I’ve seen a lot about the isolation and depression that seems to have gripped a lot of people during this past year. The pandemic has caused us to have to take stock in how we manage our lives day to day, how we interact with people, and how we entertain ourselves. All of that while … Continue reading Celebrating Our History During a Pandemic: Taking a Step (or Two) Towards More Resilience While Having Fun!
Family History
Updates and Links to My Posts on the 1st Florida Union Cavalry Volunteers
As I indicated in my post at the first of November, I’m taking some time from writing new material to give myself time to adjust to no longer having my Mom with me. But I am taking the time to do some updating of some of my prior posts and thought I would start by … Continue reading Updates and Links to My Posts on the 1st Florida Union Cavalry Volunteers
The Lore of Native Americans in the Southern Family Tree – Part 3
My last two blog posts (Part 1, Part 2)have delved into the presence of Native ancestry in Southern lineages and the theory that the community of Barrow’s Ferry/Oak Grove in what is now Okaloosa County, Florida and Yellow River Baptist Church in the same community was settled or founded by persons of mixed blood who … Continue reading The Lore of Native Americans in the Southern Family Tree – Part 3
The Lore of Native Americans in the Southern Family Tree, Part 2
Introduction Last month, I began a series of blogs on Native American ancestry in the Southern family tree. This blog will continue that series. Maybe I should start by explaining how I express my own Native ancestry. I’ve had my DNA done by several providers and appear to have between 2% and 8% Native ancestry … Continue reading The Lore of Native Americans in the Southern Family Tree, Part 2
The Lore of Native Americans in the Southern Family Tree
I’ve not met many Southerners whose family has been down here for a while, not get around to sharing that there is a family story of a Native American in the family tree, usually a great-grandmother one or more times over (only story more common is the 3 brothers who immigrated or moved to America). … Continue reading The Lore of Native Americans in the Southern Family Tree
Getting to Know a Community from the Past
1827 Map of Florida showing Barrow's Ferry (upper middle section on river) As some of you may know, a good number of my ancestors helped settle the upper banks of the Yellow River in what is now Okaloosa County, Florida. First known as Barrow’s Ferry, believed to be a name taken from one of my … Continue reading Getting to Know a Community from the Past
Herbs & Home Remedies in the Florida Panhandle
It was not so long ago that the process of health care was considerably more centered within the family and the local, surrounding community. Our ancestors did not get in the wagon, harness the horses and ride 10 or 20 miles to what was the local doctor and sometimes they couldn’t wait until he could … Continue reading Herbs & Home Remedies in the Florida Panhandle
Preserving Your Old Photos (and other Genealogy Records)
Last month we explored the joys of old photographs and postcards as a way to enhance your genealogy efforts. There are three very critical aspects of this process: 1) scanning them correctly, 2) storing them properly, and 3) creating multiple digital back-ups. We talked about the second and third steps some last month. Three digital … Continue reading Preserving Your Old Photos (and other Genealogy Records)
Photographs and Postcards: Windows into the Past
While I love doing research and identifying and documenting ancestors, I can get really excited when I discover a photograph of an ancestor or a postcard or photograph of a significant institution or building in their lives. There is something about looking at that image and imagining talking to them or watching them stroll up … Continue reading Photographs and Postcards: Windows into the Past
The Black and White of Oak Grove, Okaloosa Co, FL
This blog has proven hard to write. I am busy with both personal and family responsibilities and projects but I think also because it is painful to dig into activities of the past that don’t show off a place you feel attached to in the best light. But I am not sure how we as … Continue reading The Black and White of Oak Grove, Okaloosa Co, FL
