September 11, 2012
This is the headstone of my Great Grandparents. I never met either Harrison or Rhodie but I’ve heard stories and seen fabulous pictures. They are buried in the cemetery at the Palestine AME Church in Johnsville, Bradley County, AR.
I learned more about my family walking around this cemetery with my Father, Aunt, Grandmother, and a few cousins for a couple of hours in 1999 than I did in years of solitary research. It is a memory I treasure.
Happy Hunting!
Jess
July 14, 2012
Photographed by Ledges Photographic Studio, 2010
We were gearing up for a family picnic this weekend and as Mom and I were discussing the menu (beyond hot dogs and hamburgers) it occurred to me that another big way I’ve gotten people talking about customs, history and such is over food. We each have our memorable or comfort meals. Gran would make Schnitzel for my uncle’s birthday, Mom would make her Seven Layer Salad or Cannonballs for various get-togethers, and, as I’ve mentioned before, I remember my paternal grandfather best manning the grill for superb barbeque. We have our major disagreements—my cousin and I each prefer a different family version of lasagna, there is a deep split on the subject of lumps in potatoes, and I’m probably the only one left in the family that must have Deviled Eggs made with Miracle Whip versus Mayonnaise. Regardless, we gather and associate important family moments with food.
One of the ways we’ve tried to preserve some of that information is through a cookbook my Aunt created specifically for immediate family members—though I think versions have spread out farther. It has most of our favorite recipes, stories associated with the foods, and some general family history and pictures. It’s a project I would highly suggest for a food-oriented family. It can be a pain to compile but it’s a keepsake we all treasure!
I leave you with one of my contributions for the picnic. It’s a variation on Raspberry Tiramisu that I love to make… but only if I have somewhere to take it! It’s much too lovely (and tempting) to have in my home.
And thanks to Ledges Photographic Studio for the magazine-quality pic!
Happy hunting,
Jess
February 13, 2012
So, I was hanging out at my parents working on genealogy on my computer when my nephews and niece came over. My seven-year-old nephew came right over and wanted to know what I was doing. At the time I was bouncing between Ancestry.com and my database. He asked when the person I was working on was born; it was about 308 years ago. He thought that was cool. Then he wanted to see a chart from him, and one from his brother. He was picking out people that he knew. It was a lovely moment.
Then, his three-year-old sister came around and wanted to see pictures. So I showed her pictures of her brothers that I have tied to their database entries, then pictures of their parents. Then she asked to see pictures of me. So, I showed her the ones of me ranging from probably age 2 up to 32. She looked at two of the pictures and said, “That’s me!!” In the grand scheme of things we look nothing alike, but she would not be convinced—she was right as only a very stubborn three-year-old can be.
This is not my niece!
I am hoping I have a chance to convert the eldest to genealogy but I don’t have such high hopes with darling little Miss Thing. Though, all three have offered to be cemetery assistants this summer!
Happy Hunting,
Jess
