I love history, especially American history, most especially my family’s history. The trouble is that so much of my family’s history is a mystery. Now, I’ve explored heritage and genealogical websites and know more about my ancestors than I would have otherwise but I’d like to know more. I wish a member or two of my family had been writers. I have copies of a few old letters but they don’t tell me all I want to know.
That’s why I was so excited to get the book the other day from the hometown in Georgia of my grandmother’s parents. It has pictures, rosters of those who served in the Civil War, bits about daily life, and some of the tragedies and triumphs of my ancestors. I love that book!
One of the most interesting parts is a partial journal of a man who died in 1874. His daily log included September through November of 1857. This was a busy person! Not only did he shoe his own horses, he made the shoes. So, he must have had a blacksmith shop, rather like my Grandpa Latty had. He and his helpers sheared his own sheep, framed and built a milk house, pulled and stacked fodder, mashed and boiled cane for molasses, dug potatoes, shucked corn, mended carriage wheels, sowed wheat, and still had time to go to camp meeting and take his boys off to college. This is only a small part of what his record shows. He was a busy, prosperous man.
But I wish I knew more. Where is a journal from his wife? What did her day include? What happened to them during the War?
The Civil War hit Georgia and all the Southern states hard. But, the people buckled down, did what they had to do, and most of them survived. Tragedies struck. They grieved, turned to the Lord, and did what needed doing, from day to day. They are an inspiration to me. They had determination and courage. They also had time to play the fiddle and organ, sing, visit neighbors, and help those less fortunate. That part of history is not mystery and I am grateful for the inspiration these people, my people, are to me. __________________________________________________________________________
http://pen-l.com/Mystery.html
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=blanche+day+manos
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/blanche+day+manos?fs=0&_requestid=98299
http://www.cozy-mystery.com/blog/mystery-books-with-no-profanity-swearingand-or-faith-based-mystery-book.html.
I love to do genealogy too. I have several lines that I can’t find out more about. We usually take a genealogy vacation just to explore for ancestors.
Taking a genealogy vacation would be lots of fun. And what a plot for a mystery! You know, on a genealogy vacation, you could discover this or a little of that, and that would lead to, who knows what? Thanks for writing, Deb.