A Murder in Bear Creek Township, North Carolina, 1898

It has been a whirlwind six weeks, filled with lots of fun trips to visit with family!  And I have loved every minute.  My family is a high priority and when asked what makes me happiest, I would have to say anytime I can spend with them.  However, I promised more on the family history of my Great, Great Grandparents, in a previous blog, way back in January, so I thought I better get with it!

For years, I have been researching the death of my Great, Great Grandmother, Nancy Martindale Welch. She lived during the height of the Civil War, in North Carolina.  I have never found anything or heard stories of what her family went through, but living anywhere in the south during that time, had to be hard.  Nancy was the daughter of Jonathan and Lydia Martindale.  She married James Welch in 1866, shortly after the Civil War ended.  James was a soldier in the war.  They lived in Bear Creek Township, about three miles outside Harpers Crossroads, in Chatham County, North Carolina.

James and Nancy Welch had, by some sources, five children, and others six.  According to a newspaper article in the Chatham Citizen, Pittsboro, North Carolina, on 18 Jan 1899(1), James died in 1882.  In another article in the Chatham County Herald, in 1980(2), it said that he died from a disease he caught while fighting in the Civil War.  Speculation was that the disease was tuberculosis.  Grandma Welch, on the other hand, died in a more tragic way.  She was murdered, on her way home from her daughter's home.  Her Findagrave file says she died on June 10, 1898, but all other accounts say January 10, 1898.   I saw a picture of her weathered gravestone and it looks like the same month as the one of her birth, which was January, which makes sense, because it was snowing.

The story goes that she was on her way home, after spending the day with her oldest daughter and grandchildren, butchering hogs.  Her grandkids said goodbye to her, as she left in the sleet and snow. It is interesting because the Chatham Citizen article was written in Jan of 1899 but states that it happened "last Tuesday evening."  That is very confusing to a researcher when everything else says she died in January of 1898.

One of the old buildings still standing in Harpers Crossroads.

Nancy Welch died a brutal death. According to a 1959 article in the Durham Morning Herald(3) , “She was dead. Her mouth was stuffed with a red handkerchief. Her throat was slashed from ear to ear.”  It also stated. “Nancy’s hands were chopped all to pieces where she had grabbed the knife and he pulled it loose.”  The Statesville Record and Landmark, on January 13, 1899(4) reported that she "was outraged and murdered", "the deed committed about 5:00 p.m." Reports say she may have been raped, as well. What a horrible way to die! How did this happen?  Who did it? Well, the local people had an idea who they thought it was....but I am not totally convinced.  Check in next week to find out who the local community accused of committing the crime.
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(1) Chatham Citizen (Pittsboro, North Carolina), Wednesday, 18 Jan 1899, page 4
(2) Chatham County Herald, Wednesday, Novermber 26, 1980
(3) Durham Morning Herald, 1959
(4) Statesville Record and Landmark, Friday, 13 Jan 1899, page 6

Occupations in the Census

While doing some genealogy research, I happened upon a census form that contained my Grandfather Garrison. It was one of the years that listed the occupation of the head of household. This particular year, it stated that my grandfather had been a weaver in a silk mill. Really? I never knew that. It got me wondering about the name of the company. The census that year was in High Point Township, Guilford County, North Carolina. So, I decided to do a little digging to see if I could find out the name.

Well, that area of the country had a lot of industry, including cotton, hosiery and silk. The silk mill that is talked about a lot in that area is the Stehli & Co. Silk Mill. According to the High Point Historic Industrial Architecture Survey, "A departure from various types of cotton textiles came with the construction of the Stehli Silk Mill in 1906 on the block bounded by East Green Drive, East Russell Avenue, Cable Street, and Park Street. High Pointers had invited Swiss silk weaver Emil J. Stehli to come to High Point to establish a silk mill there. He had already established a successful silk mill in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, in 1898. Initially the High Point silk mill was a throwing plant that converted raw silk imported from Japan into yarn, which was then sent to the Lancaster plant to be woven. In 1912, the company abandoned another plant in Paterson, New Jersey, and moved all its silk production machinery to High Point. This resulted in the Stehli Silk Mill in High Point becoming one of the largest plants in the world for the exclusive manufacture of broad silk. At that time the company had 600 employees who could produce six million yards of silk in one year. By 1918, the company had built four additions. The Stehli Silk Mill made a strong impression on the city of High Point not only by the silk it produced, but also as a model mill."(1)

I don't know for sure, but I would bet, based on the time, place and type of business that this was where Grandpa Garrison worked. He went on later to be a tobacco farmer in West End, NC. For a previous story on that subject, click here.

Finding this out about Grandpa G. made me curious about what some of my other ancestors did for a living. As I mentioned in a previous blog, my 7th Great Grandfather, George Haworth, worked on a plantation or farm at one time. He talked about what he got paid and the tools you needed to bring if you wanted to do that kind of work. In the next blog, he talked about becoming a weaver. His grandson, Micajah, built a mill on Abbott's Creek, NC and it stayed running for many years. Many of his descendants went on to be farmers in different areas of North Carolina.

My paternal Great Grandfather, Jacob Monroe Hatch and many of his children, worked on the golf links in Moore County, North Carolina, where Pinehurst is located. Unfortunately, I do not know which course they worked on. In 1930, my Grandfather Plinny, Jacob's son, at the age of 18 was a grocery store clerk and went on to manage grocery stores around North Carolina, including A & P.

According to the 1870 Census, my maternal great grandfather, William Franklin Garrison and maternal grandmother, Ida Welch, lived next door to each other. Their fathers were both farmers.

The 1910 Census for my Great-Great Grandpa Garrison showed he was a farmer, most of his life, but it also indicated that he served in the Confederate Army. That is so awesome that you can find out info like that from the census! That vital piece of information helps those looking to join one of the societies, such as United Daughters of the Confederacy.

So as you can see, there is lots of fun information to discover in the different census forms. I am still finding cool stuff, as I dig deeper into my family history. I'll share more as I find it.
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(1) High Point Historic Industrial Architecture Survey, Prepared by Laura A. W. Phillips, Architectural Historian, 59 Park Boulevard ,Winston-Salem, NC 27127 336-727-1968, August 2014, lawp@bellsouth.net

Family History and My DNA

A couple years ago I dove head first into the DNA pool.  I had no idea what I was doing and can honestly still say the whole thing confuses me, but I am slowly learning.  How did I think DNA would help me in my family history search?  I envisioned all these people matching up with my family genes and answering many of my questions.  Well, that has not happened but lots of other fun things have.  I have had two cool connections that recently came from my DNA results.

One was a young lady who was adopted.  She is trying to find out some of her family background.  Our match was one of the first hints about her ancestry.  Now, mind you, it is pretty far back in the line, but it was my MTDNA so we know it came from one of the women on my mother's side of the family.

Another connection was a young man who was looking for information on his mother's side of the family and we had a close match.  I was able to send him some information on my 3rd Great Grandmother. He was so appreciative for the information.  Little pieces of the proverbial jigsaw puzzle I talked about in a previous blog, Jigsaw Puzzles and Genealogy.  A piece here, a piece there and a picture starts to form.  It may not be clear right away, but another piece appears and you get a little closer look as to what it really looks like.

For Father's Day, a couple years ago, my brother's and I gave my dad a DNA test kit.  He has been one of my greatest cheerleaders when it comes to finding out more about our family history, so we thought this might be another way to help move the process along.  After getting his results, I signed him up in the Hatch DNA Project website.  Not much has come from that, in the way of finding a direct line, yet. More and more people are getting tested every day, so that could change.

This week, I stumbled upon a Moore County, North Carolina, family website, which also had a DNA project.  Knowing that some of my dad's family had lived in Moore County, I decided to join that project.  The administrator sent a link to his family history site and I was so surprised.  I had been on that very site, the day before, looking for family members.  As it turns out, we have common ancestors.  My dad's 2nd Great Grandfather, Nathaniel Green Smith Marley, was married to one of his relatives.  I only found this out because of the DNA test.  This website is really well done and you can tell a lot of research has gone into it.  Check it out here.  Catherine Hunsucker is the family name that connects us.  She was married to Nathaniel Marley.

After getting dad to do his test, I sent in mine and talked my brother into doing his too.  We are still looking for our elusive 3rd Great Grandfather on our mother's side.  We have joined the Garrison DNA project, in hopes that as time goes by, we will get some information on who he was.

DNA testing for genealogy is still catching on but as I mentioned earlier, more and more people are getting tested which will increase the odds of finding other family members.  If you are thinking of testing, I would check into Ancestry.com first.  Test with them and then you can transfer your results to other sites, such as Family Tree DNA, which will increase your possible matches.  I did not do that but wish I had.  I did encourage my brother to submit his through Ancestry first, which he did.

Every day I get emails about possible matches.  Most are so far out that they are hard to identify who the connection is, but every once in awhile, one will come in that is super close.  Those are the ones that will get your heart pumping.  If you have had your DNA tested, let me know what results you have found.  Who knows, we might find out we are related somehow!

Want a little better understanding of how DNA works?  Diahan Southard is the DNA Guide for Lisa Louise Cooke's website, Genealogy Gems.  She has many articles on DNA that you can find here.

Working with the Census in Family History

One of my favorite sources, when researching my family history, is the United States Census. Each year, starting in 1790, stats have been compiled every 10 years, for the main purpose of finding out the number of people in each state so they could determine the amount of representation they would have in Congress. Other entities used the info to be able to collect taxes and put together demographics of their area.

There is a lot of information to be found in these documents if you know how and where to look. Many years the census takers acquired different kinds of information. Besides the obvious, name, address, age and whether married or not, other information such as birthplace, employment, whether attended school, could they read, write, etc. Some years asked if the person was a veteran and if so, which war.

In 1930, one of the questions asked was whether or not you had a radio set? What? That seemed strange to me so I looked up why they would put that on the form. I found an explanation on the Census History website taken from a book by Roland Marchand, Advertising the American Dream: Making Way for Modernity. "The 1930 census reflected the emerging values of early twentieth-century America, in particular the growing influence of consumerism and mass culture. The 1930 census included for the first time a question regarding a consumer item. Respondents were asked whether they owned a "Radio set," a luxury that had become increasingly common in the 1920s. As historian Roland Marchand has argued, in the early decades of the twentieth century, American business and political leaders viewed radio as a source of cultural "uplift" for the population as well as a valuable medium for advertisement of mass-produced goods. The inclusion of a question on radio ownership reflected this new interest in the possibilities of consumer items and methods of mass communication."1

Even though the census started in 1790, it was not until 1850 that they listed all members of the family. Up to that point, just the head of the household was listed and then tick marks for the others living there, divided by male, female and age groups. I have found the 1850 to 1940 forms are the most helpful because it does list all the family members.

If you were born after the first half of 1940, you won't see your name listed on a census... yet. The 1940 census came out in April 2012. A census can not be released until 72 years after it was taken We won't see the 1950 until sometime in 2022. I won't be able to see my name on a form until 2032. Because they were only taken every 10 years, if someone was born in 1922 and died in 1926, you will not have a record of them in a census.

When you find a person from your family tree, in a census form, it makes their lives so much more real. You get to know a little bit more about them, what their life was like, where they came from, who their neighbors were, just to name a few. I find that in the older forms, the neighbors are typically other names you will find in your lineage. People tended to marry those that lived close by.

Some census forms can be very entertaining too. The census takers probably grew bored of asking the same things, over and over again. Some of their feelings about that come out in the comments on their listings. For example, on Lisa Louise Cook's website, a listener sent her information on an 1875 Kansas State Census (different than the US) where Frank Wilkeson, the census taker, wrote that one of the people he reported on was a "loafer". Another one was a "blow hard". He didn't think much of them, did he?

Another site, RootsChat, listed the mother as "in childbirth" at the time the census was taken. Yet another one listed the head of the household and then a woman's name with mistress after it, instead of the typical entry of wife. Each of the children were listed as the son or daughter of the mistress. Another listed the lady of the house as a concubine.

These are just a few of the interesting things you will find in the census records. Take some time and look for some of your relatives. You never know what little fun facts you might uncover.
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1Roland Marchand, Advertising the American Dream: Making Way for Modernity, 1920-1940 (1985), p. 171

The Things that Make Me "Me"

Today is the first anniversary of this blog. I can't believe that I started it a year ago! And as it turns out, this is also the 50th entry. It has been a fun experience and one that has allowed me to share a lot of my family history with my children and others. I hope to pull it all together in book form one day, to share with generations to come, but I still have tales to tell.  

Clara Jean Garrison Hatch, Feb 10, 1939-Aug 21, 1991

Today would have been my mom's 77th birthday.  I started this blog because she passed away at such a young age and there were so many questions I wish I had asked her about her family and her years growing up.  So I set out to make sure my kids, and theirs, would know about her and all the rest of their family.  The blog has been a great way to share all I have found.  Happy Birthday Mom!

I went to see my son and family this past weekend and when I travel to their home, I listen to a lot of podcasts from some of my favorite genealogy gurus. I was listening to Lisa Louise Cooke's Genealogy Gems Podcast, and heard about a contest she had (it ended in December) that consisted of writing a poem about "Where I'm From." My mind immediately started racing and I knew I would have to take a few minutes and try this out for myself. 

The idea came from George Ella Lyon, the poet laureate of Kentucky, who was a guest on Lisa's show that day. George Ella wrote a poem on her own family identity, which has inspired people around the world to do the same.  Click here for her website and poem.  I thought it was a really fun idea and that I would take a stab at it. 

Where I’m From

I am from the shadows below Mount Rushmore
the sandhills of North Carolina
the big dunes of Michigan
the northern lights of Alaska
a one square mile base in Pakistan
the Show Me State of Missouri

and the home of the Alamo in Texas.

I am big sister to two brothers,
mom to Steph and Chip,
Mimi to my grandkids,
and wife to my wonderful husband, John.

I am from Grandma’s persimmon pudding and applesauce cake
and mom’s homemade enchiladas and pies.

I am from the Garrison, Hatch, Hayworth, and Marley bunch.
From coffee drank from saucers and applesauce in oatmeal.
From big family reunions and
games like Kick the Can and Capture the Flag.

I am from a family that came to America, from England, in 1699.
Who ran mills and farms and fought in wars.

I am from a family of golf, a grandfather who worked the courses 

and a mom who played them.

I am from snow and homemade igloos,

from Scotch-Guarded jeans and old skis,

bumpy ice rinks and ice hockey with brooms.

Zucchini that was grown during the summer in Alaska.

I am from earthquakes that shake,

volcanoes that blow, 

and veggies and flowers that grow huge,

thanks to the Midnight Sun. 

From campgrounds with tents and later a camper 

and walks through streams with our own pair of waders.

I’m from Jim who served his country around the world
and Jean who took care of us, through it all.

I am an Air Force brat, moving lots,
making new friends, leaving those friends.
Hard at the time, but grateful now.

I love playing in the dirt, watching things grow.
Working on my family tree,
creating things through cross stitch,
and seeing new places in the world.

I am blessed beyond measure and can’t wait to see 

what God has planned for my future.

That was fun!  I challenge each of you to come up with a little poem of "Where You Are From" and share it here in the comments!  It sure brought back a lot of wonderful memories for me.  Hope it does the same for you.  

Until next time...

Tombstones and Graveyards and Churches, Oh My!

At the Family Reunion with cousins Linda 
Garrison Sessoms (l) and Kolby Garrison (r) and
her precious guide dog Amelia.

I had the opportunity, recently, to attend the Garrison Family Reunion, in Wilmington, NC.  This is my mom's side of the family and as I have mentioned in prior blogs, she was one of 12 children, which produced many grand and great grand children.  Unfortunately, only two of the 12 are still with us but both were at the reunion!  What a blessing that was!  There were probably 35 or so relatives there, which is a smaller number than when we had the reunion years ago, but still a great turnout, considering how busy everyone's lives are.

We had the reunion at my cousin's house which had the perfect backyard for such an event.  It was a gorgeous day and everyone had a great time.  We talked about reunions of the past, and special memories of those we have lost.  It was so nice to see everyone. Thanks to my three cousins, Delores, Debi and Gwen, who put it together.

One of the subjects we discussed was our family history, the genealogy we have worked on, and trying to find out who the father of my Great, Great Grandfather John Wesley Garrison really was. Several of us have looked into it and have found no definitive answer, but more on that in a later blog.

Mittie Hayworth Garrison's family home, before it was 
taken down.   The gentleman who owned it was going 
to renovate but must have thought it was too far gone.  

Our first adventure, after the reunion, was to try to find my grandmother's family home near High Point, NC.  We had an address, put it into the GPS and off we went.  Sadly, when we arrived at the address, we realized that they had recently torn it down.  You can't image the sadness when we made that discovery. Thank goodness, my cousin Anne and my Aunt Gladys had visited there not long ago and taken some pictures, so we do have a visual record.  After leaving the location where Grandma's home had been, we started hitting the cemeteries that were close by, where some of my relatives were buried.  

I had always heard tales of Abbott's Creek Primitive Baptist Cemetery and how beautiful the tombstones were.  The way they were intricately carved, showed pride and workmanship by the person who created them.  Unfortunately, many were very old and well covered with moss or lichen, which made them very difficult to read.  Some of the different styles are shown above.  

It was cold and rainy that day and my husband was a real trooper, marching through the graveyards with me, during that week of Halloween. We visited about six cemeteries that day, including two where my Quaker relatives were buried, Deep River Friends Meeting (est. 1754) and Springfield Friends Meeting (est. 1773). The gravesites we visited in these two places went back to the 1700's and 1800's. 

While visiting the Springfield Friends, and looking for Micajah Haworth's gravesite, I met the new Pastor, who had just started weeks before.  He was a very nice man and was very helpful in helping us locate the tombstone. He also gave me the name of someone higher up, should I need further help in the future.  

I couldn't make it to all the cemeteries that day, but I got to a lot of them and enjoyed seeing many of the family plots for myself.  It became obvious, very quickly, that I could spend weeks, trekking around the state, walking through many more burial grounds. But that will have to take place at a different time.  I will share more about this fact finding trip in the next blog.  Needless to say, being this close to where my family members lived, just reignited the fire to find those elusive, long lost relatives!

A Trip Through Italy, Finale

Our last stop on our Italian journey took us to Sicily. We were so excited about this part of the trip because we had plans to do some research on my husband John's grandparents. Knowing this might be a difficult task, researching in another country, none of us had high expectations, but we did have high hopes. We weren't certain where to start and only had a slight grasp of the language but we had a great deal of enthusiasm for the project. Little did we know what excitement this part of the trip would bring.

John and his son were hoping to find lots of fun tidbits about their family history so we left Naples and headed, by train, to the island of Sicily, birthplace of their grandparents/great-grandparents. But first, how do you take a train to an island that has no railroad bridge or tunnel that takes you across the water? Well, we found out...by boat. The train cars were loaded onto a very large boat with tracks inside.  After that, we were ferried across the water to the seaport of Messina, on Sicily. Then unloaded, hooked to a new engine and off we went. We traveled to the Taormina-Giardini/Naxos stop and walked to our little Miramare Bed & Breakfast. What a delightful place it was! Beautiful views of the water and a walking distance to some of the best parts of the town. The owner, Aldo, was so nice and very helpful! We would highly recommend it if you are in the Taormina area. Click here for more information.

Our views from the Miramare Bed & Breakfast.

Our first full day we headed to the small town of Bronte, which is the birthplace of my husband's grandfather. John and his son, J, were looking for genealogical information and certification on his birth. We figured the building that had the information would be in the center of town, so that is where we headed first. We all thought Bronte was small but were very surprised when we arrived and found it to be a very bustling, good sized town. It is the only place in Italy where they grow and process pistachios. They take great pride in that. We drove right through town, and came out on the other side, without really seeing a place that looked like a government building. So, we decided we would park the car and go around asking where the building might be. There was a government looking building where we parked, so John went in to ask if they knew where it was and as luck would have it, that was the place. So the search was on. 

We found a gentlemen, Nino, who, in very broken English, said he could help us, and took us to the room with all the old books and started pulling them off the shelves. We knew the basic information as to when his grandfather was born and his name, and with that, they pulled the book that had just the information we were looking for. Nino made official certificates of the information that they found in the books and the guys took pictures of the handwritten data, that was all in Italian. 

John and J in Bronte, Sicily, Italy

One of the interesting things about Italy is that they take a siesta each day, usually around 12:00 to around 3:00. We arrived with just an hour to research before that siesta began. Once they found the data, they asked Nino where we could go to eat lunch. He said he had a great place and just to follow him. So we did. Now, this could have turned out real bad. We didn't know this guy and yet we are following him as he goes further and further out of town. He stopped at one point to drop off his wife, at their home, and continued on. However, where he took us turned out to be one of the highlights of our trip. We went up a hill to a resort, that overlooked Mt. Etna and the valley just below Bronte. We ended up having a full multi-course Italian meal, which ended with some of the best pistachio gelato I have ever had. 

Pistachio gelato at Feudo Marullo Resort.

Come to find out, the resort is owned by the same people who own the local, large pistachio plant. We headed there after the meal to have a quick tour. Nino was well connected in the town of Bronte which was obvious by the places he was able to get us into. We felt very blessed that we made his acquaintance that day. He helped us with the pertinent family history information we needed and led us to a great place for our meal. I think we may have not seen the last of our new friend Nino.

The next day we headed to Giarre, where Grandma Politi came from. We had no idea where we were going here but once again, the helpful Sicilians came to the rescue. A couple drove us to the building we needed to find the same type of information we found the day before on grandpa. These folks did not speak any English, however. Communication was a little more strained. But a very nice man, who was standing in line behind us, asked if he could help and he translated for us.  He told them we were looking for birth information on Grandma Politi. The man behind the counter said we would have to come back on Monday. We told him we were not going to be able to do that because we would be leaving before that. So he said to come back later that afternoon. When the guys went back, they weren't real hopeful that there would be anything for them, but sure enough, the guy pulled out the same type of books and got them the information that they were looking for. 

One of the stories, that bounced around the family, for years, was that their grandfather didn't come to America at the same time as the rest of the family. The story goes that he had an affair with someone and ended up killing her husband. It shamed the family so they left for America to get away from the shame. However, in there research they found that their grandfather actually did come to America. What they found out this day, was that grandma had been married before their grandfather. Was this the man who actually went to prison for killing the man? A new trail to check into? A new story to be told? The guys left Giarre with another goldmine and were thrilled they had made the trip to find out more about their family. 

We spent the last day touring around the beautiful town of Taormina. It sits up on a hill, overlooking the coast and has some gorgeous views.  We hated to leave this beautiful island but the next day we had to head back to Rome, to catch our plane home, the following day.  

Pictures of Taormina but these were taken on our last trip there.
They were better.

The amphitheater in Taormina.   

We had to do the ferry ride again, and had a long train ride back to Rome but the scenery was great and the trip very relaxing.  The plane trip home the next day would not be near as interesting and a whole lot longer.  But it was worth it for all the fun and adventures we had during our stay in the wonderful country of Italia!

This is the ferry we took from Sicily back to the
mainland of Italy.

Keeping Family History Alive

Many people will never know about the family members that came before them.  I didn't want to be one of those people so I started doing research, and before long, became an addict.  Yes, a genealogy addict!  I want to find all my relatives and pass on those names to my children, so they can in turn pass them on to their children.  Research is not always an easy task but it is getting easier and easier, thanks to all the websites that are devoted to genealogy and family history. I heard yesterday that genealogy has surpassed gardening as a favorite hobby.  More and more people are going to become addicts, just like me!

My mom passed away at the young age of 52.  Oh how I wish I had sat down with her and asked her lots of questions about her life growing up, about her family members, about her earliest memories, about lots of things.  But I didn't.  Don't wait to ask those questions of the ones you love.  I have started quizzing my dad and I have found out some of the most amazing things.  You will too!

Me as a baby, with my mom and dad.

While doing my research, I seem to run into brick walls more than not, but every once in awhile, I come across something that blows one of those walls wide open.  I recently went on a search of a great, great grandmother and knew lots about her from the time she married on until she died.  However, I couldn't find anything about her before that.  As I mentioned in a previous blog, I went onto the Facebook page for the North Carolina Genealogy group and posted a query seeking information on Margaret E. Gordy Green.  In no time, someone came back with several pieces of information that were very helpful and I was able to break down that wall.

It is so important to make sure any information you find is well sourced and that you constantly back up what you have found.  Sourcing is important so you know where to go back, to find that information, if you need it again.  And you would certainly hate to lose all the info you have found because you didn't have it backed up.  I use Backblaze as my cloud backup but I also have a zip drive with the same information on it.  I try to backup my info a couple times a week but at least once, for sure.

I have been scanning pictures and saving them in several places too.  All those pictures that were taken back in the early 60's are becoming more and more faded.  I don't want to lose those precious memories.  Some of them I have been able to enhance in my photo program, that came with the computer.  But they will never be as good as they were back then.  Below is an example of what I am talking about -

This is the photo that has been
enhanced.  The original is below.

I have lots of scanning and enhancing to do but it will be worth it to be able to preserve them for later.  

Do you have a bunch of old family VHS tapes laying around?  There are lots of companies now that will take them and put them on a DVD.  I have one from the 60's of my family that really brings back precious memories.  I want to get it on a zip drive or saved in another format so I don't lose it.  There are some programs out there that will do that too.  I am still trying to decide which one is better but I will do it, so it will be preserved for the future.  

    

See how faded this on
not be able to see it.  

I have made a book, through Shutterfly, about my mom's life, which I gave to my family for Christmas one year. They loved having that book of pictures and stories.  And Shutterfly made it so easy to do and was very reasonable.  

All these things will help you preserve your family history and although they might not appreciate it now, I have no doubt, that in the future, your children, and theirs, will love that you took the extra time to keep their memories alive.  

Today's Terri's Tidbit:  If you have old family VHS tapes, audio tapes, etc and you would like them put onto a DVD or other medium, contact TMC Place.com. They have been preserving people's memories for over 30 years.  

Preserving the Ha(y)worth Family History for Future Generations, Part 8

Before we get into the last of the letters, I wanted to share with you something I found on Ancestry.com. It is the marriage intention, of George Haworth and Sarah Scarborough. It that was found in the Quaker records dated September 9, 1710 (1).

According to the Haworth Association website (2), these are the vows exchanged between George and Sarah. "Whereas George Haworth of ye Township of Makefield in ye County of Bucks & Province of Pennsylvania, Weaver, and Sarah Scarborough, daughter of John Scarborough of ye township Solebury in ye county and province aforesaid, spinster, having intentions of taking each other in marriage did publish ye same before several monthly meetings of ye people called Quakers in ye county aforesaid according to ye good order used amongst ye, whose proceedings therein after a deliberate consideration thereof & having consent of relations and parties concerned nothing appearing to obstruct were approved of by ye at meetings."
"Now these are to certify all whome it may concern yt for ye full accomplishment of their said intentions this 28th day of 9 mo/anno 1710 they ye sd George Haworth and Sarah Scarborough appeared in a publick meeting of ye said people and other matt together at their usual meeting house in ye township of Buckingham and County aforesaid and ye ad George Haworth taking ye ad Sarah Scarborough by ye hand did in a solemn manner openly declare yt he took her to be his wife and did likewise promise to be to her a true and loving and faithfull husband untill death should seperate ym & yn and there in the said assembly she ye ad Sarah Scarborough did likewise declare yt she took ye ad George Haworth to be her husband promising to be unto him a loving and faithfull and true wife untill death should seperate them and moreover ye ad George-Haworth & Sarah Scarborough, (she according to ye custom of marriage assuming ye name of her husband) as a further confirmation thereof did then and there to those present sett their hands & we whose names are hereunder subscribed being amongst others psent at ye solemnization of their ad marriage and subscription in manner aforesaid as witnesses thereunto have also to these psents set our hands ye day & year above written."

George and Sarah were married on September 28, 1710.

The last letter George sent to his brother was in October 1722, Quaker calendar.  It's shorter than the rest but he starts off letting him know that all are well.  "These are to let thee know that we thy kindred are all in good health, blessed be the Lord for it..."  He goes on to let them know a little about Mary and her family.  "My Sister Mary and children desire dearly to be remembered to thee and the rest of our kindred in England; all her children is married and doth well three of them married according to the good order of Friends, her husband died a year and eight months ago." (All italics are excerpts from George’s letters, as written.(3) )

George wants to know more about his brother's health. "So dear Brother I heartily desire thy wellfare both Soul and body. Give my dear Love to my Sisters and to all my Relations and Friends."

At this point in time, George has more children.  "I have 4 children 3 boys and one daughter. Our country is pretty healthy at present blessed be the Lord for it."  

He brings up something in this letter that kind of surprised me.  "We have been affraid of War by the Indians, thro' some ill indian traders but now we have had a treaty of peace."  Indians?? Yikes!  I knew there were Indians around but didn't think about the fact that they might go to war.  

George gives information about the state of the country in 1722.  "Our Country encreaseth and the inhabitants groweth large and fast, Corn is cheap and money scarce."   

The last writing we have from George is, "so having not much more at present but our dear love to you all I rest and remain thy Loving Brother.

George Haworth

P.S. I have received no letters since one from John Laycock; Dear Brother I often think of you forget not to write to me by what oppertunity thou can."  He is still trying to get the family to write to him.  I have loved having these letters to read.  It shows just how important it is to save old papers, letters, newspapers, etc., so future generations can learn things about us.  Take some time to write down information about your family or record a conversation with an older relative! Your future generations with thank you!

Today's Terri's Tidbit:  I just found another podcast that is fun for those working on their family history.  The phone app is called Extreme Genes Family History Radio.  They have a Facebook page.  Click here to visit it.  Their website is here and they have the podcast available there too. Check it out!

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(1) Ancestry.com. U.S., Quaker Meeting Records, 1681-1935 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014. Original data: Swarthmore, Quaker Meeting Records. Friends Historical Library, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, Pennsylvania.North Carolina Yearly Meeting Minutes. Hege Friends Historical Library, Guilford College, Greensboro, North Carolina.Indiana Yearly Meeting Minutes. Earlham College Friends Collection & College Archives, Richmond, Indiana.Haverford, Quaker Meeting Records. Haverford College, Haverford, Pennsylvania.
(2)Haworth Association Website: http://haworthassociation.org/
(3)George's letters can be found in many publications but most notably in:
Early Letters from Pennsylvania, 1699-1722
George Haworth The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography
Vol. 37, No. 3 (1913), pp. 330-340

Preserving the Ha(y)worth Family History for Future Generations, Part 6

The last two weeks have been such a blessing!  We have gotten to spend time with children and grandchildren, so we have been very busy.  Needless to say, the priority of this blog fell dramatically.  But, sadly, it is very quite around the house right now, because everyone has left.  :( So, I am back working on the Ha(y)worth family history.  But before I do, here are some pictures of the grandkids taken while they were here.

The three oldest grandkids had a fun time together. 

The baby made us smile, just
by looking at her.  

They loved their cousin and he entertained them
all one night.  He is so great with kids.

Our oldest grandson, with his bride, stopped
on their move to California.

We left off last time with George Haworth's fourth letter that was written sometime around March of 1706 (Quaker calendar).

We now fast forward four years to the next letter, which George has written to his brother.  
"I received thy letter dated 18th of Ist mo: 1710 being very glad to hear from you but finding in it that my dear and aged Mother is deceased the thoughts of it made me mourn yet hoping that it is well with her and that all flesh is mortal, I take it as patiently as I can, therefore dear Brother these are to let thee understand that I am in good health hoping thou art the same with my love to my Sisters and Brother Isaac and to my cousins and all my relations in general; give my love to John Ormerod and family and to all that asketh after me..."  How sad to find out by mail that your mother has passed away.  And I am sure it was not a real timely letter.  She may have been gone for some time.  (All italics are excerpts from George’s letters, as written.(1))     

George is still unmarried and continues to be a weaver but apparently is looking at the possibilities of doing something different.  "I am unmarried and followeth weaveing, and am full employed therewith, but haveing some thoughts of altering my condition hoping its for the better..."

He must have married, shortly after posting this letter, because in the next letter he sent to Brother James, in 1712, he tells of his new wife that he married in 1710.  "I am settled on my own land, I have been married about 2 years we have had one child a boy he lived not long, I married my Wife amongst Friends..."   He married Sarah Scarborough, daughter of John and Mary Scarborough.  John had come over to America in 1682 with his father John.  He stayed but his father returned to England to be with his wife who did not want to come to America.  More on the Scarborough's, in a future blog.

George reports on his sister Mary, "Sister Mary was in good health last I heard from her," and he remembers to send his love to the other siblings still there, in England, "...give my kind love to Sister and Brothers and Cousins and to all my relations."

He states a concern for one of his relative's children, but it is not clear where he heard that there was something to be concerned about.  "I am concern'd sometimes for some of my relations, as Uncle Henrys children for fear there is not care taken of them, Dear Brother if it be not too much trouble for thee to send me one of them over, or any of my cousins or any other Boy; if thou be free to send me one over I will give him a good trade or if any be minded to come I will pay their passage here or send thee return, Here is no want for victuals or clothing here it is a good Country for you people to come into."

His state of mind seems to be sad, probably because of his mother but may be a culmination of wanting to look for other work or his distance from home, just to name a few.  "So dear Brother as it is well with thee both outwardly and inwardly, pray for me that it may be so with me and that especially that I may be strengthened in the inward man, that we may feel each other daily strengthened in that pure faith that carrieth us thro' all exercises if we keep to it. 0 dear Brother so I say, I desire thy prayers for me, tho' I be but as one of the hindermost of the flock, yet that I may lose no more ground, for I have more need than many others to keep to that which God hath made known to me..."  I like how he uses the term "hindermost of the flock" to express his distance from his homeland.  He still shows signs of homesickness.  Maybe that will change, now that he is married!

Today's Terri's Tidbit:  I need your help!!  I would like to take some of the blog posts and make them into a book.  Do you have a favorite place that you would use for converting blogs to books? Please leave me a comment if you do.  Thanks and have a wonderful weekend!  
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(1)George's letters can be found in many publications but most notably in: 
    Early Letters from Pennsylvania, 1699-1722
    George Haworth The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography
    Vol. 37, No. 3 (1913), pp. 330-340