sharing these visual notes of history, not to mention the important role of teaching through image.

Dec 2 2012

Aunt Fannie INGLETT

Born 5 years after the Civil War, Frances (Fannie) lived her later years in Tampa Florida with her daughter Nina, my grandmother Essie INGLETT BARKER’s sister.  Bill

Birth: May 13, 1871
Harlem
Columbia County
Georgia, USA
Death: Aug. 25, 1964
Tampa
Hillsborough County
Florida, USA

Daughter of Andrew E. Inglett and Mary Ann Inglett. Wife of Thomas Jefferson (Sandy) Inglett. (She married her 2nd cousin)Family links:
Spouse:
Thomas Jefferson Inglett (1871 – 1937)

Children:
Winnie Davis Inglett King Bender Kitchens (1889 – 1956)*

*Calculated relationship
Burial:
West View Cemetery
Augusta
Richmond County
Georgia, USA
Created by: Deborah
Record added: Nov 26, 2006
Find A Grave Memorial# 16794619
Frances Elizabeth Catherine Inglett
Added by: M Long
Frances Elizabeth Catherine Inglett
Cemetery Photo
Nov 30 2012

We Forgot Our Roots!

IMG_0838

So Bill was cleaning out the garden a couple of weeks ago and found this! A carrot that we forgot we planted.  Maybe it was because Thanksgiving was around the corner but we both thought it looked like the rump of the ‘free’ turkey I earned by buying about $350 worth of groceries.

I suppose the lesson that applies is that it’s easy to forget what we plant, but our roots will remind us who we are or in this case, what we look like!

 

Nov 25 2012

New Website About Our Family History

Welcome to this new website ‘My Kindred Tree’.  Bill and I have started it to record and share our family histories.  The plan is to include our pedigrees of those who came before us which include the surnames:  HOPKINS, DEAN, LINN, BARKER, HOLDER, BURKHALTER, DENTON, INGLETT.  There will be more.

We also want to include stories and pictures.  This is a way to share the information we have and help bring history alive.  We would like to include input from family members that are interested and want to share accurate information.

Make sure to contact us at mykindredtree@gmail.com if you have an interest in contributing.  This is a new e-mail and we’ll try to remember to check it often. If we don’t get back to you as soon as you’d like, please e-mail us at gigdean@gmail.com

I have been involved with a genealogy class these past few weeks as well as taking a class on how to make websites.  This endeavor is the combination of the two experiences.  With Christmas coming up, it may take a couple of months to fully organize the site.  We really, really want involvement from family members as we develop.  Some of the ways we’re envisioning your help is :

  • to write your experiences with family history
  • write your own personal history (things you want to share with the world)
  • share photos you may have of relatives and ancestors
  • contribute what you learn from your own research
  • compile interesting data about your ancestors (where they lived, occupations, etc)
  • share stories

There are many more ways to contribute that I’m sure you’ll think of.  Please let us know.  Of course, any information about living relatives should only be shared with their permission, including pictures.

More later, Ginger