Genealogy Fun

Grandfather and Girlfriend?

2012-01-26T07:41:00.000-05:00

The man in this photo is my grandfather, John H. Ziegler. I believe this is the same girl in the photo yesterday. The back of this photo says John Ziegler and girlfriend.

Interesting Picture Postcard

2012-01-25T21:45:00.000-05:00

I thought this was an interesting photo postcard.

The man on the right is my grandfather, John H. Ziegler. Don't know the other two.

Mother - Daughter

2012-01-19T07:45:00.000-05:00

I recently scanned some pictures and found this cute picture of Mom with her mother in May 1960.

Flip-Pal Scanner

2012-01-17T21:19:00.000-05:00

Just a little update on my progress with the Flip-Pal which I received for Christmas, so far I love it, it's easy to use, it is fast and makes very good scans.

This photo was scanned with the Flip-Pal. I scanned the photo in 2 sections and then used the Flip-Pal program to stitch the photo together. Looks good I think. I have been using the Flip-Pal to scan some albums. The only think I can complain about is that you have to use other photo editing programs to crop out the white area when the photo isn't as large as the scanner bed.

Mom

2012-01-06T08:15:00.000-05:00

Another photo of mom from her cousin, I'm so happy to get these pictures, we didn't have a copy of this. It is always neat to see the pictures others in the family have of your family.

School Days 1941-42

2012-01-05T09:27:00.000-05:00

Recently my mom's first cousin sent me some pictures of the family which she thought I would like to have! I don't think I remember seeing this one of my mom, she would have been about 17 years old. Mom said that she made this dress.

My new photo blog is
365 Pictures of 2012

check out my photos of my cardinal collection

My Goals

2012-01-02T08:00:00.000-05:00

My goals for 2012 are to do a better job blogging here on Genealogy Fun. I hope to do some research. Scan more pictures with my FlipPal. I have also started a photo blog 365 Pictures of 2012. I know another blog is the last thing I need but this just seems like fun.
I was reading Graveyard Rabbit of Sandusky Bay , 52 Weeks of Abundant Genealogy,week one Blogs.
I was reminded that my first follower was Terry Snyder at Desktop Genealogist Unplugged. She isn't blogging now but I still miss her. My second was Becky Jamison at Grace and Glory. I guess you always remember your first followers, they were both so helpful. I was lost when I first started my blog. Since then there have been so many wonderful bloggers, I do not want to name them because I wouldn't want to leave anyone off the list.

New Blog!

2012-01-01T17:08:00.000-05:00

I have enjoyed several photo blogs during 2011 so I've decided to start a photo blog for 2012.

365 Pictures of 2012

Don't look for anything exciting, just the every day things around us.

November a Month To Be Thankful 11-18-11

2011-11-18T08:00:00.002-05:00

TGIF

Wow am I glad today is Friday!!
Grocery shopping is done!!
Time to get ready for
Thanksgiving Day
Hope everyone has a Great Thanksgiving!

November a Month To Be Thankful 11-17-11

2011-11-17T08:53:00.000-05:00

Just a week til Thanksgiving Day! I am thankful that we have been blessed and are able to look forward to a Thanksgiving dinner with family. I've already bought the turkey and many of the fixings for the dinner. Need to get my recipe folder out with my holiday recipes, to see what else I need to buy.
My husband has told me not to over do, there aren't that many of us, but I try to fix a favorite dish for everyone. How can I choose to leave something out?

November a Month To Be Thankful 11-16-11

2011-11-16T08:11:00.000-05:00

I am thankful for the Great new deck my husband has put up. I'm looking forward to enjoying the birds at the bird feeder this winter.

November a Month To Be Thankful 11-15-11

2011-11-15T08:00:00.001-05:00

Thankful for the memories!!

Sometimes it is hard to be thankful, when you are in a situation you can't always find the good. When my husband and I married he was in the Army. He was stationed at Ft. Devens, Mass. which seemed a world away to me. It was hard and there were many lonely days but I think it made our marriage stronger since we learned to count on each other. There was no running home to mom and dad.

We lived in Leominster, Mass for the first year then we moved on base. Over the years we have been able to look back at our time there and enjoy the memories. We had one of those moments over the weekend when cleaning out a bookshelf. I found Albert's Almanac we had saved from 1988. Dick Albert was the weather man on WCVB TV in Boston while we were living up North. We lived in Mass. for 3 years.

November a Month To Be Thankful 11-14-11

2011-11-14T13:00:00.001-05:00

November 14, 1981, thirty years ago today my grandfather died. He was a man of few words, calm. We always knew he loved us, he would pinch you and smile and wink.
My grandmother died just 8 months before him, they were married almost 65 years. He missed her so much. He had several small strokes and his mind wasn't clear at times. He would ask my mom "When is you mom coming back home?" He asked if they had put up the tombstone for my grandmother and mom and I took him to see the tombstone. He seemed happy to know this had been done. He had a stroke the end of October and was in the hospital for 2 weeks before he died.
We took turns staying with him at the hospital. Mom stopped in the gift shop at the hospital several times to pick up something needed. She saw a set of turkey salt and pepper shakers in the gift shop.
Dad was with her and knew she liked them so he bought them for her. At Thanksgiving we always stop and remember where they came from and think about my grandfather.

I am thankful to have memories of two wonderful grandparents, John and Hattie Ziegler.

November a Month To Be Thankful 11-12-11 and 11-13-11

2011-11-14T10:35:00.000-05:00

I'm so thankful that we (daughter,husband and I) were able to get some furniture moved Saturday. We have some home improvements coming up after the first of the year and it requires the living room be free of lots of furniture and clutter. We emptied a large bookshelf and move it downstairs. It has been so much fun going through all the things that have gathered on that shelf in the 20 years it has been in our house. I am finding that most of the stuff will be kept.
I have also discovered the bookshelf looks better downstairs and I like the smaller table in the living room.

November a Month To Be Thankful 11-11-11

2011-11-11T08:00:00.004-05:00

Thank you Dad and Uncle Eugene.

Veterans Day, November 11, 2011 History of Veterans Day

I am thankful for all the Veterans who have protected our country!

November a Month To Be Thankful 11-10-11

2011-11-10T20:14:00.000-05:00

As the weather becomes colder and winter will be here soon, I am thankful for
l. A warm house
2. Food
3. Clothes

November a Month To Be Thankful 11-9-11

2011-11-09T08:00:00.005-05:00

I am thankful my husband and my children encouraged me to get on Facebook! Through Facebook I have connected with family and friends. I found my next door neighbor way back when we were kids, she and her mother are both on Facebook. We've had a lot of fun reminiscing. I found another girl who lived up the street for a couple of years we were good friends but lost contact since her family moved around the country. Sadly I found a friend from high school but didn't send her a friend request at the time, a few months later on a memorial page for our high school, I discovered she died Dec. 2010. I had not heard from her in many years.

Many of my cousins are on Facebook and I am friends with them, it is a great way to stay in touch. A group of Kelley cousins have connected through Facebook. We have a Kelley Family group page which has been so much fun, we have shared pictures and stories about the family. Many of the cousins have posted pictures of their families now. Most of us in the group are great grandchildren of Hiram and Nancy Kelley. We had an online family reunion during the month of September and many of us posted pictures.
My dad has been dead 10 years and I often wonder what he would think about me connecting with all of these cousins. He would probably think it was neat! He would be giving me names of others to search for. It is a wonderful time to be doing family research.

November a Month To Be Thankful 11-8-11

2011-11-08T13:38:00.000-05:00

Today has been a rushed and busy day!! I would just like to be thankful that the Lord has blessed us with such a Beautiful day and thank the Lord for keeping us safe!

November a Month To Be Thankful 11-7-11 Blogoversary!

2011-11-07T08:52:00.000-05:00

I am thankful today for starting this blog and for the Many people who I have come to know online because of this blog. Most of the people have genealogy blogs but not all.
I would like to thank Lisa at Are You My Cousin for the link on her Friday Follow post. Thanks to Teena at Teena In Toronto for reminding me of my Blogoversary on Friday. I can't believe I forgot. It has now been 3 years, WOW!
I hope this next year I'll have more time and will be able to improve on my blog.

November a Month To Be Thankful 11-6-11

2011-11-06T08:00:00.015-05:00

I'm thankful for the beautiful fall colors. The leaves have been gorgeous this year and the weather has been nice. We haven't been out to the mountains to see the leaves but I try to enjoy the leaves around me.

November a Month To Be Thankful 11-5-11

2011-11-05T08:00:00.002-04:00

Today I am thankful for my home! My house isn't new, or big, or fancy. It is old, built in 1968, just an average size house for that time period, and it is as some would say plain. But it is a home, my husband and I feel like it is and hopefully our children do also. There is a difference between a house and a home. To me it has always been more important to have a home. Our house is filled with STUFF as we are all pack rats and we have lived here for 21 years. Our home is filled with memories!!
I have to say it again I am thankful for my home!!

November a Month To Be Thankful 11-4-11

2011-11-04T08:00:00.011-04:00

November 4, 2011, I am thankful for my two fantastic children. They put up with mom dragging them off to an old church and cemetery. I think they do kinda enjoy seeing where their ancestors lived. At different times, we have pictures made of my great aunt, mom, me, my children on the steps of this church.

November a Month To Be Thankful 11-3-11

2011-11-03T08:00:00.001-04:00

Today I am thankful that the Lord blessed me with a terrific husband. We have been married almost 26 years, Dec. 21, 1985. He is my best friend.

November a Month To Be Thankful 11-2-11

2011-11-02T08:00:00.003-04:00

On this the second day of November, I am thankful for my wonderful mother. She is 87 years old, can't get around very good, can't do all the things she once did but she is still the most wonderful mother. I love her very much. Thank you for being such a Great mother.

November a Month To Be Thankful

2011-11-01T20:23:00.000-04:00

My blog has been pushed to the side this year, I can't believe it is November already and I have only 29 post for the entire year! Today on Facebook I saw where one of my friends Margaret Ann Tull had a post 30 Days of Thanks. This got me to thinking, it is always good to find something to be thankful for and this might help me to post on my blog for the month of November, so here goes 30 days of thanks!

Today is T1Day with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation you can find out more information here http://www.jdrf.org/ .

I changed my profile picture in an effort to raise awareness to Type 1 Diabetes. The JDRF asked people to change their profile picture and in your status tell "Who's your #one?" My number one is my daughter and son who both have Type 1 diabetes. My daughter since she was 26 months, for 18 years now and my son who has had diabetes 10 years the 30th of Oct. He was 8 years old. There is no cure, insulin only treats diabetes.

Since I'm starting a month to be thankful on the Type1Day, 11-1-11 my first things to be thankful for would be insulin, meters to check blood sugar, and the insulin pump. All the things that keep my sweet children alive.

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T07:51:00.000-04:00

Some Halloween pictures from a few years ago!

Buttram Methodist Church

2011-10-30T08:00:00.001-04:00

We made a trip up to McMinn County this past week and stopped by the Buttram Methodist Church and Cemetery. The fall colors were beautiful.

We were even able to get a picture of the inside of the church through the window. My Great Great Grandparents Jacob and Annabelle Ziegler are buried in the cemetery here. They lived less than a mile from this little church.

We didn't have the time to go through the cemetery but I did walk up by the gate to see if it was locked and all the cows in the field next to the cemetery started to stand up. Guess they thought I was there to feed them.

Fall Leaves

2011-10-29T21:13:00.000-04:00

Dogwood Tree

Redbud Tree

Bird at my new bird feeder!

Wordless Wednesday - Beautiful Day in Chattanooga

2011-10-19T08:00:00.006-04:00

View of downtown Chattanooga from the North side of the Tennessee River

Fay Newby Kelley August 10,1892- July 4,1984

2011-09-12T09:58:00.000-04:00

Thankful Thursday - How Did Your Ancestors Survive?

2011-08-04T07:32:00.000-04:00

One of the most important things to have this summer with the extreme heat is air condition so that is what I'm thankful for today. Do you ever wonder how our ancestors survived the heat? I remember my dad said they would work in the morning and then go swim in the creek across the field from their house.
Mom said that her brothers put their bed on the screened in porch during the summer. We didn't have AC in our house when I was growing up, until I was a teen. I can remember some very HOT nights and the windows open.

A funny story about AC. My great grandmother Ziegler lived to be 98 years old she didn't understand all the modern things (Wow! would she be shocked now!). She came to my grandparents house in the summer and they had the AC on and Grandma was next to it. She was getting cold and said if Will Ziegler (her husband) was here he would stop up all the holes in the house so it wouldn't be so COLD!

Wordless Wednesday - August In Tennessee

2011-08-03T21:39:00.000-04:00

Chickens!! Help!

2011-07-29T10:29:00.000-04:00

I think this is one of my first memories. I remember being afraid of the chickens my grandparents had and I would run from them.

Granny to the rescue!

Wordless Wednesday - Brothers

2011-07-27T08:00:00.008-04:00

Eugene Douglas Kelly and Tom Franklin Kelley

Family Search!!

2011-07-07T09:00:00.000-04:00

Last night was the most productive time ever spent on genealogy research. Family Search is a wonderful research site for those of us that don't have the money for the other paid sites. https://www.familysearch.org/search/collection/show#uri=http://hr-search-api:8080/searchapi/search/collection/1417505
I haven't done much on Family Search in a while and discovered they have the Tennessee, Death Records, 1914-1955 and what made it great was the fact you can view and save the Death Certificates.
I was up until 1:00 AM looking up family and saving! I know it may sound crazy to some to be excited over Death Certificates but sometimes there is information on there that we don't know, like the father and mother's maiden names. I found 22 certificates which I saved!
One example is that of my husband's Great Grandmother, Cora Ransom Brumley, who died in 1940, her parents were Granville Ransom and Emma Baker. This we already knew but now I've found Emma Ransom also buried at the Mt. Etna Cemetery in Marion County, Tn. Emma Ransom died 1915 and her parents are listed as Henry Baker and Betsie Sexton. We didn't have these names, they would be my husband's Great Great Great Grandparents.

Help! Is There Anyway Out of Here?

2011-06-29T08:40:00.000-04:00

This must be the way out!

Getting somewhere

Maybe up?

I can see the yard!

Still can't get out!

50th Wedding Anniversary

2011-06-24T16:07:00.000-04:00

John and Hattie Ziegler

This photo was taken by a friend of the family on my Grandparents
50th Wedding Anniversary, April 1966.

Kelley Family Reunion

2011-06-23T20:23:00.000-04:00

Kelley Family Reunion

December 1983

Dad, Mom, me, sister-in-law, and brother

I am so happy to get this picture. I had not seen it until just recently.

Memory Monday!

2011-06-13T19:09:00.001-04:00

I guess the reality that my children are grown is hitting me! My daughter is 20 and just completed her second year of college. She is taking a summer class and has been busy doing homework since the class meets 5 days a week and a lab 2 days a week. My son,almost 18, just graduated from high school and will start college in August. He just started working at Papa John's Pizza, which we love. I just have to say he smells so good after he has been making pizza. Even though they are still living at home I know they are no longer children but young adults. It seems strange at times. There are so many memories of their childhood all around, as we are all pack rats and save almost everything.

Over the weekend my husband, daughter and I went out to eat. After we ate we went to Books-a Million to look around. Well just inside the door was the summer reading display.Wow! This is the first year that we haven't had to go out and buy books for the summer reading. I wish I could say that my kids love to read but I can't. Hopefully they will enjoy reading when they can pick the book and read at their own pace. After all the books and work they did in high school it may be awhile. It was for me and my husband.

There were also the craft kits! This brought back so many memories of making things with my kids. It was always so much fun. The crafts didn't always turn out perfect but we had fun.

My husband's niece posted pictures on Facebook of her boys playing this summer. More Memories!
They grow up so fast. Where have the years gone? Not that long ago my kids were playing on the water slide in the front yard and going to the park to play.

I keep reminding myself there are new things to enjoy with my young adults! Watching them get through college and have successful jobs. I guess this is the start of the empty nest! They are still here, just missing the fun times. I'm glad I don't have to live through some of the things that have come our way so I would not like to go back. I'll just enjoy the memories!

The Face of Genealogy

2011-06-08T09:05:00.001-04:00

There are many faces which come to mind when I think of the Face of Genealogy. In fact I had another photo here and changed my mind. This photo was in a group of photos from my Aunt. They had been my grandmother's photos. The back of the photo says Mr.and Mrs. Davis and family and is addressed to L. A. Newby. My Great Great Grandmother was Lydia Newby but when I first saw the photo I didn't know who the Davis family was. After doing some research I found that Mrs. Davis in the photo was the grandaughter of Lydia.Her name was Ida Thurman Davis. Ida's mother was Bettie Newby Thurman the daughter of Lydia and King Newby.
To me This is the True Face of Genealogy, being able to take an old photo and learn who they were, how they were related and a little about them.

Edgemon Family

2011-05-09T09:00:00.000-04:00

Left to right: Hattie, Lettie, Becky, Harden's wife, Liz (sister-in-law), Polly, and Harden

looks like there maybe someone between Lettie and Becky but can't tell who.

April 1910 Postcard

2011-04-20T09:33:00.000-04:00

Hello:Grandmaw. I recived your pretty Easter card glad to get a card from you. Say Grandmaw you must be shure and com to see this sprang. We will have strawberries ripe by the last of this weak. Say Grandmaw you give this card to Uncle Tom and see if he has forgoten who this is one it. Well good by will write soon. Your granddaughter Liddie
postmarked April 5, 1910
Rossville, Ga
addressed to L. A. Newby in Denver
names of the men on front are ? Hollingsworth, John Long, and Quitman Long

Liddie was my grandmother's sister. Liddie would have been 15 years old in 1910. She was writing to her grandmother Lydia Newby (her father's mother). Lydia Newby was living in Denver, where her daughter Mattie Newby Burdick lived. From this postcard it appears that her son Tom Newby was also living in Denver in 1910.
John Long and Quitman Long were Uncles on her mother's side of the family. Since she was asking if Uncle Tom remembered who the men on the front of the card were, they must have been friends. We are not sure when the Newby family moved from Franklin County,Tn to the Walker County,Ga. area, maybe this will help.

Easter 1960

2011-04-19T13:34:00.000-04:00

Easter 1960! I don't remember 1960, I'm the little one here! Easter was always lots of fun. We went to my grandmother (Mama Kelley) house. We had a big family dinner. Then the little kids had to stay inside while the older cousins would hide the Easter eggs for us to hunt. We would hunt them over and over I guess til the older kids got tired (bored).

Something To Think About As We Rush Into Spring

2011-03-18T09:54:00.000-04:00

When spring arrives after a long cold winter we all want to get out and have a million things to do but we need to slow down and be safe. I got the following in an e-mail recently and read it just after I was almost hit by another car at an intersection about a mile from my house. I had slowed down at the intersection as I always do even when I have the green light. My light turned green as I approached and green as the other car went through the intersection. If I hadn't slowed down the other car would have hit me on the driver's side. It scares me I'm not sure either of us would have survived the accident.

Read This Slowly
Jack took a long look at his speedometer,
Before slowing down: 73 in a 55 zone.
Fourth time in as many months..
How could a guy get caught so often?
When his car had slowed to 10 miles an hour,
Jack pulled over, but only partially.
Let the cop worry about the potential traffic hazard..
Maybe some other car will tweak his backside with a mirror.
The cop was stepping out of his car,
The big pad in hand..
Bob? Bob from Church?
Jack sunk farther into his trench coat
This was worse than the coming ticket.
A cop catching a guy from his own church.
A guy who happened to be a little eager
To get home after a long day at the office..
A guy he was about to play golf with tomorrow..
Jumping out of the car,
He approached a man he saw every Sunday,
A man he'd never seen in uniform.
'Hi, Bob. Fancy meeting you like this..'
'Hello, Jack.' No smile.
'Guess you caught me red-handed
In a rush to see my wife and kids.'
'Yeah, I guess.' Bob seemed uncertain.
Good.
'I've seen some long days at the office lately.
I'm afraid I bent the rules a bit -just this once.'
Jack toed at a pebble on the pavement.
'Diane said something about roast beef and potatoes tonight.
Know what I mean?'
'I know what you mean.
I also know that you have a reputation in our precinct ...'
Ouch.
This was not going in the right direction.
Time to change tactics.
'What'd you clock me at?'
'Seventy. Would you sit back in your car please?'
'Now wait a minute here, Bob.
I checked as soon as I saw you.
I was barely nudging 65.'
The lie seemed to come easier with every ticket.
'Please, Jack, in the car'
Flustered, Jack hunched himself through the still-open door Slamming it shut, he stared at the dashboard..
He was in no rush to open the window.
The minutes ticked by.
Bob scribbled away on the pad..
Why hadn't he asked for a driver's license?
Whatever the reason,
It would be a month of Sundays
Before Jack ever sat near this cop again.
A tap on the door jerked his head to the left.
There was Bob, a folded paper in hand
Jack rolled down the window a mere two inches,
Just enough room for Bob to pass him the slip.
'Thanks..'
Jack could not quite keep the sneer out of his voice.
Bob returned to his police car without a word.
Jack watched his retreat in the mirror..
Jack unfolded the sheet of paper.
How much was this one going to cost?
Wait a minute.
What was this? Some kind of joke?
Certainly not a ticket. Jack began to read:
'Dear Jack, Once upon a time I had a daughter..
She was six when killed by a car.
You guessed it - a speeding driver.
A fine and three months in jail, and the man was free.
Free to hug his daughters, all three of them.
I only had one, and I'm going to have to wait until Heaven
Before I can ever hug her again.
A thousand times I've tried to forgive that man.
A thousand times I thought I had.
Maybe I did, but I need to do it again.
Even now.
Pray for me.
And be careful, Jack,
my son is all I have left.'
'Bob'
Jack turned around in time to see Bob's car
pull away and head down the road.
Jack watched until it disappeared.
A full 15 minutes later, he too,
pulled away and drove slowly home,
praying for forgiveness and
hugging a surprised wife and kids when he arrived...
Life is precious.
Handle with care.
This is an important message;
please pass it along to your friends.
Drive safely and carefully.
Remember, cars are not the only things
recalled by their maker.

Cats

2011-03-16T08:00:00.001-04:00

Bentley
March 2011

Proud Mom

2011-03-15T07:46:00.000-04:00

Like all mom's I am proud of both of my children. I've never liked to be one bragging ALL the time but there are times that they need to be bragged on! Last night we attended the Superintendent's Honors Banquet at the Chattanooga Convention Center this was for the students and their parents. The top ten percent of the senior class from each high school in the county. He is 6th in his class! Keep up the good work!
We attended this banquet two years ago when my daughter was a senior!

Wordless Wednesday - Surprise at the Birdbath!

2011-03-02T07:52:00.000-05:00

Not my cat but it is my bird bath! The birds got a surprise when they came to the birdbath this day!

March In Like a Lion!!

2011-03-01T12:58:00.000-05:00

I surely hope that a Feb. 28 storm counts as March coming in like a lion! I would hate to think we have to get another bad storm. We didn't have the damage that many people in our area had but this is a picture of our driveway which looked like a river. Thanks to my husband and son's hard work last spring we didn't get any water in the house. In the past we would have gotten water in the house with a rain like yesterday.

The Electric Power Board said there were 37,000 people without power after the storm. Many trees were down on power lines and houses. Our power never went out but Mom's was off for 19 hours! If you want to read more about the storm go HERE

Even our cat Starsky (6years old) knew what to do during a storm, when it was over I found him coming out of the closet. Bentley who is just one slept peacefully through the whole thing on our bed. I guess he hasn't lived through enough storms to know he should go hide! You may be asking how does Starsky get in the closet? If the door isn't open he will work until he can slide the door open just enough to get in.

I'm happy that today is a BEAUTIFUL SPRING DAY!!

Forest Hills Cemetery - part 4- Lindsey/ Cooke graves

2011-02-24T14:17:00.000-05:00

Where has time (my time) gone! I've only made 5 post for the entire year of 2011. I really need to do better!

Often times we forget a few minutes is all we need to get a lot done. I'm excited that my few minutes to run by the Forest Hills Cemetery was so successful! Cemetery map and information in hand on where my husband's Great Great Great Grandmother, Sarah Richardson Lindsey and two of her daughters were buried, I started my search. I've been once before looking for Sarah but didn't have any luck.

I found the graves fairly quickly and to my surprise my husband's Great Great Grandmother, Ada Lindsey Cooke was buried next to her mother and sisters. Wow! I knew from Ada's obituary she was buried at Forest Hills, however, she didn't appear on their website search. I had thought it would be necessary to go by their office with a copy of the obituary to have them check it out.

I can tell next visit I need to carry a broom to brush off the dirt from the markers and take new pictures.

I was also pleased to find the grave of my Mom's friend who died last year.

Tombstone Tuesday - Forest Hills Cemetery part 3

2011-02-08T08:00:00.006-05:00

Every cemetery it seems has a section where babies and small children are buried and Forest Hills Cemetery is no exception. It's always sad to see so many children and babies who have died but it seems we are drawn to the section and we read the names and wonder the story of each child.

The marker has Brumbley, however, the Forest Hills Cemetery website has him listed as Ernest Brumley.

This marker for Cordelia Reed was just in front of the one for Ernest Brumbley, so it looks like he may have been at the Vine Street Orphans' Home. It is possible that the name on the marker was misspelled and since he was an orphan no one had it corrected.
We have no record of a Ernest Brumley in my husband's family. Maybe no one knew about him, maybe his parents also died. Based on when my husband's grandmother had her children, daughter April 1925 and son June 1926, this one could not have been her child.

Tombstone Tuesday - Forest Hills Cemetery part 2

2011-02-01T08:00:00.005-05:00

John Lee Girton is buried at the Forest Hills Cemetery in Chattanooga,Tn

John Lee Girton was born in North Freedom, Wisconsin. Joseph Girton and Mary Powell Girton were his parents. John L. Girton was married to Mabel Cooke Girton. John and Mabel had four daughters, Mary Elizabeth, Louise, and twins Hazel and Helen. He worked for the railroad as baggage master and died en route to Chattanooga.

John L. Girton was my husband's great grandfather.

Bentley's Adventure!

2011-01-31T08:26:00.001-05:00

Yesterday was a busy day, we were all in and out of the house. Then my daughter came home and asked where is Bentley. Don't know haven't seen him since morning. We searched the house in all of Bentley's favorite hiding places. Called him opened a can of food, walked around shaking the dry food bag. No Bentley! He always comes out of hiding in a few minutes so after 30 minutes we decided he had gotten outside! Wow! he has never gone out like this before.
We walked around outside looking for him. Then drove around the street behind us. Still no Bentley. Went outside calling him and carrying his food. Saw something white move, a cat! No not Bentley another cat all white. He followed me around the yard, wanting to be fed.
As it grew later Starsky seemed to be worried also. He went from door to door and window to window looking for Bentley. Finally, at 11:30 we went to bed. Everyone except my daughter and Starsky. Starsky would call out and then walk through the house. My daughter went to bed at some point.
At 4:50 something woke me up, I went downstairs to check it out. Starsky was at the kitchen door looking out. I looked but didn't see anything. I was talking to Starsky when I heard a cat. Looked outside again and there was Bentley on the bench. I opened the door but had to go out and get him. Boy was I happy to see him. I took him up to my daughter and put him on top of her. She woke in shock, not sure if she was dreaming. She grabbed Bentley and hugged him.
Where did he go? I guess he decided since he is now 1 year old he needed an adventure. Starsky smelled his paws when he came in. Looked like big brother was checking on WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN YOUNG MAN!!

Tombstone Tuesday - Forest Hills Cemetery

2011-01-25T08:00:00.001-05:00

I finally made it to Forest Hills Cemetery, the cemetery is located in St.Elmo which is just outside of downtown Chattanooga. Forest Hills Cemetery is beautifully located at the foot of Lookout Mountain and was started in 1880. I've always heard what a beautiful cemetery it is and especially in the spring with the flowers in bloom but I don't think I've been before. Forest Hills has a useful website which gives you information on when the person died and the lot where they are buried and then they have maps of each section to help you locate the graves. http://foresthillscemetery.net/

I found several of the Girton family who are buried together. I plan to go back and try to find more from the Girton and Cooke families.

Mabel Cooke Girton was my husband's Great Grandmother, he was a small child when she died so he doesn't remember her. We did get to scan some pictures of the Girton family, however, the pictures do not have names and we don't know who they are.

Let It Snow!

2011-01-11T09:51:00.000-05:00

Enjoy the snow!

Happy New Year!

2010-12-31T08:00:00.003-05:00

This is another of the post cards from Aunt Christan. This card was never used and there is no date.

Kelley Family Reunion December 1984

2010-12-28T08:00:00.002-05:00

Getting back to some genealogy! In December 1984 the Kelley family had a reunion at the Chattanooga Valley Baptist Church. I'm sure the reunion was inspired by the Joel Kelley book which was published in September of that year. There was a crowd of Kelley cousins. Everywhere we looked Dad was introducing us to a cousin. He was so happy to see all of his cousins, many he had not seen in years. We all felt that there would be many reunions to come, however, sadly that was the one and only reunion.

Dad and my Aunts talked about going to the Kelley family reunion in Bradley County, Tn when they were kids. I'm not sure if they still have a reunion there now.

Somehow the day of the Chattanooga Valley Kelley reunion our family forgot to take cameras. I remember one of the cousins took pictures of each family group. I remember Dad called the cousin several times and offered to send money to have an extra set of pictures developed for him. He always wanted copies of those pictures, but never got them. I would love to have copies of those pictures. Maybe someday a Kelley cousin who was at the December 1984 Kelley Family Reunion at the Chattanooga Valley Baptist Church will find this blog and contact me and e-mail pictures. What a great day that would be!

The Cats Enjoy Christmas Too!

2010-12-27T08:00:00.001-05:00

Starsky enjoys his Christmas gift!

Bentley likes his fish too!

Birds in the Snow!

2010-12-26T20:46:00.000-05:00

Another view of our Christmas Day snow. The bird seed kept getting covered with snow.

Merry Christmas from Tennessee!

2010-12-25T19:55:00.000-05:00

We had a beautiful White Christmas!

The first in many years.

December 21,1985 - Our Special Day

2010-12-21T08:00:00.002-05:00

December 21, 1985

Our Wedding Day

December 21, 2010 marks our 25th Anniversary

Earliest Christmas Memory

2010-12-19T20:24:00.000-05:00

My earliest Christmas memory was when I was about 4 years old. I don't remember all the details. I think my Mom was finishing up some baking and wanted my brother and I to get ready for bed. Remember how hard it was to sleep on Christmas Eve? My Dad came into the room and said he was going outside because he heard someone in the driveway. He came back in with a gift for me and one for my brother. He said that Santa was just checking to make sure we were going to bed on time. Santa gave him the gifts since we had been good all year but we had better get to bed, if we wanted him to leave the rest of our gifts when he came back. We got ready and went to bed.
I can't remember what my brother got but I do remember my gift. It was a gun and holster. The holster was black with white trim and a silver star, I'm pretty sure I still have it packed away somewhere. The gun I don't remember very well, I guess it broke as most toy guns do.
I guess that I enjoyed playing cowboys with my brother. Mom has a picture of us, my brother had a cowboy hat and gun and I had my gun and holster and a doll. I remember the doll except I remember her differently!
In the picture she has beautiful curly hair, in my memory she has no curls and almost no hair. You see I cut her hair! I thought her hair would grow back as mine did when Mom cut it. I remember crying when mom said that the doll's hair wouldn't grow back. I played with her anyway, and loved her. I was so sorry I had cut her beautiful hair.

Christmas Tree and Starsky

2010-12-15T20:43:00.000-05:00

When I wrote about our pets at Christmas a few days ago, I said we weren't sure what our new cats would do with the Christmas tree. Well as you can see Starsky likes the tree. He is so sweet and gentle, he didn't knock anything off the tree. This picture looks so much like the pictures of Jaguar under the tree. It seemed so natural for him to go under the tree and it seemed natural to us seeing a cat under our tree.

Bentley hasn't bothered the tree - Yet!

Christmas 1994

2010-12-13T20:37:00.000-05:00

I've always loved this picture of my Dad holding my kids.

Dec. 1994

Holiday Parties

2010-12-10T08:00:00.001-05:00

I can't remember our family having holiday parties, just the family get together for Christmas. There were always Christmas parties at church and school which were fun. Except that I can remember one year at school the person who got my name didn't get me a gift. I had been so excited buying a gift for the person who's name I had and then I didn't get anything. Mom told me it was probably because the child's parents didn't have the money to buy even a small gift. Which I'm sure is the reason most schools don't allow gift exchanges. It was sad but, I survived.
The holiday parties which come to mind most are the ones from the company my husband worked for when our children were small. They had a company Christmas party on the first Saturday of December. It was on Saturday morning and it was for the children of the employees. They had Christmas shows to watch, crafts to make, snacks to eat and the best part for the kids was at the very end. Santa came and let every kid set in his lap. Our kids looked forward to the party! We have pictures somewhere!

More Information on the Use of Xmas

2010-12-09T08:00:00.001-05:00

I posted a Christmas postcard from the early 1900's a few days ago and it said Happy xmas. I know every year we hear don't take Christ out of Christmas. I must say here I believe in Christ and I write Christmas, so I don't want anyone to get mad at me. I remembered a few years ago reading on the internet about the meaning of xmas. I couldn't find what I read a few years ago but this link does give us some history to xmas.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xmas
In some cases yes, people are taking Christ out of Christmas in other cases I think people are lazy and don't want to write it out. But when we look at things from the early 1900's and read about xmas being used for a thousand years maybe we should realize past generations knew more than we do.

Xmas" is a common abbreviation of the word "Christmas". It is sometimes pronounced /ˈɛksməs/, but it, and variants such as "Xtemass", originated as handwriting abbreviations for the typical pronunciation, /ˈkrɪsməs/. The "-mas" part is from the Latin-derived Old English word for "mass",[1] while the "X" comes from the Greek letter Chi, which is the first letter of the Greek word Χριστός, translated as "Christ". copied from

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xmas

Just something to think about. I'm keeping Christ in Christmas but I can see where this originated.

Wordless Wednesday - Christmas Memories

2010-12-08T07:47:00.000-05:00

Our family Dec. 2003, my son was in the wedding of some friends from church.

Christmas Postcard - From Great Great Grandma

2010-12-07T08:00:00.002-05:00

If you would like to read some wonderful Christmas memories follow this link Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories. I haven't linked my Christmas memories since I wasn't sure how many I would be able to do, and I might not get them posted on the right days.

Saturday was Christmas Cards- I remembered this very special Christmas card which I am proud to have. It's a Christmas postcard.

I thought it was interesting that the card says

A Happy Xmas. I think the post mark is 1912, it is

hard to tell. This is a card from Janette Farrell to

her grand daughter Christan Ziegler. Janette died

January 13, 1913.

Santa Claus

2010-12-06T20:00:00.003-05:00

This newspaper clipping was from a New Mexico newspaper, my mother's cousin saw it in the paper and mailed it to me. My kids had their picture made with this Santa that year. As I remember he was a very good Santa.

My son was 16 months and daughter was almost 4 years old.

Outdoor Christmas Decorations

2010-12-06T08:00:00.001-05:00

2009

2007

Growing up we didn't have any outdoor decorations at Christmas. My children inspired us to have outdoor decorations. When they were very young they enjoyed looking at the Christmas lights when we were out after dark. It first started with my daughter and then my son, when we saw how much they enjoyed the Christmas lights we would make at least a couple of trips out just to see the lights. As soon as they spotted the lights both would call out "pretty and gorgeous". It was so cute!
Then when my son got a little older he asked why we didn't have any outdoor decorations. So we would buy a few each year after Christmas. My husband and son would put them up each year. My son does most of the outdoor decoration now and my daughter does most of the inside. It is so nice that they want to decorate.

Christmas 1980

2010-12-05T08:00:00.002-05:00

left to right - Granny, PaPa, and Aunt Christan

Christmas 1980 so long ago, Granny died in March 1981 and PaPa died Nov. 1981 so this was their last Chrismas. I still miss them both.

Pets and Christmas

2010-12-04T08:00:00.001-05:00

Rusty

Christmas 1978

my dog before I married

Fluffy

Christmas 2003

Jaguar

Christmas 2003

Sweet Jaguar always got under (or in the tree) as soon as it went up as if to pose for her annual Christmas photo.

Fluffy

Christmas 2009

Fluffy was very sick during Christmas last year.

She enjoyed her Christmas present.

This year we don't have our tree up yet, I know we need to get busy. We aren't sure how our two new cats will react to a Christmas tree. Starsky will probably hide and Bentley may just pull the tree down.

It will be fun to see what happens!

First Christmas 1958

2010-12-03T08:00:00.001-05:00

This is my brother and I in December 1958.

I was 4 months old and he was almost 4 years old.

Christmas In The Early 1950's

2010-12-02T08:00:00.001-05:00

Adults across the back - Mom, Dad, Aunt Agnes (Grandmother's sister), Granny, Aunt Gin, Uncle Bill, and Aunt Mildred
in chairs left Ted (Aunt Agnes's husband) and PaPa
kids Kathy, Linda, Martha
Picture taken and developed by Ziggie.
I think the picture was made in the early 1950's probably 1952 or 1953. You can just barely see the tree behind the adults.

Remember These Christmas Trees?

2010-12-01T11:17:00.000-05:00

This picture was made sometime in the 1970's at my Aunt's house. She had this Christmas tree for YEARS!

and who is that young thin girl?

Blogs and Facebook Really Do Help!

2010-11-30T08:52:00.000-05:00

I've been excited recently to have been contacted by e-mail and on Facebook by people who found this blog. The first to e-mail me was a Farrell cousin, we share the same Great Great Grandparents, T.L. and Janette Farrell. We have e-mailed several times sharing the information which we have. Which reminds me I need to e-mail her back, things have been busy.

Over the Thanksgiving weekend I received a message on Facebook from a lady who found my Kelley information and asked if I would look in the Kelley book for her Kelley relative Eliza Kelley Bonine. I looked through the Kelley book and did not find Eliza , however, somewhere down the line we maybe able to connect her to this Kelley line.

Blogger Carol Wilkerson over at iPentimento/Genealogy and History had posted a couple pictures which I saw on Facebook of Edgemon's from Ten Mile,Tn. area. I left a comment asking if she was related to the Edgemon's. Carol is related in a round about way. I need to spend some more time searching through the Edgemon information for her Morrison connection.

There was also a lady who e-mailed me from a comment I left on RootsWeb several years ago on the Ziegler line. She is related but I need to type out all of the Ziegler information from a book or maybe I can scan it, since I don't have it on the computer. This will take some time also.

So many things to do and so little time to get it done.

Thanksgiving 2010 Added to Our Thanksgiving Memories

2010-11-29T10:33:00.001-05:00

Hope that everyone out there had a great holiday. Our family enjoyed Thanksgiving with my Mom, she is 86 years old. We feel very thankful to still have her with us. We have a small family, mom, me, my husband, two kids, brother and his wife. The food was great and we had a wonderful time.

We had our usual favorite foods, turkey and dressing, pepperoni rolls, pecan pie,sausage balls, cake mix cookies, hash brown potato casserole, sweet potato pie,fruit salad and broccoli salad. We even tried a new recipe for sweet potatoes. To save on calories and sugar (which we need to do more of) there were no marshmallows.
Bake the sweet potatoes and scoop out the potato and add crushed pineapple, cinnamon, all spice, ginger, cloves and a small amount of butter. Mix and place in a casserole dish and bake at 400 for 20 minutes. It is so good I think we will add this to our list of favorites.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-24T08:09:00.000-05:00

Hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving Memories - part 9 Cake Mix Cookies

2010-11-23T09:09:00.000-05:00

Thought I would share one more recipe with you before Thanksgiving. This recipe was given to me by my sister -in- law years ago. Several years later my mother-in-law gave me the same recipe so I'm not sure which one of them got the recipe first. It is very easy and SO GOOD!
Take the basic recipe and use your imagination.
Cake Mix Cookies
Yellow cake mix
1/2 cup oil
2 eggs
2 tablespoons water
add
chocolate chips, nuts .....
We love lemon cake mix with the basic recipe and sprinkle with confectioners sugar!
Chocolate cake with chips and nuts, chocolate cake and peanut butter chips.
Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes.

Hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving!!

Fall in Tennessee

2010-11-19T10:24:00.000-05:00

This photo doesn't do justice to the fabulous fall colors in these trees. We don't have the sudden color change like in New England, with the vibrant colors. However there is something to be said for still having color on some of the trees in the middle of November. Sorry this was taken quickly while driving by.

Thanksgiving Memories - part 8 Pecan Pie

2010-11-18T09:38:00.000-05:00

Pecan Pie is a delicious Thanksgiving pie. Mom always made pecan pie for my Dad. When I married my husband loved pecan pie. He always said his mom made the Best pecan pie. When we made our annual trips home from New England in November his mom always made pecan pie which we all enjoyed at the Thanksgiving meal. Then as we were leaving she would call him into the kitchen and give him a whole pie. She did this for many years after we moved back home. She told me "I don't want to hurt your feelings, I know you can made Paul a pie. I just want to do this for him because I know how much he enjoys the pecan pie."It never bothered me. I thought it was a special moment shared between a mother and son.

She wrote out several of her recipes, including the pecan pie, and sent them to me a short time after we married. Several years later she gave everyone a small photo album with some of the favorite family recipes.

As you can see from the recipe card it has been used many times. I've seen recipes for pecan pie which were the same or nearly the same. I think the reason this pie was so mouth watering was it was made with Love!

We miss your pecan pie!

Thanksgiving Memories -part 7 What I'm Thankful For

2010-11-17T11:06:00.002-05:00

Thanksgiving 2010 is one week from tomorrow. I have enjoyed putting together my memories of Thanksgivings past. As I have looked through pictures and remembered so many Thanksgiving celebrations it has become clear to me that the most important thing is FAMILY!
I was looking at some pictures of Thanksgiving 2000 with my husband's family and it struck me there are so many of our family no longer with us 10 years later. My Dad, mother -in- law's second husband, my mother -in- law, my sister -in- law's husband, my brother -in- law and 4 aunts and 1 uncle. So this Thanksgiving the thing I'm most thankful for is the family we still have with us. Even if we don't see each other at Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving 2000
My sweet mother -in- law, you are missed!

Thanksgiving Memories - part 6 Special Thanksgiving Recipes!

2010-11-16T08:00:00.005-05:00

Have you planned your Thanksgiving menu? I guess most of us have favorite dishes which we make for the holidays and rarely if ever make them when it isn't Thanksgiving or Christmas. The recipe I want to share today is one of my family favorites.
There of course has to be some history before we get to the recipe. My husband was in the Army, while we were dating he was in Turkey. While there he had a friend named Dan, and during the holidays Dan's mother sent him a box of "GOODIES". All the guys got boxes from their families and they shared. I sent my husband (then boy friend) several boxes during the year he was there.
Dan's box contained some rolls, which my husband said were SO GOOD! Even though they were a bit old from the long mail trip! They were yeast rolls with pepperoni and cheese baked inside. After my husband and I married we had Dan over to eat. I asked him to get the recipe from his mom and he said there is nothing to it just put pepperoni and cheese in a yeast roll recipe and bake! So that was all I had to go on. We have enjoyed them for 25 years! They are best right out of the oven. I have looked in cook books and on the Internet and haven't found them. This is the recipe I use. The last two years my daughter has made the rolls, she has watched and helped for years but she decided she wanted to make them herself.
Pepperoni Rolls
3 1/2 to 3 3/4 cups of all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup shortening, softened
1tsp. salt
1pkg. regular or quick-acting dry yeast
1/2 cup very warm water (120 to 130 degrees)
1/2 cup very warm milk, scalded, then cooled to 120-130 degrees
1 egg
sliced pepperoni
1 in.cubes cheddar cheese
Mix 2 cups of the flour, sugar, shortening, salt, and yeast in 2 1/2 qt. bowl. Add water, milk and egg. Beat on low speed, scrapping bowl frequently. Beat on medium speed 1 min. Stir in enough flour to make dough easy to handle.
Turn dough onto lightly floured surface, knead until smooth and elastic about 5 minutes. Place in greased 2 1/2 qt. bowl, turn greased side up. Cover and let rise in warm place until double, about 1 hour.
Punch down dough. Divide into about 18 pieces. Place 3 slices pepperoni and 2 cubes of cheese in center of each piece of dough and pull dough up around pepperoni. Roll into ball making sure cheese and pepperoni are covered. Place seam side down in greased muffin pan. Cover and let rise until double, about 30 minutes. Heat oven to 400.
Bake until golden brown 12 to 18 minutes. I rub a little butter on top when done.
Enjoy!!

Thanksgiving Memories - part 5 Thanksgiving at Our House

2010-11-15T10:37:00.000-05:00

I can't remember what year it was but we, my husband, kids and I, had Thanksgiving dinner at our house. Since my husband and I moved back home we have always had Thanksgiving at my parents house except for one year. My brother and his family were going to his wife's family for Thanksgiving dinner. Mom's health had not been good and Dad didn't want mom to over do herself, which she would. So Dad said there was no need in me cooking a meal and bringing it over to their house. He said that he and mom would go out to eat. I told him that they should come to my house but he didn't want mom to have to cook anything and she would if they came over to my house.
Wow! flash back to the Thanksgiving of 1981! My parents eating out on Thanksgiving! When they could come to my house. Here we were just the four of us with our BIG Thanksgiving meal. I remember standing there saying this just isn't right. My husband said next year we are going to your Mom and Dad's house and I said I agree. The next day I told my Dad that it just wasn't the same without them on Thanksgiving and next year we are fixing the meal and bringing it over here. He said OK!

Thanksgiving Memories - part 4 Thanksgiving 1981

2010-11-12T08:00:00.000-05:00

First I have to say there are many wonderful, happy memories of Thanksgiving, I hope that no one thinks I'm just telling the sad times.
November of 1981 was a stressful and sad time especially for my Mom. Her mother had died in March of 1981 and her Dad was in poor health. He had a stroke in late October and was in the hospital for two weeks. He died on November 14,1981.
Thanksgiving we knew would be sad. My brother and his wife went to have Thanksgiving with her family.
My Dad knew how tired Mom was after being at the hospital so much. He said there was no need in her cooking a turkey for just the three of us. He said we would go out to eat. Eating out on Thanksgiving!! What a strange thing to do, I know lots of people do it now, but in 1981 it just wasn't that common.

Mom, Dad and I went to Shoney's to eat. I just felt like crying through the meal. Looking around at the people, most were older people, a few young people. There were probably many reasons the people were eating there and not with family. The first Thanksgiving without my grandparents was probably the saddest.
I remember telling Mom and Dad, "I will fix Thanksgiving dinner next time. I just don't want to eat out on Thanksgiving." I don't think that it bothered Mom and Dad like it did me.

Veterans Day

2010-11-11T08:00:00.006-05:00

Dad

Uncle Eugene

Uncle Jake

Uncle Bill

husband - Paul

Thanksgiving Memories - part 3 Thanksgiving in Tennessee '86-'88

2010-11-10T10:16:00.000-05:00

Every Thanksgiving has been spent in Tennessee so what makes the years 1986, 1987, and 1988 special?
My husband was in the Army and we were living in Leominster, Mass. in 1986 and on base at Ft. Devens, Mass. in 1987 and 1988. The only time we came home was for Thanksgiving, we were home for two weeks. Boy, was I homesick by the time November came!
It is nice to remember those years. My brother and his wife had the family over for Thanksgiving dinner in 1986. My nephew was a small child, he is now 26 years old. My cousin who was there is now a grandmother of two and two more grandchildren on the way. Sadly there are those who are no longer with us, my Dad, Aunt Mildred, Aunt Christan, Uncle Harry (who died Dec. 1986).

The drive down from Mass. was always an adventure. I think it was Nov. 1987 we came through New York City. Wow! I had to read the directions a friend had given my husband. We made it through without getting lost!!

November 1988 we decided we would drive both cars and leave my car in Tennessee. My husband was getting out of the Army in Feb. 1989 and we thought it would be one less thing to worry about when we left Ft. Devens in Feb. 1989. Especially since at that time we didn't know where we would end up living.
After many prayers and job searches we ended up back home in Chattanooga!

On our drive down in '88 we stopped to get gas. I pulled out and started back on the Interstate and realized that my husband was no where in sight. This was before cell phones! I had to talk on the CB radio! which my husband had put in both cars special for this trip. I pulled over and waited for him ( he was at the gas station looking for me). We made it home safely.

Thanksgiving Memories part 2 Thanksgiving with Great Grandma

2010-11-09T09:34:00.000-05:00

Growing up many Thanksgiving days were spent with Great Grandma Ziegler, not sure how unusual it is to be able to spend Thanksgiving with a great grandparent. I would love to hear from others who spent holidays with great grandparents.
Grandma and Great Aunt Christan came to my grandparent's house for Thanksgiving. My Mom and Grandmother cooked the meal. There were other family members there some years but almost always Grandma and Christan were there. Grandma looked forward to coming to "Johnnie's for Thanksgiving". She always called my grandfather, John Huff Ziegler, Johnnie. It was a celebration of Christan's birthday, Nov. 17,1906, and Grandma's birthday Nov. 30, 1873 , and Thanksgiving all in one. I can't remember for sure but I think they even came the Thanksgiving of 1971, before Grandma died in March 1972.
I don't think I have any pictures of those Thanksgiving celebrations sure wish I did.
My kids were born after all of their great grandparents died so they never knew them. Most of all I wish my grandmothers could have seen my children.
The best part of Thanksgiving was waking up smelling the turkey cooking. Now I'm the one getting up early to get the turkey cooked. Hope my kids enjoy waking up smelling the turkey like I did. Now I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving Memories part 1

2010-11-08T10:33:00.000-05:00

Thanksgiving is a wonderful time to visit with family and enjoy their company and also enjoy a great meal.

November of 2007 was a special Thanksgiving meal with my Dad's last surviving sister. My Aunt didn't have any children and her husband passed away in June 2005. One of my cousin's in south Georgia e-mailed and said he was coming up to have Thanksgiving with Aunt Betty and wanted us all to come.

We didn't get together on Thanksgiving Day but it was a special day. Many of the cousins came and brought food and shared the day with our Aunt. It brought back many memories of family gatherings at her house. She was always the one who put together all the family gatherings.

left- Aunt Betty, right - my Mom

Aunt Betty had been sick for sometime and taking treatment for cancer. My Mom, kids and I went back to see her again just before Christmas. She died on Jan. 7, 2008.

She was the glue that held the family together, it hasn't been the same since. We miss you!

I have learned if you have a chance to visit family, you should because you never know when it will be too late to see them again.

Thank You!

2010-11-05T12:38:00.000-04:00

Thank you to all the people who stopped by yesterday to wish a happy 2nd anniversary. You all made it a wonderful day. I even got a few new followers, which is ALWAYS fun. Genealogy and blogging just seem to go together! It has been fun working on this blog and getting to know other bloggers, those working on genealogy and other fun blogs.

Today Is A Special Day!

2010-11-04T08:08:00.000-04:00

Today is special here at Genealogy Fun! Two years ago today I started this blog. I really didn't know what I was doing, still don't sometimes. Blogging has been fun and educational. I have learned so much from the other bloggers.
I started blogging two years ago today but my first follower didn't come until Jan. 2009. Terry Snyder at Desktop Genealogist Unplugged was first, and Becky Jamison at Grace and Glory was my second. They were helpful and encouraging. Sure miss your post Terry! Becky also encouraged me to get on Facebook which has been fun. I have 49 followers now!
I recently had a Farrell cousin contact me after finding this blog. It has been fun e-mailing and sharing information. I haven't broken any brick walls but I am still hopeful that will happen.
Today's post makes 300!! My goal has always been to post 5 days a week but that doesn't happen very often. I am grateful for the time I've had to work on Genealogy Fun.

Genealogy Snobbery

2010-11-03T11:41:00.002-04:00

Please check out the great blog post at GeneaBloggers on Genealogy Snobbery. I love genealogy, family history, family research, I'm not a professional, it is just a hobby. I have received encouragement from many other Genealogy bloggers. Sometimes, however, you can feel the snobbery! Your blog is just not worthy of them reading. Some of their post are all about how others are doing everything wrong. You wonder how many have stopped because they feel like they could never make their blog live up to these standards. Thankfully there are few of these people. Thank you to all the Genealogy Bloggers who have been encouraging to me.

Wordless Wednesday

2010-11-03T11:16:00.000-04:00

Pictures from our last vacation, June 2009, to Destin, Fl. Wow makes me wish I was there!

Kelley's 1963

2010-11-02T20:00:00.001-04:00

My brother and I with Mom, back in 1963. Another of the photos given to me by my Aunt.

Chattanooga National Cemetery -Tombstone Tuesday

2010-11-02T08:00:00.001-04:00

The Kelley Family - April 1966

2010-11-01T20:00:00.002-04:00

My Dad's sister gave me this photo several years ago, I'm so proud to have it. We did not have a copy of this photo. Mom and Dad didn't always have the extra money to have pictures made but my Aunt made lots of pictures, I can remember she and my uncle making pictures at all the family get togethers.
Betsy reminded me that I didn't tell you who this was. Left is Me, my Dad, my Mom, and my brother. There aren't a lot of pictures of the four of us so I am proud to have this one.

Chattanooga Valley Baptist Church Cemetery

2010-11-01T11:14:00.000-04:00

This is a brief history of

the Chattanooga Valley Baptist Church Cemetery. This is from a book listing all those buried at the cemetery, my Aunt was so kind to let me borrow the book and make copies. Many of my Kelley ancestors are buried there. In fact for many years my dad said that this is where he wanted to be buried, next to his mother and dad. At some point he changed his mind and is buried in Chattanooga.
The Long family mentioned are also related, my Great grandmother Newby (Olivia Jane Jennie) was a Long.

Tombstone for T.L. and Janett Farrell

2010-10-29T10:09:00.000-04:00

A few days ago I ran across this picture of my Great Aunt Christan Ziegler standing next to the grave of her grandparents. T. L. and Janett Farrell are buried at the Mount Zion Cemetery in Athens, Tn.
I am not sure that I have been to this cemetery but hope to some day.

If I Had a Genealogy Time Machine, Thanks Lorine

2010-10-28T08:00:00.001-04:00

Thank you Lorine over at Olive Tree Genealogy Blog for your post If I Had a Genealogy Time Machine....

This sounded like such a fun game, it may become a regular post here at Genealogy Fun, hope you don't mind. The following was copied from Olive Tree Genealogy Blog
We call it "If I had a Time Machine..." and it requires you to say what you would do (genealogy-wise only) if you could travel back in time.
The rules are that you can't save a life, and you can't ask questions of your ancestors. In other words, no interaction with the people in the past. You also cannot bring a camera or scanner with you!

But you *can* rescue objects (a family bible, church records, trunk full of family documents....) and you *can* bring one item back with you to study in the present. http://olivetreegenealogy.blogspot.com/2010/10/if-i-had-genealogy-time-machine.html
The first thing that came to my mind was a scrapbook my Aunt showed me about a year before she died. I'm not sure if she or my Grandmother put the book together. I'm not sure how much genealogy information could be gained from the scrapbook. I thought of this book because it was such a special scrapbook of pictures of my Uncle Eugene who died in World War II. There was a newspaper clipping saying that Eugene had been killed and a church program from the Memorial service which they had for all the young men who died during the War.
To follow the rules of the game, I can't ask questions, so I can't go back and ask my Aunt for the scrapbook. I can't take a camera or scanner to copy the book. I can rescue objects (scrapbook) and bring it back to the present. Here's my problem, I wouldn't want to go back to the day my Aunt showed it to me and just take it.
Wow! So maybe go back to the day the scrapbook was completed and "rescue" it, bring it to the present.

To be honest I would be happy with copies of the things in the scrapbook, but no one knows anything about the book. It would be a genealogy treasure to have this book or the information in it as a tribute to Uncle Eugene to pass down to future generations. I just hope that where ever the book is now it is seen as a treasure.

Starsky

2010-10-27T08:00:00.001-04:00

It's hard to get pictures of a black cat! Most of the time Starsky will close his eyes when the flash goes off.
These are pretty good.

Help!

2010-10-26T07:27:00.000-04:00

Help! Bentley may be in jail! Not really, Bentley loves to play! When there is a jacket over the back of a chair he likes to go up under it and reach through.