Happy 2026 - New Year, New Goals

Happy 2026!

Which seems so odd to say...do you know in 4 years it will be 2030?  That's seems so futuristic to me. 

 

Last year was a bit of a struggle for me with the changes in the U.S. political environment and I admit I didn't always have my best Christian hat on during some things that happened.  But I have tried, I really have.  We have to remember it doesn't matter that we agree with people or not, EVERYONE is a child of God, even if you don't think they act like it...they are a person that God created and loves and He calls us to do the same, which is really challenging when some people feel (in your opinion) like they don't come from God but the other place.  I'm really working on that and I'm going to focus on being a better person in 2026.  
 

Philippians 4:8 tells us....Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

I think that is something we should all focus on...focusing on the good, focusing on the excellent instead of focusing on bad things and things we disagree with.

So...what are my goals this year?

Spiritual Goals:

Well as a part of being a better Christian and a better person, I'm reading the Bible in a Year again.  I've done this in 2020 and 2023 and now I'm doing it again this year.  You just read (or listen to the podcast) daily and at the end of the year, you've read through the entire Bible.  I encourage you do read along with me. I follow a Catholic Priest's reading plan because it is quite popular...just look up Bible in a Year with Father Mike and subscribe.  

One thing I do is that I do this reading in the mornings, because I want to give God the best of my time and my day instead of trying to squeeze it in to what is left-over at the end of the day, but you can do what works best for you.

Crafty Goals:

I've had this goals for many, many, many years, but I do finally want to finish my 15 year old UFO (Unfinished Object), the  Around the World Afghan and I have another one that I want to finish another blanket I started 3 years ago (has it really been that long?), the Flower Power Blanket.

I do have a current WIP (Work in Progress) Prayer Shawl but I'm almost done with that.  I've promised myself that I will not start the Imagination Quilt or any other project until I finish my WIP and UFOs. I really want to do that Imagination Quilt, so finishing my projects will be a good motivation.

I also have a cardigan I want to make and another afghan I really want to do.  I may do those before the Imagination Quilt because I already have the supplies for them, even if I haven't started those yet.  I just feel like I need to use what I have first.  After all the Imagination Quilt isn't going anywhere. 

There are so many beautiful projects I want to make, but oh where is the time?  As soon as I start something, I see something else that I want to make.   

Other Goals:

Continue on my health journey.  I lost more than 20 pounds within the past few months and I'm exercising more and I want to continue to lost weight and get in better health.

I read 35 books last year (more in a future post) and that is a record for me. I don't know that I am really setting a goal for how many books to read (although I set it at 15 for the Goodreads challenge) but I'm a member of a book club and I read every monthly selection last year and I hope to do the same this year.

Project Life...continue taking a photo a day every day but not sure I will continue to share it here, I haven't decided.

Travel...I want to get back to taking my courthouse and covered bridge photos.  I didn't do a lot last year because of my health and the high and low temperatures and also my commitments but I really want to get back to that this year.

Genealogy...I didn't do a lot of that last year either, also mostly due to health and other commitments but I do want to get back to it. 

 Remember these are GOALS, not resolutions.  All I can do is to try and be the best person that I can be.

 

 

 

  

52 Ancestors - Week 4 - Witness to History

I have a lot of ancestors that were witness to history...so many involved in the Revolutionary and Civil Wars, one that was the sister-in-law of Henry VIII and so much more! 

However, I decided to write about Thomas Rogers.  Thomas Rogers is my 11th great-grandfather and he witnessed history by traveling to America on The Mayflower!

Thomas is listed on the passenger list, along with his son, Joseph, who was 12 at the time.  Joseph is not my direct ancestor (rather he is my 10th great uncle).  Thomas & Joseph's family arrived in America later, including my 10 great-grandfather, John Rogers, who arrived at Plymouth, Mass in 1628.

Thomas Rogers signed the Mayflower Compact

In my research, I discovered that he was born in Watford, Northhamptonshire England.  He became a citizen of Leiden Holland in 1618.  In 1619, he sued a baker and a miller of Leiden to free a lien on his house, probably in preparation for his journey.  He won the suit and was awarded the court costs.  He built the house in 1616 and sold in April 1620. 

Unfortunately, not long after he arrived, there was a great sickness amoung the settler's and Thomas died during the "first sickness" as it was called.

I just can't imagine what it would be like to leave my family behind, take my 12 year old son and get on a ship, travel across the Atlantic Ocean for 2 months and settle in an unfamiliar, barely inhabited land.  To be there and actually sign the Mayflower Compact.  

He not only witnessed history in the making, but he was also part of it!  

2024 52 Ancestors - Week 3: Favorite Photo

I can't believe we are already in week 3 of #52Ancestors.  This week's prompt is "Favorite Photo". THAT IS HARD!  I love all my photos, it is difficult to narrow it down to just one.

But...I decided to pick this one.

The reason I chose this one as a favorite is because it is a rare photo of taken in the late 1800s of my maternal great grandparents and 4 of their 5 children. The very tall man on the right is my third great grandfather, Jeremiah Sidney Truesdell. The lady in the middle with her arms folded is my third great grandmother, Georgia A. Segars Truesdell. The lady standing beside her, with the long ribbon on her dress, is my great-great grandmother, Frances. 

So...my grandmother use to tell this story that her great grandfather came "from somewhere over the water" in a horse and buggy and married her blind great grandmother and he was a doctor of some kind.

Well...part of that was true.  I discovered that J.S. Truesdell was born in Cattaraugus, New York. At some point, his family moved to Michigan.  When he was 25, he was in the Civil War, serving in the Navy on the Union side.  Of course, a great deal of the fighting took place in Georgia. While serving in Georgia, he somehow met Georgia A. Seagars, (Some info I found said her middle name was "America" but I haven't been able to validate that. 

So, just before the end of the Civil War, he did get on a horse and buggy (which was the main means of travel for the average person at that time) and he rode it down to Georgia to marry her.  They married in St. Andrews, Florida (which is near Panama City Beach) and they settled in Daleville, Alabama (just above the Florida panhandle border).  

He was indeed a medical doctor. His wife, Georgia, was blind, but I haven't been able to find out if she was born blind or her blindness developed later in life.  

So...some of the story, a good deal of it, was true...he just didn't come from Europe, as my grandmother thought.

2024 52 Ancestors - Week 2: Origins

There are so many things I can think of for the #52Ancestors prompt of "Origins", but I typically think it is best to write about the first thing that comes to mind.  For me, that was the Origin of my last name, Slaughter.

Slaughter isn't an especially common last name and I love that. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, Slaughter ranked at #1,295 in terms of most common U.S. surnames. About 9 people out of every 100,000 in the U.S. have that last name.

The Slaughter family name has its origins in Gloucestershire, England, where it was first recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086.  The name originated from the Old English word "slohtre", which means "muddy place".  

Just over a mile from Bourton-on-the-Water are the twin villages of Upper and Lower Slaughter. The name comes from old English 'Slohtre', which has nothing to do with killing things and means, simply, 'Muddy place'.

Today's villages are far from muddy places. They are the epitome of idyllic, civilized Cotswold charm. Straddling the banks of the River Eye, also known as Slaughter Brook, the two villages have remained utterly unchanged for more than a century with no building work taking place at all since 1906.

It isn't known to be a touristy spot, but I have traced it back that my family first came from here.  The only attraction is a restored nineteenth century flour mill in Lower Slaughter, where the River Eye meets the north-west corner of the village. The mill was last used commercially in 1958 and its tall chimney cuts an imposing figure. The chimney is made of red brick, in sharp contrast to the other buildings in both villages, which are made from the traditional Cotswold stone. The mill features a giant working waterwheel and has a tea room and ice cream parlour for visitors.

The mill was originally part of Lower Slaughter Manor, which was built in 1658 for the High Sheriff of Gloucestershire. The Manor is now a grand country house hotel.

Lower Slaughter is home to the pretty church of St Mary. The church and its impressive spire were re-built in 1867 but some arches between the nave and the south aisle date back to the thirteenth century while the church of St Peter's, in Upper Slaughter, is a historic Norman church with parts dating from the 12th century . Francis Edward Witts, who wrote 'Diary of a Cotswold Parson', was rector of the Slaughters from 1808 to 1854.

The less-visited Upper Slaughter lies, as its name suggests, minutes upstream from Lower Slaughter. The cottages around the square were reconstructed by the famous architect Sir Edward Lutyens in 1906. The River Eye flows between neatly-mown grassy banks and is crossed several times by quaint old bridges. There are charming stone steps leading into the river which must have been built to enable villagers to more easily get water and a tiny Methodist chapel dating from 1865 also nestles by the brook. It is now used as a pottery.

My ultimate dream is to visit Upper Slaughter and Lower Slaughter to see where my ancestors came from and to stay at the beautiful Slaughters Manor and have afternoon tea there with Battenberg Cake and nice hot cup of Assam Garden Tea.

Geneaology - Found Document

 My mom always told me that her mom had some babies that didn't live.  She even took me to the cemetery in New Hope, FL where there are some baby graves buried next to my great grand parents and they are unmarked but sectioned off.  

I knew that there were at least 2 boys.  My mom has 5 sisters but never had a living brother.

I typically use Ancestry for most of my research but recently took a look at FamilySearch.org and there I found out a couple of things

1) One of the baby boy's my grandmother had was born in 1933 and died 26 Nov 1933 and his name was Charles E. Mims.  I don't know exactly when he was born or how long he lived but my mom did tell me that her mother said one of them lived about 10 days so I am thinking this must have been Charles. My mom told me that she recalls my grandmother telling her his name was "Ervin" so I assume that is what the "E" stood for.

My grandmother told my mom that when he was a few days old, he became yellow (we are guessing he probably was jaundiced).  My grandfather had to walk over 5 miles to go to the doctor (no phones, no cars) and by the time they made it back to the house, the baby had died. Remember, back in 1933, there wasn't much treatment for things like this...plus, he may have had something more severe, like a non-functioning liver.  

I know I had jaundice as a baby and was treated for it but that was 30 years after Charles was born.

2) Another boy was born a year earlier on 30 Oct 1932 and died 31 Oct 1932.  I know this because I found his death certificate.

Now, I am not sure why, but seeing this death certificate made me cry.  I mean really cry! This baby boy, who could have grown up to be my uncle died and didn't even live a whole day.  He didn't even have a name. Then a year later, my grandmother lost another son.  I don't know if either of them were premature, but I can't imagine carrying a baby for months and then losing them as soon as they came into the world.  

I know it happens and sadly, isn't uncommon.  But knowing that my grandparents had 2 children die within about a year, it is just heartbreaking.

I wonder what they would have been like, I bet they looked like my grandpa.  It makes me sad that the first baby boy didn't even have a name.  I'd like to give him one, I think he name might have been John, named after both my grandfather's father and my grandmother's brother.  

Before the 2 boys were born and died, my grandmother had a still born baby girl.  Later on, in the late 1940s, she had a miscarriage.  Soon afterwards, she became very, very ill and her brother, John, took her to the hospital in Opp, AL.  There, they discovered, she actually had been pregnant with twins...she miscarried both but one was still attached.  She nearly died.  She was in the hospital for a few weeks.

My mom told me that she must have had another still born child or miscarriage but she doesn't know when it was.  My grandfather always said they had 12 children....6 that lived and 6 that didn't.  

How awful and sad, I can't imagine how hard that had to have been on my grandmother!  She had it so hard.  My mom's oldest sister said, she had to plow the fields with mules and she was sometimes 8-9 months pregnant at the time and she'd work so hard she had blood in her shoes.  

Apparently, after Charles died, a nurse told my grandmother that she had a "dead liver" and that if she got pregnant again, she needed to take some kind of medicine.  My mom doesn't have the details really on this - exactly what was wrong with my grandmother's liver or what medicine she took, but my grandma said it worked because she had 6 babies that lived after that.  

I knew my grandma was a strong woman, but by golly, how did she manage to live through all this? I can't imagine how hard that was for her. 

Genealogy with a Twist

 As I've mentioned many times, I started working on my family tree and getting into Geneaology somewhere around 2013 or so - 10 years ago - wow!!

I have a friend, that I have known since I was about 12, she is like part of the family and really we consider her a sister and my parents always thought of her as another daughter.

She asked me to work on  her family tree a bit and while I haven't spent a lot of time working on hers, I did make some headway.

Well, one day, while working on her tree, the name  "Rebecca Schrader" popped up and and I thought...boy that name sounds familiar - I think I have someone on my tree with that name....so I checked and sure enough I did...not only that, it was the SAME Rebecca Schrader!!!

I just realized that my friend and I were actually related - somehow.  I never really mapped out the trees to make the connection, but I have now done that.  We are actually 6th cousins.  How cool is that??  

We have the same 5th Great Grandparents.  She knows we are related but I haven't told her how yet and I haven't shown her the connection below.  I'm going to laminate it and give it to her the next time I see her.  

It just makes you wonder how many people you know that you might be related to.  Well, I guess we are all related through Adam and Eve, but I can't trace back that far 😀

I know the image is small, you can click on it to enlarge a bit

February 2023 Check-In

 

It feels like February just flew by. But, it is a shorter month after all.

So...currently in the news...the Alex Murdaugh double murder trial.  What are your thoughts?  Personally, I felt justice was done.  The thing that sealed it for me was when he was saying that he was never at the dog kennels, where his wife and son were murdered, but video evidence showed he was there minutes before the murders and he then admitted that was his voice on the video.  If he was there minutes before the murders and he claimed he didn't commit them, then he would have SEEN the murderer. He claimed that he saw no one, there is only one explanation, he is the murderer. 

How can someone kill his wife and son in cold blood like that?  Of course he was doing it for the money, apparently.  After hearing his testimony, I wonder if the guy ever told a truth in his life?  Seems like every word he has ever spoken has been a lie.  

I do feel a bit for his remaining son. He has lost his entire family in the span of a year. I don't know his source of income, but assume he was being supported by his dad (by his dad's stolen money).  He has lost everything and pretty much everyone in his life.  

Well...on to better subjects.  So...how's my year going?

Bible/Prayer Time: Good - I am 2 days behind in my daily reading, but will get caught up today. Praying faithfully each day for those I know are in need of prayer.

Crafty Time: OK - I am keeping up with Project Life and also working on a special Project Life album called "52 Weeks of Me".  My daily Project Life is current but the 52 Weeks of me is a couple of weeks behind because I'm kind of stuck on what to include on one of the weeks.

Healthy Time: I'll let you know next month.  I'm doing well with eating, but still need to add exercise.  I've been having some bad muscle aches, especially in my arms and shoulders...not sure what is going on there and if you pray, I could use some prayers about that.

Project Time: Not sure if this is considered a project but I made a genealogy link between me and my BFF.  It turns out we are 6th cousins.  I'll post more about that on another day.

This month I completed 3 books, saw BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN, Kevn Kinney and the Amy Ray Band.  I finished watching (or I guess you can say re-watching) "Drop Dead Diva" - I remembered it didn't end the way I really wanted it to end.  I am sure it ended the way most people wanted it to, but it isn't what I wanted.  I don't want to say how I wanted it to end so I don't spoil it for anyone that hasn't seen the series.  The new show "Alert" ended and it was good, lots of twist and turns, but rumor is it won't be renewed for Season 2.  

Grey's Anatomy, Young Sheldon and Ghost are all back, as is La Brea.  I also heard La Brea may not be back next season.  That is too bad, it is a good show.

My immediate family and my kitty cats all seem good and healthy - thank you God!  We started a new semi-monthly program at church, called "The Avenue".  We've only met once so far but it seems like something I will enjoy.  

Hope anyone that is reading this is doing well and that you are moving along with your annual goals.

Mayflower Heritage - Thomas Rogers

 I was watching "Who Do You Think You Are?" and it highlighted Allison Janney's ancestors, one in particular was Stephen Hopkins, who had a rather interesting story, but ultimately arrived on the Mayflower.  I, too, am a Mayflower decedent.  I have done quite a bit of research once I found a connection just to be sure I truly was a decedent.  

My ancestor on the Mayflower was Thomas Rogers (my 11th great-grandfather), who also was joined on the Mayflower by his eldest son, Joseph Rogers.  I am not descended from Joseph, but rather another of Thomas' son, John Rogers.  John Rogers, arrived in Plymouth in 1628, which is 8 years after the Mayflower [Source Colonial Families of the USA 1607-1775].

Sadly, Thomas. who was about 48, died soon after arrival (as did many settlers) in January or February of 1621.  Therefore, his portion of the promised land was granted to his surviving Mayflower son, Joseph, who was about 17 at the time.  

On 6 April 1640, “Joseph Rogers and John Rogers, his brother,” were granted fifty acres of upland each at the North River. [Source:The Pilgrim Migration: Immigrants to Plymouth Colony 1620-1633].

Although born Northhamptonshire, England, Thomas was living in Leiden, Holland at the time he immigrated.  He was a Lieden separatist (Protestant Christian who separated from the Church of England).  His wife, Alice Cosford never made the journey to the new land and she died in 1622 at the age of 49 in Leiden, Holland.

Thomas was a signatory to the Mayflower Compact.  Even though Joseph was on board as well, at 17, he was too young to sign the Mayflower Compact. 

I have much more information on Thomas Rogers that I will share in a separate post (since this one is more about my connection)

Below is a chart that show all of my ancestors that followed.  The names in yellow are the Mayflower Descendants.  

When you think of all those generations and all they survived (traveling on ships, Revolutionary War, Civil War, and other things) - it is kind of a miracle that I was even born.  Isn't that the case for all of us...imagine all that our ancestors went through and because of them...we are here!  

June 2022

June and July are busy months for me, especially July.  Hopefully, this time next year, I will be retired and I can actually have a real summer!

 Because I've been busy, my blog has been neglected a bit.  Not that I have a ton of readers sitting on the edge of their seats or anything just dying to know how my goals are progressing - ha ha!

So how are the goals going?

1) Daily Bible Reading/Prayer - Fantastic....as of yesterday, I have read 200 straight days!! I'm not Catholic but I have chosen to read the 7 books that are in the Catholic Bible that are not in the Protestant Bible.  Side note:  Martin Luther decided to follow the newer Palestinian canon, which includes only books originally composed in Hebrew or for which a Hebrew text was available in the late first century A.D. Therefore, 7 books were removed. The King James version follows Luther on this matter.

2) Weight Loss/Eat Healthier/Exercise - Just okay. I am maintaining my weight but not losing but I haven't been really doing what I need to lose weight.  I know it sounds like an excuse and part of it is...but it has been too freaking hot to exercise! Plus, I have been so busy with work!  I know I could exercise in the early hours of the morning, which is what I was doing before I started slacking.  This is really something I will focus on in the upcoming weeks.

3) Watercolor - again, no time to paint recently.  I have ideas swirling around in my head though.

4) Crochet/Knit - Not much crochet/knit time in June...still have a prayer shawl and afghan that I am working on.

5)  Personal Journaling - Pretty good - I'm not writing daily but I am about every 2-3 days so that is an improvement.

6) House Projects - Nothing new in June...again, several ideas swirling around in my head but need more time and money to accomplish them.

7) Scrapbooking/Project Life - very good.  I am up to date with my weekly layouts.  I do want to catch up my "cat" book for the year - maybe this weekend I will be able to do that.

8) Genealogy - Good but again, just very busy.  I haven't had a lot of time to work on it.

So how do I feel? OK - I am most excited that I have kept up with my Bible reading because normally I have stopped by mid-March/early April. But I need to work on thing like better health and house projects.

Here are my Project Life/Scrapbook pages for June - click on photos to enlarge.

 

 

May 2022 Recap

Monthly check in time!

 How are the 2022 goals coming along?  Let's see....

1) Daily Bible Reading/Prayer - Fantastic....I have read the Bible for 158 days!!  God is so good!!

2) Weight Loss/Eat Healthier/Exercise - Pretty good, but could be better.  I lost 3 more pounds last month..I know, not a lot, but hey, the scale is down and not up so even a one pound lose is better than a one pound gain.  I'm happy with a loss.  (Darn those Trader Joe's Peanut Butter Cups - could have lost more).   Exercise...I've been so, so, so, so busy with work, but that isn't an excuse (well, maybe a little).  I had planned to start getting up early and going back to the gym this week but my boss is on vacation and therefore I do get up early but have a lot of work that has to be completed by 7 am - current plan is to start back this Saturday.

3) Watercolor - no painting so far this year...that is okay though.

4) Crochet/Knit - Almost finished with a prayer shawl for church...started a new afghan and loving the pattern for that - easy pattern but not boring - stay tuned.

5)  Personal Journaling - Hmm...not too good there.  I "think" about journaling..I "think" about what I am going to write and want to write about but I haven't been putting pen to paper lately.

6) House Projects - I got a couple of things done and managed to maintain other things...going good so far.

7) Scrapbooking/Project Life - A+ - I am still current with my Project Life pages (will post the May pages - possibly tomorrow) but I have completed LOTS of recipe pages.  I'm excited to finally be getting all of my "tried and true" recipes together and to have one book.  I have a few more to document before I print them out.

8) Genealogy - Good!  I updated a lot of people on my family tree last month and I even located an old photo of my uncle and his family when he was about 4 years old.  He is no longer with us, but I sent the photo to my aunt and cousins and they were blown away.  My aunt immediately recognized everyone of the siblings.  He had 15 siblings!!  They were not all in the photo because by then some were married and some hadn't been born yet, but can you imagine having 16 kids !! Yikes!

So how do I feel? Pretty good.  I do wish I had done a little painting and I do wish I had exercised a bit more in May but I'm really chuffed that I am current with my Bible Reading and Project Life pages.

How was your May ?

April 2022 Recap

Time for the monthly check in to see how I am doing on my 2022 goals

Looking back, I see I didn't do a March check in - in fact, I didn't blog much at all in April.  I had a lot going on though and that is okay!

 So...here are how things are going.

1) Daily Bible Reading/Prayer - Excellent - I am 100% current with my daily reading.  I had company for 2 weeks so did get a little behind but...I caught up this past weekend and today will mark 122 days of reading. 

2) Weight Loss/Eat Healthier/Exercise - Ok - Good, but needs a little improvement.  I did start going back to the gym in March and was going 4-5 times a week...until company arrived 2 weeks ago.  My intention was to rise early and go to the gym before the company was awake but....I was also off work and took the opportunity to catch up on a little sleep myself.  So I haven't been to the gym in the past 2 weeks.  However, with company in town, we went everywhere and walked a lot - so I did get quite a bit of exercise in after all.  My eating was not the best while they were in town because I wanted them to enjoy our city's great restaurants - we ate out almost every meal!  BUT...I did well and ate small portions and sometimes shared a meal.  It must have worked because I lost a couple of pounds.

3) Watercolor - no painting so far this year...I have been thinking of ideas but just haven't put the brush to the paper yet.

4) Crochet/Knit - Working on another prayer shawl for church.  The pattern I am using is not very well written and I don't especially like the colors I am using - they are okay, but I don't "love" the colors and that makes me kind of set it aside a bit.  I plan on picking the current shawl up tonight and hopefully will finish it this week.

5)  Personal Journaling - Good - I am still not journaling daily though, which my "Achieve Anything In A Year" book says I should be doing.  I don't always have a lot to say, but according to my book, that shouldn't matter...I should still journal even if I write "I don't have much to write" - ha ha.  It's a work-in-progress.

6) House Projects - I got a lot done last month...of course still a lot to do...2 projects I had really, really, really been dreading are complete now - yea me!!  When I look at those completed projects, it brings me happiness.

7) Scrapbooking/Project Life - Excellent - I am current with my Project Life pages for the year.  I completed a book for the first year of my cats and I am though November 2021 on their 2nd year.  The first year took a long time because it was weekly, but the 2nd year is going faster since it is monthly.  My regular weekly pages are up-to-date - I pretty much keep up with that daily.  I do want to do some pages from my recent family visit.  I just can't decide if I want to incorporate it with my current year PL book or make a separate book.  I guess I will see how many pages I get first and go from there.  My inclination is to incorporate it with my current 2022 book - we will see.  I will post pages tomorrow.

8) Genealogy - A little progress - did some work on looking at the 1950 census, which finally was released - whoo hoo!  I added some references to some ancestors lines.  I really, REALLY, want to somehow put all this in a book...but how?  I have ideas and resources but it can get overwhelming.  I sure wish  Becky Higgins would offer a course on Heritage documenting...she just has a way to make everything seem easy and do-able. 

In SUMMARY - so far so good - some things are right on track and other things haven't quite gotten there, but if you look at the big picture, I'd say all my 2022 goals are going quite well.

Stay tuned tomorrow for Project Life pages.

Rabbit, Rabbit, Rabbit

Rabbit, Rabbit, Rabbit

 Do you say this on the first day of the month?  I read about it a few years ago and I always TRY to remember to say it on the first day of the month.  When I first learned of this tradition, I discussed it with my friend, Amanda, who is originally from the U.K. and she said she does this.  We often text each other on the first with "Rabbit, Rabbit, Rabbit"

"Rabbit Rabbit Rabbit" is a superstition found in Britain and North America wherein a person says or repeats the words "rabbit", "rabbits" and/or "white rabbits" aloud upon waking on the first day of a month, to ensure good luck for the rest of it. It should be the first words you say.

 It is February 1st, and I remembered to say it this morning, so I guess I will have a lucky month.

 

January went by fairly quickly, at least to me it seemed that way.  So I thought I would do a check in with my goals that I established at the first of the year.

1) Daily Bible Reading/Prayer - Good - I will admit that I am a few days behind in my reading plan.
    However, yesterday, on my off day, I set up a reading plan that will have me caught up-to-date
    by this coming Saturday.

2) Weight Loss/Eat Healthier/Exercise - Good - Weight loss is slow, but I am eating better and have
     incorporated Intermittent Fasting...I did some exercise in January, but not as much as I would
     have liked. So this is an area that needs a bit more attention in the upcoming month.

3) Watercolor - no painting in January and that is okay.

4) Crochet/Knit - Great - I completed 20 crochet hats for the homeless.

5)  Personal Journaling - Great - I am not journaling daily (yet) but I am journaling on a regular basis

6) House Projects - Good - haven't started the 2 big projects that I want but feeling more positive
    about tackling those projects than I have felt in the past.

7) Scrapbooking/Project Life - Excellent - I am current with my Project Life pages for the year
    (I'll post about that tomorrow)
    But the best thing this month was a took a course with Becky Higgins - it was a Documenting
    course that she held live for about 2 hours every day.  It was FULL of information and tips and
    inspiration.  I just love her! I have been a fan of hers since her Creative Keepsakes days.
    I remember when she had her son, Porter.  I met her (and the fabulous Lisa Bearnson) at a
    Scrapbook Convention when Porter was just a baby, and my friend told her how much she
    loved the name "Porter".
    Now, Porter is serving the first year of his LDS Mission. Wow!

8) Genealogy - Good - worked on my Ancestry site about an hour this month.

 I have several books that I use daily.  I think it helps to keep them out and visible at all times.

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• Personal Journal
• Daily Planner
• Question A Day
• Notebook Companion for ...
• Achieve Anything in Just One Year (daily tasks to help you reach a goal)
• One Year Bible (daily reading plan to help you read the Bible in 365 days)

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - Week 10 - Strong Woman

This week's prompt is "Strong Woman" in honor of International Woman's month.

The first person that came to mind is my maternal grandmother.  She was such a strong woman.  I can't imagine living her life - it was so hard but yet she was always so positive and happy.

She was born in 1914 and was the eldest of 7 children.  In those days, the eldest had a LOT of responsibility.  They had to not only do the work on the farm, clean house (if they were a girl), but also had to help raise the younger children.

Here is a very rare picture of her and some of her siblings that was taken in the 1920s. 
That is my grandmother, Jewel Canzada Odom with the white dress and long necklace and her arm around her sister.

 (click to enlarge)

Her family was very poor, as were many people in Geneva, Alabama.  I wish I knew some stories from her childhood but sadly, I do not.

The family later moved to Holmes County, Florida (not far from Geneva, AL).

She married my grandfather, James Josh Mims on 12 Oct 1930, one week before her 16th birthday.  Sadly, one year later, when she was 17, her father died in 1931. 

 (click to enlarge)

She had 6 daughters (and from what I have been told gave birth to 3 other children, who were either stillborn or died shortly after birth).  I can't imagine how hard that was to lose 3 children after you carried them for 9 months. 

She raised her daughters and helped her husband on a large farm.  They had their own farm but before that they were sharecroppers.  She would get up very, very early when it was dark out, would make breakfast for 8 people. She gathered eggs from their hens, she milked the cows and she found a way to feed 8 people even though they had very little money.  They had no electricity, no refridgerator and she cooked everything on a wood stove (which I am sure she probably had chopped the wood herself).

After breakfast and cleaning up the kitchen, she (and the rest of the family who was old enough) would go work in the fields - ALL DAY.  They primarily were cotton growers but of course they grew all sorts of things - peanuts, potatoes, corn, but they could make the most money growing and selling cotton.

Now you have to remember, this was before big tractors and machines like that have now.  It all had to be planted by hand and had to be picked by hand too. Cotton was grown in the summer so it was hot as blue blazes. But she was out there all day picking.

My mom told me a story recently how she can remember my grandma out in the field, picking cotton and she had one sack that she was putting cotton in and she had another sack that she would sit the baby on (her youngest sister) and she would pick and drag the baby along as she went.  She would even be breast feeding while working in the field.  She had to watch 6 girls, make sure the oldest were working, and keep up with them all.

When it was time to plow, she even got behind the plows with the mules and plowed too, right along with grandpa, the strong man.  She did what she had to do.

All of her children were born at home, all natural childbirth - except for one - the youngest was born at a hospital (although still natural childbirth) - that was really the only way to do in those days.  Can you imagine??

After working all day in the hot fields, she would cook supper for all 8 of them and again, she just didn't go down to the grocery store and buy meat - nope, she killed the chicken herself, cleaned it and cooked it.  A lot of times they didn't have meat but she made due with what they had grown or canned.

Of course no electricity or running water in the house meant it wasn't any easy task to do laundry.  She did it though - she would use an washboard, lye soap (that she had made herself) and a big washtub to wash their clothes.  She had to draw the water from the well since the well was the only source of their water. 

Can you imagine washing clothes for 8 people, that had worked all day in the hot sun in the fields using a washboard to get them clean?  She also had to wash sheets and such as that too!   Good golly, and I feel the need to complain when I have to throw in a load of towels while watching the latest episode of Grey's Anatomy.

(not my grandma but just added this photo so you get the idea)

On top of it all...my grandma was the most dedicated Christian I know.  She made sure her girls were in church whenever church was happening.  They had to either walk or when they had one, they would go by mule and buggy.  (There is a whole other story I could tell about this mule and buggy and hopefully will get around to telling it sometime).

My grandma was a prayer!!  She fasted and prayed and she said when she did, God answered her prayers.  I know she prayed for me many times - she prayed for all of her 6 children, their husbands and her 18 grandchildren and all her great grandchildren.  She was a praying woman.

The whole time I knew my grandma, I never, NEVER heard her say a mean thing.  She was always sweet, kind and loving and always happy - she was not a complainer and she lived her life with a grateful heart.

My grandma departed this life in 1998, but I know where she went and I also know that I will be reunited with her one day. 
She was such a STRONG WOMAN and  I am so, so proud to be her grand daughter.

52 Amcestors in 52 Weeks - Week 7

This week's prompt is "Valentine"

I only really know of a couple of "Valentine" stories to tell so I am going to tell the story of how my parents ended up together.

My parents were raised in the same town.  In a small town, they all know each other and my dad's family were kind of the family from the "wrong side of the tracks" - the "rough kids" as you would have it. 

My mom's family, on the other hand were church going Christians that were at church every time the doors were open. 

My dad's younger brother and my mother were in school together and rode the bus.  My dad was at home one day sitting on the porch when the bus pulled up and his brother got out.  My dad asked him "Who is that pretty girl sitting on the front seat of the bus behind the driver?"  My uncle said, "That is Mary Nell"

My dad said "I'm going to marry her".  My uncle laughed and said "William, there is no way her daddy will let you within 5 feet of her, all she does is go to school and church" My dad said "What church?" so he told him.

Sunday, my dad went to church and asked my mom out on a date.  She said yes but of course it had to be a double date so they went Al's Drive In (yes, just like in Happy Days) along with my mom's sister and her boyfriend (who happened to be a friend of my dad's).

Less than 4 months later, they were married !!!

Guess my dad just knew right away.  I love that story. 💕

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - Week 4 - Invite to Dinner

This week's prompt is "Invite to Dinner"

I am loving this challenge.  There are so many ancestors that I would love to invite to dinner, because I have about a million and one questions that I want to ask them.  It was really hard to narrow it down to one but I decided that one that I would really love to sit down and have dinner with is. . .

Sarah Marcilla Harrison Odom (Nov 1861 - 18 May 1941)

I had the HARDEST time finding information on her.  I am still trying to find out information on her, although I am not sure I will.  It has taken me 3 years of research to find out a little more about her.

She is my maternal 2nd great grandmother.

 

(click to enlarge) 

 I have been seeking information on her for over 3 years.  Since my mom was only a baby when Sarah died, she never knew her and only heard a few stories from her mother.  

My mother did know that Sarah was in a mental institution for a large part of her life but she thought she was in a hospital in Florida.  However, I found out from the 1940 census that she was actually at Bryce Hospital for the Insane (as it was called at the time) in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

She was listed as 79 years old, listed as an inmate and her education was listed as none (not surprising for a farm woman born in 1861) 

 (click to enlarge) 

For the longest time, I didn't know her maiden name and therefore I was STUCK.  I did contact the Alabama Center for Health Statistics to obtain a copy of her death certificate and after a few weeks, I finally received it.  Sadly, though, no information was on it about her parents.  I didn't really expect it but I was hoping it would be there.

(click to enlarge) 

I turned to google in desperation and still no information about her...only information about Bryce Hospital

Occassionally, I would google again and try again to find out about her.  I at least wanted her maiden name, thinking that once I obtained that, I could find out more about her.

About 2 months ago, I tried once more and got a hit of sorts, it was an OLD message board post from some genealogy website and it was a woman who said she was seeking information on Jefferson Davis Odom (Sarah's husband).

She posted it about 8 years ago and she said if you have info, please email me at xxx.  I thought...geez, this was 8 years ago and I don't know if this woman has this email address still or if she has any info bout Sarah but what did I have to lose by trying so I emailed her and a couple of days later, she emailed me back!!  I was so thrilled.  She had gotten some info about her, she knew her maiden name and her parent's names - what a joy!!  I was so happy!!!!

She had a few questions for me about the Odom family too - she was missing a few holes and I was too and together we were able to help each other out a lot.  I am not exactly sure how we are related (some kind of cousin) but my great grandfather (Lester Dell Odom, Sarah's son) and her grandmother (Sarah's daughter) were brother and sister.  How cool is that?

So NOW I finally know a little more about Sarah, including the fact that her marriage to my 2-times great grandfather was her 2nd marriage.

After talking to various family members, here is what I know about why Sarah was at Bryce hospital.

Apparently her husband, Jefferson Davis Odom, was know to be a womanizer and not an especially nice man.  Around 1909, he took his 3 sons with him out to Oklahoma, leaving Sarah alone with a handicapped daughter.  I did find their 3 boys on the 1910 Census in Oklahoma, but he was no longer there and had moved Florida, leaving 3 young boys under the age of 18 there in OK all alone.

Sarah had no means of support and was struggling to take care of herself and her handicapped daughter.  It was hard times. Very hard.  I can't imagine how they survived without any help.

Sometime before 1913, Lester Dell moved back to Alabama and he married my great grandmother, Clementa (aka: Minnie; aka: Mitt).

One night, many years later, Lester Dell and Clementa were sleeping over at Sarah's house and Clementa heard a noise, when she opened her eyes, Sarah was standing over her with a butcher knife, she screamed (of course) and woke up Lester Dell who fought Sarah off.  She was then committed to the Hospital for the Insane (I am not sure if she was committed to one in FL and then later transferred to AL, the trail isn't clear)...She spent the rest of her days in Bryce Hospital for the Insane.

I often wonder, was she insane?  She could have been after what she had to endure her hard life.  Did she perhaps have Dementia/Alzheimer's?  I mean, they really didn't understand that back in 1930 when she as committed.

I would love to sit down to dinner with her and hear about her childhood.
I would like to ear about her marraiges and her husbands - what were they like, how did they treat her?
What did she do after her husband took her sons off to Oklahoma, how did she survive?
Did she know what she was doing when she pulled a knife on her son and daughter-in-law?
How was she treated in the hospital?
What was it like in the hospital?
Did people come visit her there?

My research uncovered a letter that the doctor wrote to her middle son (her oldest son, my great grandfather had passed by then), informing them that she was ill.  She died 2 1/2 months later.  It is presumed she was buried on the grounds of the hospital, although I do not know for sure since I cannot find a record of her burial (but I do have the funeral home info so maybe I will have to see if I can find some info that way).  It was very common to bury inmates (as they were called) on the grounds at the hospital and sadly, most are not marked and some were even built over when a new highway came though.  I'm still working on trying to find out where she was buried exactly.

 

 (click to enlarge) 

So...in conclusion, I bet she could tell you a LOT of stories - wouldn't she be so fascinating to invite to dinner, sit down and engage in a conversation?

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - Week 3 - Longevity

This week's prompt is "Longevity".  That could mean many things but I decided that it would represent the oldest generation in my tree - the one that goes back as far as I have found (so far)

That belongs to my 19th great grandfather...

 

Reginald Wentworth or, as written in Domesday Book, Rynold de Wynterwade, who was living at the time of the Norman Conquest, A.D. 1066. As at that time there were no actual surnames, he was simply Reginald of Wentworth.

In other words, he was the possessor in Saxon times of the lordship of Wentworth, in the Wapentake of Strafford, in the West Riding of Yorkshire.

Yorkshire consists of three division, known as the North,East, and West Ridings. Each Riding is subdivided into a number of Wapentakes or Hundreds, and it was in one of the latter that the lordship or manor of Wentworth was situated. Wentworth is in the parish of Wath-upon-Dearn, about nine miles from Sheffield, and thirteen from Doncaster.

 (Excerpt from Doomesday Book)

The fact that he is described in Domesday Book as the lord of Wentworth, sufficiently attests his position as one of the principal men of his neighborhood, even at this early period. nothing, however, is known of his family, except that he was succeeded by his son, Henry Wentworth.

 

He was born about 1030 in Normandie, Orne, Basse-Normandie, France and died about 1066 in Strattford, Yorkshire England.

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - Week 2 - Favorite Photo

#52Ancestors

This week's 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge if "Favorite Photo" - that is a tough one!! Because I love all the photos I have of my family and ancestors. 

I guess if I HAVE to pick a favorite I guess I might say this one:

All of my life, I have heard about Dr. Truesdall but that was all I knew.  My grandma used to say her great grandfather was a doctor that and his last name was Truesdall and he came down to Alabama on a horse and buggy from way over "there" - which she thought meant he came from England.

Well..she had part of the story right.  Luckily through Ancestry.com, I was able to connect with a long distant relative that I had never met before, named Garnet Walden.  He had a lot of information on the Segars family and he sent this picture to me.  I'm not sure if he has the original photo or a copy but I was SO THRILLED to get this photo and get some information about "the doctor"

As it turns out...His name was Jeremiah Sidney Truesdall, MD (the tall man with his hand on his hip).  Most documents refer to him as J. Sidney Truesdalle so it seems he went by the first name of Sidney (his father was also Jeremiah Sidney Trusdall so perhaps that is why he went by his middle name).

He was born in New York City, New York on 16 Jan 1836 and he is my 3rd great grandfather (maternal side). 

I found a U.S. Army Register of Enlistments that shows that he enlisted in the Army on 23 Jul 1848.  His age is listed as 16 but he apparently fibbed on that a bit because he was only 13! .  He was 5' 10" (which isn't all that tall by today's standards but from looking at all the other men on the list - his height was the same or slightly taller than the others).  It has his occupation listed but I can't quite make it out - it sort of looks like Musician but I just don't know.  He enlisted in Milwaukee, WI and it was to serve in the Mexican-American War.  What do you think the occupation says?

I found a U.S. Naval Enlistment Redezvous that states that at the age of 28, he enlisted in the Navy.  He enlisted September 1864 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This listed details about him.  At the time his occupation was listed as "Mariner" so I am assuming he became a doctor during the Civil War or perhaps he did both jobs or perhaps he became a doctor after the Civil War.  That part I do not know.

I love the details listed on this form too.  It states he had blue eyes, brown hair was fair completed.   - which shows you how short all the others in the photo must be - haha - now I know where we get it from!

From my research, I found that he served in Georgia during the Civil War, at this time, he met and fell in love with a Southern Belle, Georgia A. Seagars.  She is the lady in the middle, with her hands folded and is my 3rd great-grandmother.  She was blind but it isn't known for sure if she was blind from birth or became blind later in life.

After the Civil War, he returned to the North but he wanted to be with Georgia, so he hitched up his horse and buggy (see my grandma had some of the info right) and he rode all the way down to Georgia to get her. They married and moved to Alabama and raised a family there and this is where the photo is believe to have been taken - on their farm in Geneva Alabama.  It is a romantic story. 💕

The others in the photo are their children from left to right..Cornelia (Nealy), Frances (Fannie) - my 2nd great grandmother, Crandall (with the bow tie), Georgia, Katie and then J. Sidney.  There was another son, Hiram but he had some trouble with the law and served time in prison for embezzlement of postal funds (he was a US Postmaster).

So this may be my favorite photo (even though I love them all) because once I got it, I finally knew what Dr. Truesdall , MD looked like along with the rest of his family (I already had a photo of Fannie - my 2nd great grandmother).  I got to know a lot more about this family after receiving the photo.

Wouldn't it have been great to be able to sit around the fire and listen to him tell stories?

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - Week 1

#52Ancestors Challenge

 I am going to try to give this another shot.  I tried before but got too busy to keep it up...I may get busy again but hey, worth a try, right?  Recently, I discovered that there is actually a weekly challenge that I found on AmyJohnsonCrow.com and she will send a daily prompt that may help me stay on tract. 

This week's prompt is "Start"

I'm going to start out 2018's 52 Weeks of Geneology with Ezekiel Slaughter because I have done a lot of research on him and he a fascinating person to me.

Ezekiel Slaughter is my Great-Great-Great-Great-Great Grandfather (5 times Great Grandfather)

 (not a photo of him - haha)

Ezekiel Slaughter was born 5 Jun 1727 in Halifax, Virginia, USA.  He was the son of John Reuben Slaughter (1685-1730) and Sarah Butler (1705-1781). (Source: North America, Family Histories, 1500-2000)

He served as a Private in the Revolutionary War from 1776-1778 in Captain Thomas Thweatt’s Compay of the 14^th Virginia Regiment. (Source: US Revolutionary War Rolls, 1775-1783; Virginia, 14^th Regiment (Folders 316-326)

 (click on photo to enlarge)

  (click on photo to enlarge)

1749 – When he was 22, he married Sarah Yiuelle Butler, his first cousin and daughter of John Butler (1700-1756) and Barsheba Yiuelle (1700-1756) in Virginia. (Source: US and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900)

He had 11 Children:

1. Mary Slaughter Worsham (1748-????)
2. Johnathan (John) Slaughter (1750-1805) – also a Revolutionary War Soldier
3. Sarah (Sallie) Slaughter Robbarts (1751-1819)
4.  Elizabeth (Betty) Slaughter Jones (1753-1792)
5. Judith (Judea) Slaughter Gill (1754-1792)
6. Samuel Slaughter (1758-1820) – also a Revolutionary War Soldier (my 4-times great grandfather)
7. Nancy Ann Slaughter Stillwell (1760-1818)
8. Susannah (Susan) Slaughter Hawkins (1763-1837)
9. Martha (Patty) Slaughter Gill (1764-????)
10. Reuben Slaughter (1766-1793)
11. Lucinda (Lucy) Slaughter Lloyd (1769-1839)

1752 – He was granted 400 acres in Cumberland County, Virginia.  He also had land in King William County, Virginia according to the will of his half-brother, Williams Harrison. (Source:  Genealogies of Virginia Families From Tyler’s Quarterly Historical and Genealogical Magazine, Volume 1, p288) 

1765 - He served as a vestryman, In Antrim Parish,VA  (Source: Tylers’s Quarterly Magazine, Volume 9, 1927).

1767 - He served as a Justice of the Peace (Source: Justices of Peace of colonial Virginia 1757-1778, Bulletin VA State Library)

1767 – Commissioned from the Governor and appointed Captain of the Militia of his company (Source: court of Pleas, page 242 – Oct 1764-1767)

1776 – 14 Feb 1778 Revolutionary War Service in the 14^th Virginia Regiment (Source: Virginia State Library) under Captain Thomas Thweatt.  The regiment fought in the Battle of Brandywine, the Battle ofGermantown, the Battle of Monmouth and the Siege of Charleston.  The first 3 battles, he fought under the command of General George Washington.

 Battle of Brandywine

 Battle of Germantown (sorry hard to see)

Battle of Monmouth

1788 – Left Halifax County, VA and went to Greene County, GA

20 Aug 1792 - He died in Green County, Georgia at the age of 65

What a fascinating life he had.  I wish I had a time machine so I could go back and meet him.