The Jones Genealogist

"Grandmother, Grandmother"!

2012-01-23T07:43:00.000-08:00

Looking through a stack of family pictures this morning I was impressed by the picture shown to the right. Gertrude Patterson Monroe Jones, born 1904, I remembered. What flashed through the canyons of my mind was a memory of the black and white TV version of "Heidi" where Shirley Temple [Heidi], lost in the forest, was yelling "Grandfather, Grandfather!". When lost in many of my childhood forests, it must have been "Grandmother, Grandmother", we called her "Mam Maw".

Her house on Jackson street was certainly a forest to a very young mind. The back yard extended to a deep drainage ditch where much of the rain water flowed. Here a tall peach tree stood with those tasty peaches calling from above the ground. [Those that had already fallen had flies, worms, or rot surrounding them which was not first on my menu of the day.] Throwing sticks would often be successful at knocking down a choice morsel, but this activity was often left unrewarded.

Now climbing this tree was a real challenge. It was at least 6-8 feet before you could even see the first branch! How was one to do this? Stacking up rocks...no, no, too heavy; jumping from the fence post standing nearby...no, no, too flimsy and too far...; getting help from big brother...no, no, I can do this...; on, and on, it would go! Many times I would punt and move to the cherry tree much nearer the house. It had a V-shaped trunk just 2-3 feet off the ground which provided a much easier access. However, the cherries had those large central pits which made for hazardous chewing at times, and you always had to spit a lot.

The day finally came when I was determined to climb this peach tree. Moving a wheelbarrow near and under the lowest branch..., balancing perfectly in the center..., jumping carefully... I could just touch the bottom of the lowest branch. I can do this. Position, jump, grab, climb, and one of those tasty peaches would be mine!

At least the first three items were completed successfully. However, instead of the "climb", I experienced "the fall". Landing flat on my back, I had the wind knocked out of me. I could not breathe! Looking up through the leaves dancing in the summer's wind, I thought this is what it must be to die. Summer, sun light sprinkling its rays through the leaves... and that peach smiling down at me from above..."Grandmother, Grandmother!"

"Ship Ahoy!" Coming Home

2012-01-10T07:41:00.000-08:00

It was called the "Marine Robin" out of Philadelphia. Hundreds of men [and a few women] were on board returning from Germany...coming home, 1946. It must have been an overcast day, but this robin was certainly chirping. All smiles, at least in the heart, I would guess.

Folks were lined up on all sides! Standing, looking into the camera, as a series of pictures were taken. At least a total of twenty since these photos are from my Dad's collection, and he was there. He tells me he once knew where he was among this army of men and women.

A tug boat named "BENJBBRADY" is shown coming along side. I suspect it was pronounced "Benjamen B Brady". I wonder how many times it was called on to do its job.

The final picture shows just a fraction of the men and women who were coming home. Some clearly smiling, some are not. Some are in complete uniform, tie and hat, some are not. Some standing, some squatting, some leaning, some holding on to anything close by...what would be in their minds? What was seen and done would forever change these lives. How many times yet to come? "Ship Ahoy" I say, welcome home.

First Snow Fall of 2012

2012-01-05T07:14:00.000-08:00

Several days ago, my wife Nancy called me to our large front door to view the first snow fall of these winter months. A sprinkling here...a sprinkling there...not the white Christmas that is sung about I thought, but a white touch to the new year. How special it has always seemed to see the first snow flakes of winter. [The picture to the right shows our house at its first dusting.]

Having grown up in Kentucky, you were always uncertain as to when this event would happen. It might even happen before Christmas, but often it would wait until January. However, twenty five years of experiencing snow falls in Kentucky did little to prepare me for my first Iowa snow fall. Here it seemed that winter snow started around Thanksgiving, and the ground stayed covered with snow until Easter! Piles and piles of it, blown by the snow plow to stacks that at times seemed 10 feet tall. [Rough estimate from this UK Big Blue disciple!]. Natives frequently started our conversation with..."You're not from here, are you?" [Perhaps my chattering teeth gave me away.] "I am from Kentucky", I would say. "Oh, you're from the South then", often came the reply. Five Iowa winters taught me a lot about hard working folks who knew how to turn winter into play time. [My three daughters were all born in the corn fields of Iowa!]

Then moving to Alabama some years later [Roll Tide!] I looked forward to Alabama winters. No snow, no plows, no icy roads were in my expectations. Not! [As was frequently said!]. My first Alabama winter was spent at 6 degrees below zero (Fahrenheit)! "...You're not from here, are you..?", was often asked. "I'm from Kentucky" was my reply. "Oh, you're from the North", came the response. What!? North!? I thought I was from the South! Who would have guessed! I could be from both the North and the South!

Wow, I thought...maybe that is what it means to be from Kentucky. Our State Motto is: "United We Stand, Divided We Fall". Perhaps we need to spread it around a little bit. Funny what the first snow flakes of winter will bring to mind.

A Lego Christmas

2011-12-28T09:52:00.000-08:00

It does not seem that long ago (of course it is), that Mattel Toy Company ruled Christmas. The Sears & Roebucks' catalogue arrived sometime after Labor Day, and you spent weeks going through the toy section trying to find that perfect Santa request. Mattel this, and Mattel that, even Ken and Barbie got into the action. Having just read my first book about John Paul Jones, "...I have not yet begun to fight...", I had decided that joining the Navy was the next adventure, and the Mattel Toy Company had just the thing...a three foot long Navy destroyer! It had a large single, gun at the bow (that's the front for those who don't have their Navy lingo), and could be rotated electronically 180 degrees from the bridge controls. (The bridge is the place where the captain of the ship gave all his commands.) It then had anti-aircraft guns on the sides, plus depth charge launchers ready for any of those submarines unlucky enough to get too close. In the stern (back) there was a landing craft which hung over the water ready to rescue any sailor who had fallen overboard. To sail the seven seas, yes sir...all seven were located on the living room carpet that Christmas, and for many months to come.

This past Christmas, I watched my six year old grandson open his presents. Lego's seemed to be the toy of choice. Out of a box less than 8 x 10 inches came a sack of very small pieces which seemed to multiply before your very eyes. What in the world, I thought. It would take a rocket scientist to put this together! A twelve page booklet accompanied the pile of pieces. Block one, to block two, to block three, to block one thousand six hundred and fifty four! [You get the picture.] An "alien" space ship it was to become. Star Wars seemed to be the theme. The deep blue sea had been exchange for the darkness of space. At least I could take my Mattel toy out of its large box and begin to become John Paul Jones, "the second"! [That is, after you figured out how to get those D-sized batteries in place.]

At any rate, my second daughter, who has a degree in mathematics, helped assemble the space ship, while my grandson ran around her playing with the pieces. A true Lego Christmas it was!

The Later Days

2011-12-09T08:15:00.000-08:00

Ten days shy of her 95th birthday, Granny Ewen (Stella Morton Ewen) died March 1, 1994. At my present age of 60 years, that means she lived longer than my childhood, high school, college years, medical school years, residency, 2 year fellowship, and a few years faculty, as if I were just now starting them! Wow, that is a long time.

"Granny", as we usually called her, lived in a log cabin as a child. She grew up in the hills of Eastern Kentucky, and saw the world change as we never knew it. I once asked her what she thought was the most amazing change she had experienced during her life time. "The light bulb", she said. Who would have thought?

She birthed 12 children, mostly all at home. She lived in Kentucky, Wisconsin, and Indiana, and moved the family roughly 35 times. She loved flowers, cooking, and making fruit cakes for Christmas. She was a Kentucky Colonel!

The picture to the right shows Granny at my Mom's home during the last years of her life. She was very hard of hearing, and refused to wear one of those ear gadgets. My Mom, and her Mom shared these later days. At my very last visit to Granny's bedside, she did not really recognize me, and thought I was a minister. I held her hand, and we prayed, thanking God for these later days.

Adolescence

2011-12-02T06:29:00.000-08:00

Adolescence provides a great many opportunities to grow and change the perception of the world around us. About 2 years before maturation, the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis kicks in, and away we go! [How do you like that doctor talk.] We would call this puberty to adulthood. Linear growth, increased muscle mass, voice changes, facial hair (and all those other places), acne, and a host of emotional changes are all taking place. We suddenly discover that our parents don't know anything about anything! Who am I is often the question of the day.

The picture to the right shows such a group of guys, going though this process. Peer influence and conformity would certainly seem to be at the highest levels. All dressed up the same. All standing with arms to the side, and all with some sort of smile. Eight Boy Scouts from Winchester, Troop 84. Together, they were receiving the "God and Country" award. Each worked a minimum of 100 hours over a two-year period to earn the award. What a thought it is. Two years of your adolescence with over 100 hours thinking about "God and Country". Who would have thought of such a thing?

The magnitude of change that has taken place in our society since this picture would want to question the value of this activity. Computer games would certainly challenge the priorities! Besides, it would probably just be called the "Country" award today.

For those interest, from right to left in the picture starting the back row: Henry Jones (my older brother), Ray Scott, Jr., Gary Taylor, George Brooks, and John Farmer...from right to left on front row: Steve Gillaspie, Van Graham, and me. Rev. Allen Garner is the one all dressed up in the robe. Close friendships, a goal of late adolescence to young adulthood.

World War II Victory Medal

2011-11-22T07:59:00.000-08:00

World War II ended a chapter in American history that was to change us for all time. We came together as a people to defend our freedom.

The medal shown is called "Victory Medal, World War II". It was authorized on July 6, 1945 for members of the United States armed forces who served on active duty at any time between December 7, 1941, and December 31, 1946.

The front shows a figure of Liberation, her right foot is resting on a war god's helmet. She has broken the sword of war, holding the hilt and broken blade in her hands. Rays of light glow from behind.

On the back of the medal is inscribed the phrase "Freedom from Fear and Want" and "Freedom of Speech and Religion", separated by a palm branch. It is then circled by the words "United States of America 1941- 1945".

The final figure shows the back page of a "War Ration Wallet". During this war, victory was also won at home.

With Love, Henry

2011-11-15T07:01:00.000-08:00

The world had changed in 1945-1946. Most of this world had been involved in a war that was to impact many, many lives for generations to come. Indeed it did.

It was the picture to the right that caught my attention. It was taken in 1946 below one of the most famous mountains in the world. To the French it was "Mont Cervin". To the Italian it was "Monte Cervino". To the Swiss, it was just called "Matterhorn". Straddling the frontier between Switzerland and Italy, all 14,691 feet stands proudly. No war was going to change me it seems to be saying. My Dad stands here. The picture has in his hand writing, "With Love, Henry".

What? Love in the mist of all this mess? How was one to deal with all the hatred, death, killings, destruction, war...war...war! Some thought it would never end. But, here is my Dad, sending a picture to his family, with love. The folks below would have received it.

This picture shows Dad's younger sister, Ray. She is recording a picture with her Mom, my Mam maw... that shared moment in time caught by the camera of life. Ray was still in high school, and Mam maw was working outside the home. There were three younger siblings some ten years younger, but I guess this picture was one of those mother-daughter adventures, known only to moms and the oldest daughters.

The world goes on...1945-1946...With Love, Henry.

Busted

2011-11-08T07:29:00.001-08:00

Life and times at Granny Ewen's was always an adventure. Lots of cousins to play, lots of uncles and aunts to ask questions, and lots of places to explore were all part of the activities. Finding an unclaimed bottle of "ALE-8-One" was always an unexpected treat.

Ale-8-One (a soft drink) had been part of my families' drinking choice well before I was born. In fact, it had been around since 1926, when a man named G.L. Wainscott first made his brew. Mom and I would walk past his bottle making place on our way to Kroger's. It was located on West Broadway behind the old post office. The large doors would be wide open, and you could watch the racks of green bottles run their course from one side of the building to the other. It made all sorts of clanking, and bumping, noises that provided an interesting side line to our trip for groceries.

Now "finders, keepers" was an acceptable saying around Granny Ewen's house. That is unless you got caught. The picture to the right shows Granny and me with that look. Hand on the hip, grim reaper type expression, and my "oops" got me look on my face. [It must have been early in this adventure since my shirt tail was still tucked in!] I have the Ale-8-one bottle in my hands, and I suspect that I had downed most of the unique mixture ginger and carbonation. Birthing and raising 12 youngins', keeping watch over more than 30 grand kids, and especially watching out for me would, gave her extra knowledge and know how to keep my findings to a minimum. Anyway, who would want to take such a picture of Granny and me...well...busted.

New Blog on Cadwallader Jones

2011-11-04T12:01:00.000-07:00

Cadwallader Jones [ca. 1650 - 1703] has been a legend throughout the genealogy world. Interestingly for me, he ends up being my 10th generation grandfather! With this in mind, and having researched him for many years, I wanted to tell his story. His story is part of my own family's story. If interested, join me for the tell of my heart's blood. The link is:

http://cadwalladerjones.blogspot.com/

Pickin' and Grinnin'

2011-11-03T06:09:00.000-07:00

Family reunions were a big deal in my growing up years. The Ewen side was perhaps the largest get together, but the Morton side was not far behind. Granny Ewen's side were the Mortons, and there were plenty of them. We would meet on one of the farms up in the hills, and enjoy some of the best cookin' around these parts. [ I kept my priorities straight, and would head to the homemade chocolate pies at first chance!]

After eating [two to three pieces of chocolate pie], we would gather around the folks who played the banjo, fiddle, and guitar. I don't know if it was called Bluegrass music at that time, but it was interesting to watch the family clap, slap one another on the back, and a few did that type of dance I believe was called clogging. Lots of smiles, lots of laughs, and the troubles of the world would seem so far away. [The "Arms Race" was just beginning and we were practicing that "duck and cover" in school. Anyway, if an "A-bomb" hit, I figured that dancing would be just as good an activity to end this life!]

Pickin' and Grinnin', yes sir, they called it...the adults did the pickin', and we did the grinnin'.

What Memories - Trick or Treat

2011-10-27T06:56:00.000-07:00

It is that time of year again when those little ghost and goblins show up on your steps and front door asking for goodies. Just how this all got started is certainly a mystery, but it was a favorite time of year for me. Dressing up in all those different costumes, running from house to house, and looking at all those carved pumpkins made for an interesting evening.

French Avenue was the best place in Winchester to "trick or treat". [I got better with the tricks as age increased.] This was the part of town that had all those old houses with the very large porches, and many single, old women, who would invite you into their houses. The tables were often set with all kinds of candies, and you were allowed to help yourself. [A hand full or two was certainly possible!] They would laugh, and admire your costume, and make over the excitement of event. Of course you always had to say "trick or treat" several times.

The picture above shows one of the cousins in their skeleton costume. It had to be one of the cousins since I do not remember every wearing a coat while going about the business of collecting all those goodies. [It would usually take me two weeks or so to get through my sack!] Plus, I would have never stood so still having my picture taken in such a getup. At any rate, such was the times...mask, sack, and outfit. Trick or Treat...they say...what memories.

Row, Row, Row Your Boat

2011-10-20T07:26:00.000-07:00

A family reunion was always a big deal in my growing up years. This was especially true on the Ewen-Morton side of the family tree. We would often gather at Natural Bridge State Park which was just a hop, skip, and a jump up the road from Slade and Nada where Mom had spent most of her growing up years. This natural wonder had a trail to the top which had "fat man's squeeze". This of course was one of my favorites since I was small and skinny and well, many on my Ewen-Morton side were a littler larger than I.

The picture shows a boat load of cousins. The autos in the background suggest this was taken around 1956 and my brother Henry is sitting high in the stern. [That's the back of the boat.] I am the one leaning over the side with my hand in the water, feeling the coolness, wanting to jump right into the clear stream. [On the most part, this was pre-pollution days.] Water was to play an important part in my life yet to come, being a swimming instructor for many years. [I taught most of Winchester how to swim.] At any rate, on this summer day, my cousins and I shared an adventure on the waters of time...row, row, row your boat.

Calling Uncle

2011-10-10T11:35:00.000-07:00

For most of us upon this earth, we grow up around uncles. The brothers to our mom's and dad's who may or may not play an important role in our early childhood development. [Husbands to our aunts are also called uncles, but somehow they seemed not as involved.]

Six uncles were involved in my childhood. Four on my mother's side [Ewen], and two on my father's [Jones]. The picture to the right shows my two uncles on my father's side in their own early school days. Both red headed, uncle Gayle was six (extreme right), and uncle Gene was eight years old. They were attending Hickman Street School, where many of my Jones family had walked the halls. World War II was about to end, and I suspect they had their own struggles during their growing up years.

Uncle Gayle looks a bit disturbed by all this first grade picture taking. That horizontal Jones smile (or frown) is in place. I have had a bad hair day so lets get this over with, he seems to be saying. Uncle Gayle introduced me to scouts and taught me to tie square knots.

Uncle Gene has a little different look. Almost smiling, his hair is carefully combed, and his expression seems confident. Here I am world, make way, he seems to be saying. He was the story teller of our family, and I spent many hours soaking in the verbal acrobatics that made, well Gene, Gene. I was not always sure I could believe every story that was told, but the laughter and joy in the telling covered most of my suspicions. He opened many doors to my childhood imagination. Laughing so hard sometimes, I had to call...Uncle.

Siblings

2011-09-29T08:59:00.001-07:00

A sibling is defined as one of two or more individuals having one common parent. A brother or sister considered irrespective of their sex. Unless you are an only child, you are a sibling.

In life, a sibling plays an important role in the growth and development of his brothers and sisters. Older siblings take a role of decision making and leadership. Middle siblings take a role of communicator and conflict control. Younger siblings take just about everything left over from the above. These roles sometimes vary, but on the whole the pecking order is established in most families.

The picture to the right shows my brother and me...two siblings. I would guess that I am about eight months of age, and Henry is about two years of age. At first glance you might guess that we certainly did not come out of the same oven! Just look! Me...a round face, chubby cheeks, dark eyes , and black hair is showing. Henry...oval face, blue eyes, thin cheeks, and light brown hair is showing. Did someone get these siblings mixed up?

Life certainly produces differences in siblings. That first union of the egg and sperm is where life begins, when the set of chromosomes [23 from Dad, and 23 from Mom] join together for the first time. A new combination in this set of genes! What a difference the outcome can be. Just look at the picture of the siblings above.

Linda Carol and Ghost Stories

2011-09-22T06:21:00.000-07:00

The first baby sitter I can remember was Linda Carol. We always called her "Linda Carol". Not "Linda" or "Carol", but her full name was used. The reason for this was not clear since there was not another Linda in our family to get her confused with. Besides, when my middle name was added to my first name, "Jerry Edward!"...it usually meant that I was in some kind of trouble. [Mostly Mom and Dad used this word combination to tell me to begin to examine my ongoing activities.]

Linda Carol was the baby sister of my Dad with some sixteen years between them. She was one of my favorite aunts. The picture to the right shows her at the summer of her "horse picture" around 1947-48. Her red hair and easy smile shows through, and it was her continued smile that brought my brother and me through many baby sitting episodes. She was very good at telling ghost stories... and at night, on the side porch, with the street light streaming dancing shadows along the stone steps, was the ideal area. Just as my heart started to pound, and just as the ghost started to arrive...Boo!...she would say, laughing from ear to ear.

Linda Carol, thank you for all those baby sitting days, and all those ghost stories...enjoy your ride.

Twenty Years Before

2011-09-17T06:16:00.000-07:00

The last post showed a picture of the "Ewen Clan" at the 50th Wedding Anniversary of Grandad and Granny Ewen. The picture to the right shows pretty much the same clan some 20 years before.

My Dad had just starting dating Mom, and the year would be about 1947 plus or minus a year or so. The family was taking another picture which always seemed to be part of the gatherings. Dad is standing at the far right with his hands in his pockets. Not many smiles in this picture. Maybe this was just before eating time, and every one was a bit hungry? Maybe they had just finished a round of horse shoes and the losers were a bit upset? At any rate, Dad was making his required family visit with everyone else making their judgement about this left-handed, red head who wanted to marry Myrna Jean. There was even Junior's wife Juanita standing between Mom and Dad! Everyone seems tightly packed except Dad, who is leaning a little to the left. Mom has a young one before her and I am not sure who this little girl is. Dad was not quite a member of this family yet!

J.C. (John Clarence) does not seem to be in the picture, but he appears to be the only one missing. [Maybe he was taking the picture.] Wow, some 20 years before, how we change.

A Good Celtic Mixture

2011-09-13T07:01:00.000-07:00

The last post showed a picture of my Dad's brothers and sisters with their mother. [Pap paw had died before this picture was taken.] All six of them with their distinctive red hair, fair skin, and freckles showing through [before they turned gray].

The picture to the right shows the brothers and sisters of my Mom, with their black "Ewen" hair, dark skin, and dark eyes. This was taken at the 50th Wedding Anniversary of Granny and Grandad Ewen. [March 21, 1968.]

From left to right: Sidney Brent Ewen, b. 1924 [we called Junior]; Kenard Darrell Ewen, b. 1942 [the baby of the family]; Myrna Jean Ewen, b. 1930 [my Mom!]; Charles Ronald Ewen, b. 1939 [we called Charlie, who took me on my first tree climbing experience!]; Eva Faye Ewen, b. 1928; John Clearence Ewen, b. 1922 [we called J.C.]; Cordius Allene Ewen, b. 1926 [we called Allene, and it was at her house I watched the landing on the moon 1969!]; Edith Delorese Ewen, b. 1934; and Wanda Bernice Ewen, b. 1937.
Nine of twelve children to have survived. All are standing behind their parents, Sidney and Stella. [We called Grandad and Granny.]

Scottish and Welsh would meet in the Bluegrass of Kentucky, resulting in my brother and me. A good Celtic mixture.

Carrot Tops

2011-08-31T09:21:00.000-07:00

Red hair is considered fairly rare among the human race. Overall, that Celtic gene seems responsible for most of those lucky enough to be born with this hair color. Scotland seems to have the highest rate, being around 13% of the population. Ireland follows. Thus, most of those displaying this crown, are generally judged to be from Ireland or Scotland.

Genetically, red hair is considered an autosomal recessive trait. The gene is carried on chromosome 16, and is tagged MC1R. A mutation of this gene is felt to have occurred, which caused it not to be able to breakdown certain chemicals. [Conversion of pheomelanin into eumelanin, for those who want to know.] When the genes (alleles) from mom and dad come together, they each provide one side of this gene. The outcome of this combination produces hair color. If one parent carries this mutated gene, it will be expressed when it is joined by another who transmits this mutation.

The picture above shows a bunch of red heads. They are all brothers and sisters who seem to have parents who had nothing but red head genes! [Mam maw is in the middle.] My Dad (b. 1926) is of course was grey headed at the time the picture was taken, but he often told me he would not wear red because of the "carrot top" jokes he received growing up in Winchester, KY. Aunt Thelma Rae (b. 1928) , uncle Eugene Turner (Gene, b. 1936), uncle Gayle Lynwood (b.1938), and aunt Linda Carol (b. 1941), all show expression of this phenomena. Not sure how rare it is that a family has all red headed children! Welsh and Scottish genes, you can imagine the childhood stories.

Looking Back: Book about Walker Daniel and early Danville available

2011-08-24T06:42:00.000-07:00

Looking Back: Book about Walker Daniel and early Danville, KY available

Caught on Film

2011-08-20T07:07:00.001-07:00

My last picture showed my brother and me with Grandad Ewen. This picture shows my first cousin, David; my brother Henry, and me. It was taken about the same time period, late 1950s, and represents most of the pictures taken during this time. [Although more 1st cousins are usually around.]

We are standing just inside the front door. Granny is holding David's hands, and I seem to be glad that I have the "prize" held high in my left hand. [Being left handed of course.] Not sure exactly what this is, but I seem happy that I have it. David seems a bit upset, and Henry seems his usual calm self, with some kind of object held in his mouth. My dress again is outstanding. Shirt disheveled, only one suspender showing, cuffs opened, and most of my shirt tail about to join the outside world. What joy on my face.

Granny Ewen seems to have become the sheriff, waiting patiently [or not so patiently] for this adventure to pass. What adventures there are in childhood. Grannies being the sheriffs, and the grandchildren being the "Cowboy and Indians". Lock 'em up says the sheriff. This one caught on film.

With Grandad Ewen

2011-08-14T08:35:00.000-07:00

Not many pictures were taken with Grandad Ewen. The men in the family seemed to dissolve into the shadows when that picture taking time arrived. Most of the pictures were with Granny Ewen, aunts, and those of the XX-chromosome type.

Not this one. It shows my brother and me standing behind Grandad Ewen. It was taken on one of those Christmas days when the Ewen side all got together. I am a little surprised that my brother and I got a picture taken by our self, since there were usually a boat load of first cousins around. [Nine Ewen aunts and uncles all having their share of the next generations.]

It looks like the presents have been opened, and a few piles of discarded wrapping paper lies about. My brother is neatly dressed, and I am...well...in my usual state of attire. T-shirt hanging out, jacket sleeves unbuttoned, and that sheepish grin that tells I must have been up my usual activities.

I remember that Grandad Ewen always gave me a silver dollar. This was at a time when the silver dollar was worth a dollar! Most were the "Peace (1921-1935)" design, and belonged to the era that saw the great depression. [What a silver dollar must have been worth then.] My favorite however, was the 1890 Morgan (1887-1921) with two small "cc" on the back. It had an image of a woman on the front, and that of an eagle with its wings spread out on the back. Not like the Peace silver dollar where the eagle on the back had its wings closed tightly. I liked my eagles flying.

I do not remember having this picture taken with Grandad Ewen, but I still remember and keep in my possession the silver dollars.

Nose Art

2011-08-09T09:41:00.000-07:00

Combat planes were often given an identity through nose art.

The art took a variety of expressions, but a common form was the female form. All that testosterone and such kept many a nose artist active.

The following pictures show such expression.

At the close of WW II, my Dad had a chance to record such art. He was part of the army of occupation of Germany, 9th Air force. He tells me that his major activity was to destroy the planes that were left after the War ended. He would help remove all materials felt valuable, the parts and stuff, and place charges to dynamite the remaining metal. Hundreds and hundreds of planes were destroyed for scrap metal.

It appears that he had some time to take a few photos of these planes. The first shows Dad in winter garb, standing before a "blond bombshell". He certainly looks happy.

The next shows a group of guys (Dad the tallest) removing ammunition and such, with another picture of the female form clearly on display. No names can be identified, and I am uncertain the type of plane. Perhaps it was a bomber, with apparent bomb bay doors opened along the belly.

The last pictures show Dad in front of another type of nose art. This art was the one that counted.

New Blog : The Brick Wall Protocol

2011-08-06T08:28:00.000-07:00

Just started a new blog intended to help those who face a "brick wall": http://thebrickwallprotocol.blogspot.com/. If you need help, check it out.

Army of Occupation

2011-08-03T05:53:00.000-07:00

On Thanksgiving Day 1945, a young man just out of high school left for Germany on the troopship West Point. This ship was actually the "Luxury Liner America", but who was to tell these fellas what they were about to see and experience. The War in Europe had just ended, and there must have been a lot of guys who felt left out of all the action, and a lot of guys who felt relieved that the war was finally over.

Two of these guys are shown in the picture. One is my dad, Private First Class (PFC), Henry E. Jones, USAF - 15364821. He is the one standing with his hand on the shoulder on the unnamed fellow sitting. He tells me that he spent most of his time there driving prisoners of war to various tasks, which involved mostly blowing up planes that remained after the war. Germany had been destroyed, and much rebuilding was taking place.

The "Army of Occupation Medal" is shown in the next picture.

This medal was designed by the Army Heraldic Section, and shows the Remagen bridge abutments, symbolic of Europe. This medal was given for service in Germany or Austria starting after May 9, 1945. The ribbon is made of equally broad stripes of black and scarlet with narrower white edges. Black and white stand for Germany, and scarlet and white for Japan. [This medal was also given for the occupation of Japan starting after September 3, 1945.]

Dad has a lot of pictures, taken during this time. Hopefully, I will be able to share many more.

First Encounter

2011-07-28T05:25:00.000-07:00

My genealogy days are thought to have started some 51 years ago while playing hide and seek in Granny Ewen's closet. [See post "50 Years of Genealogy", July 7, 2010.] That was until I found this picture of my brother and me at Nada cemetery standing with Granny Ewen. It seems that I was about four, and my brother about six years of age. Granny has her arm around Henry's right shoulder, and I have my hands folded respectfully. Henry is holding the flowers which I guess were to be placed among those already evident. It must have been mid-summer since our summer attire was in place, [See post "Shorts and Nothing Else", Dec. 30, 2010.], except we needed to wear shoes so we didn't mess our feet up. This might even had been that same summer we had our picture taken on Danny!

We must have been facing the head stone of George Washington Ewen. I do remember seeing a headstone with some kind of funny markings on it. This must have been the Mason's symbol faintly seen now in the picture to the right. The headstone clearly shows the wear and tear of time, and vandals, since it was placed more than a century ago. This is also where three daughters of Granny had been buried so we could have been saying hello to them. I certainly seem to be standing stiffly which means I must have been unsure as to what to do around these dead folks. Making silly faces would not seem quite right. [Pictures of the head stones are shown in the post "Nada cemetery", Aug. 14, 2010.]

The last picture shows the church that was standing behind our backs. This picture taken at just about the same angle, and just about the same position. It was our family's Sunday go to meeting church shown in the post of January 25, 2011. The fence line has grown, and crowded out the front. It seems that many other things have crowded out this small structure used by my family so many years ago. Only the graves remain.

George Washington Ewen and his wife Susan Francis (nee Cole) are buried there...just beyond the gate.

My brother and I were there some 50 years ago...saying hello.

Holding On

2011-07-23T07:07:00.000-07:00

Holding on to things can be tricky at times. Things important to us are often placed in keep sake boxes, pressed between pages of books, or placed in a special hiding place known only to us. Perhaps a necklace , a ring, a flower, a picture, or a four leaf clover, or any number of unusual things that represent a special event or memory. Keep sakes they are called.

Wanda Bernice Ewen, born 20 April 1937, seems to be holding on to a cookie. Perhaps caught in the "cookie jar". What? Me? Not me...you mean you want some? Well maybe one bite. The expression on the face seems to be saying.

How many times have we been caught in the cookie jar? Have to eat fast or someone will find out. I will share a bite or two with the one I have in my hand...but not the one I have behind my back.

"Our Home is Gone"

2011-07-17T07:29:00.000-07:00

Devastation has been part of many lives this past year. Forces of nature have taken much toll all around the world. The actions of wind (tornadoes), earth (earth quakes), water (tsunami and floods) , and fire (wild fires) continue to remind us that no matter how much we think we are in control of our lives, some things are beyond our control.

The first picture to the right shows our home in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. We lived, fought, and loved as a family in these four walls for just about 10 years. The front of the house is shown at springtime, when the azaleas were in full bloom. A welcome sight coming home in the evening.

2001 1st Avenue, it was called. It was built by Edward Montgomery who owned a wood working business. He put a lot of his skill as a wood worker into the details. He even had a bomb shelter built during the "cold war" thinking this would provide some form of protection from that thing called the "A-bomb". We were the second owners to live in the home. Little did he know that a different type of bomb would hit. This bomb could be called a "T-bomb".

Several families have lived in the house since we sold it, when we moved back home to Kentucky. My youngest daughter still lives with her family in Tuscaloosa, and experienced the "T-bomb" first hand. The day after the tornado, she called and said, "Our home is gone".

The last picture shows what she meant. Not much of the house still stood, and large, black letters now identified the property. Complete devastation, what more can one say. The house is gone, but the memories will remain.

Forces beyond our control. Good bye 2001 1st Avenue. Anyway, home is where the heart is.

Pointing The Way

2011-07-15T05:04:00.000-07:00

Older siblings often take the roll of the leader. Here... go this way, go that way, get up, set down, and all the other directions that give the younger siblings that sense of "just let me do it"!

The picture to the right hung over Granny Ewen's bed. It shows May Millicent Ewen, born 7 December 1920, holding the hand of her younger brother, John Clarence Ewen (J.C.). [born June 16, 1922.] Both seem to be in a dress, but I guess in those days you used what you had. The oldest Ewen daughter, Minnie Thelma Clay Ewen, had died some seven months before May Millicent was born. J.C. came along some two years later, and May Millicent certainly had several years experience over the younger brother. She seems to be saying, "look, life is ahead, and you need to go this way". In this picture, she seems to be around four years of age, and J.C. would be about two years of age. "Now are you sure about this?", he seems to be saying.

May Millicent Ewen was to die December 25, 1925. Granny Ewen records in her own hand writing, "May Millicent Ewen - born Dec 7, 1920 Died Dec. 25, 1925. age 4 yr. & 6 mo.". To die on Christmas day. Who would every wish that? At least on this day, she is pointing the way.

Sharing Tree Climbing

2011-07-10T17:04:00.000-07:00

Just a little more than a year ago, the first post entitled "50 Years of Genealogy" was written. The story begins in my Granny Ewen's closet at age nine [Some 51 years ago!], finding the doctor's saddle bag of my great grandfather, George Washington Ewen. The next post tells of finding the Ewen family cemetery titled: "True Tree Climbing". The picture to the right shows this cemetery.

Just celebrating my Dad's 85th birthday, I found this picture among his collections. It would have been taken many years after my first "tree climbing" experience, but it does show the edge of the ridge that my uncle and I climb so many years ago. A few of the "towering pines" can still be seen, with the ridge dropping down just beyond the tree line. I do not have the name on the grave stone shown, but the first Ewen's buried here were born around the 1820's. To find this picture on the first anniversary of this blog was special. Happy Birthday Dad, and Happy Birthday to The Jones Genealogist blog...sharing tree climbing these many years.

The first two posts: Wednesday, July 7, 2010, "50 Years of Genealogy"; Thursday, July 8, 2010, "True Tree Climbing".

Best Friends

2011-07-05T06:38:00.000-07:00

The world would never be the same after M. Daguerre took his first photo. It appeared in the Gazette de france, Jan. 6, 1839 edition, and since this point, an untold number of images have been caught. These images have been called "Daguerreotypes".

By 1856, a quickly made, inexpensive product, was produced ultimately called a tintype. [At first they were called ferrotype or melainotype but who could say these words.] They came in various sizes from a whole plate (6 1/2 inches x 8 1/2 inches) down to a 1/9 plate (2 inches x 2 1/2 inches). They were produced on very thin sheets of iron involving certain chemicals which gave a very sturdy surface. These images could be carried easily and mailed easily. They captured the Civil War period in America in amazing fashion. They became the "folk art" of the day.

The picture above shows such a tintype from my families' collection. It is a 1/2 plate, measuring 4 1/2 x 5 1/2 inches. [An inch scale and millimeter scale are shown.] It has a plain back ground and dark surface common to the tintype. It shows a man with his dog. [I have been unable to identify his name, but I believe him to be a Ewen.]

The picture to the right is an enlargement of this tintype. You needed to sit still around 30 seconds to capture the image. Not much showing on this fellows face. Coat and tie are in place. Sitting stiffly. He seems to be holding his dog comfortably, and the dog has his paws upon the right knee. What an experience. Holding a dog still for any amount of time is a challenge. I wonder who he was.

A man and his dog...best friends.

THE X- WOMEN

2011-06-29T06:21:00.000-07:00

"X-Men" the movie has recently appeared describing a group of folks who represent the future of mankind. After watching this flick, I came to realize that I had my own folks who represent my future. They are my "X- WOMEN".

The picture to the right shows these folks in my arms. My X-chromosome to them. They seem to have gotten a lot, being dark haired, brown eyed, and mostly round faced. [All my Ewen traits.] But reality is that half is really the amount from me, and half from my wife. [Blond headed, blue eyed, and the mitochondrial DNA !] These mixtures of traits will go forward, passed on to the next generations. What the future holds for them will also be my future for my branch of mankind. Things are well in hand.

A Moment in Time

2011-06-25T09:08:00.000-07:00

In my growing up days, "Snakes, snails, and puppy dog tails" were the words to describe boys. In my family, snakes, especially Blue Racers, seemed to play a roll among the females as well. [see posts : The Blue Racer", July 13, 2010 and "Ms Blue Racer and Family", Sept 28, 2010.]

"Sugar, spice, and everything nice", was used to describe the girls. Having left my X-chromosome in three daughters, I am not sure that sugar, spice, and everything nice were often the best words.

The picture to the right shows my middle daughter Lesley and me catching our first fish together. The one that didn't get away! Her face shows the moment in time that expresses her delight. How proud she is to have succeeded in hooking this monster. Nothing sugar, spice, and all that other stuff. In this case, worms, hooks, and fish! How proud I am of her. A moment in time that sugar, spice, and everything nice seemed not the right words.

Posing For a Memory

2011-06-20T06:35:00.000-07:00

Faintly written on the back of this picture is: "this is the 5 Dolls at Lexington, Ky". Five numbers are given with the names (left to right) 1 = J.C. Ewen, 2 = J.B. Bam..ehan ?, 3 = G... Ewen, 4 = T.S. Jackson, and 5 = J.B. Goldon? They are standing proudly, each touching down the line from J.B. Goldon to J.C. (called Jake), posing for a memory.

I would take it that J.C. Ewen (b. 1887) was the anchor of the crew since they all seem to be leaning on him. He was an older brother of my grandfather, Sidney Brent Ewen (b.1899), who would have been a young child when this picture was taken. The middle person was Green Ewen, a younger brother to J.C. and another older brother to my grandfather Ewen. Both Ewen boys had mustaches just like their father George Washington Ewen. [See post and picture "The Sod Rest Lightly", August 17, 2010.] All wore hats except Mr. Goldon who seems to be wearing an apron, and certainly did not want to get his carefully combed hair disrupted. [Perhaps a bartender who served the boys on their big trip to Lexington, KY.] The second in, J.B. [could not make out the spelling] shows his pipe, a symbol of manhood. [See post "Brothers", March 16, 2011, for my great grandfather Jones, E.T.] What a crew. It must have been mother Susan [who else would have called them "Dolls"?] who scribbled lightly on the back of the picture hoping to keep this event and memory alive. The boy's big trip to Lexington from the hills of Eastern Kentucky. Friends, posing for a memory in time.

Jones Genealogy

2011-06-15T04:52:00.000-07:00

Genealogy has become a shared activity for many. Who are my ancestors? Where did we come from? What skeletons are in my family's closet? Who was the first to take my family's surname? Questions that are frequently asked.

A basic assumption underlying genealogy is that the family comes from a shared ancestor. This "Adam", the first to take the family's surname, is the foundation of my family tree. Thus, if another shares my surname, then we must be related somehow out the family tree. This is certainly true for many, many, surnames. But, for those who have a surname derived from the Welsh, this may not always be the case. Jones genealogy is such a case.

Genealogy for those who have a common surname, like Jones, is often a difficult process. Making it more difficult is the realization that most of those who share the surname [JONES] are not genetically related! This comes from the fact that many Welsh surnames were produced during a period of English history that required the Welsh to take an English surname. [The period of Henry VIII called the "Act of Union", 1536.] The English refused to recognize the Welsh system of naming, and forced the Welsh to utilize the English surname. More often then not, when a Welshman entered the required English legal system, the clerks of court registered their Welsh name [Peter ap Thomas ap Edward] by taking the first name [Peter], putting it with the second Welsh name [Thomas], to become the "new" English name, "Peter Thomas". If a first cousin came to court on the same day [or another day for that matter] named David ap John ap Edward [shared the same grandfather], the clerk of court would record David Jones. Thus, the surname Thomas would share the same Y-chromosome with the surname JONES. After a few generations this becomes a real tossed salad!

Jones genealogy, does anyone have some dressing?

For a discussion of these issues see under http://thejonessurname.blogspot.com :

"Impact, The Act of Union 1536", Feb. 24, 2011.

"Early English Records and the Jones Surname", March 21, 2011.

"The First JONES Surname in English Records", March 28, 2011.

"Ancient Petitions A Transition Period", April 18, 2011.

"Welsh Names in English Records 1301 AD", April 23, 2011.

"Welsh Birth Names 1301 AD", May 12, 2011.

"Jones Surname 1273-1500 in England and Wales", May 17, 2011.

"Jones Surname in Wales after 1500 AD", May 21, 2011.

"Jones Surname in England and Wales 1500-1700", June 2, 2011.

"Phonetic Not Genetic", June 6, 2011.

"Genetic Bowel of Spaghetti", June 10, 2011.

"Jones Surname By English Monarch 1485-1714", June 14, 2011.

Off With His Head

2011-06-11T07:39:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday, 30 January 1649, Charles I took his last breaths. His head was separated from his body around 2 p.m., and those who had supported his cause scattered. Some royalist, as they were called, retired to the continent of Europe. Some came to Virginia. Richard Jones (JS-165) , the father of Cadwallader Jones (JT-143), came to Virginia.

On page 190, Cavaliers and Pioneers, Vol. I, is recorded 13 March 1649:

"Thomas Dale, son of Nicholas Dale, dec'd, 800 acs. on S. side of Rappa. Riv., some 8 mi. up lyeing E.N.E. upon sd. river from the mouth of Wadeing Cr. to mouth of Marsh Cr. 13 Mar. 1649, p. 211. Trans. of 16 pers: ...Richd. Jones,....". [along with 15 others].

Richard Jones (JS-165) has a story all his own. He is titled "of Eastcheap" in a few documents, thus identified with that part of London busy with markets [Especially the butcher's market.] By 20 March 1653, he had died, leaving his land to his wife Francis Jones (JS-166). This land was identified as "abutting" Col. Richard Lee upon the north side of York River in Glocester Co. On page 241, Cavaliers and Pioneers, Vol. I, it states:

"Col. Richard Lee, 300 acs. Glocester Co., 20 Mar. 1653, p. 27. Upon the N. side of York Riv. abutting upon land of Richard Jones dec'd, now in possession of Francis Jones, relict of sd. Richard Jones, & E.S.E. upon land of Robert Todd."

It would take a number of years to sort through all this genealogy. The ping-pong balls were flying. [see post: "Ping-Pong Genealogy", Friday, December 17, 2010.]

References are:

"Cavaliers and Pioneers, Abstracts of Virginia Land Patents and Grants 1623-66", by Nell Nugent, Volume One, Genealogical Publishing Co., 1969.

"The Last Days of Charles I", by Graham Edwards, Sutton Publishing, 1999.

"Virginia Under Charles I and Cromwell, 1625-1660", by Wilcomb Washburn, Clearfield Co., 1993.

"London, the biography of a city", by Christopher Hibbert, William Morrow & Co., NY, 1969.

Western Cowboy Tonight

2011-06-07T05:18:00.000-07:00

Dressing up and pretending is often a part of life. One day a cowboy, the next day an Indian... is all possible. We learn about what it is to "make believe".

The picture is that of my great grandfather Cordilus. This picture has been in our family's stack for years, but I did not figure out who it was until recently. On the back there is very faint writing, hard to read. It seems to say: "Well Zana Western CowBoy tonight how do I look, Cord." Zana Bell Morton (1887-1977) was the baby sister of Cordilus (Cord) Morton (1873-1948). He dressed up as a cowboy this picture, thinking to give it to his baby sister. Some signs read: "Snake Medicine", "His Girl", and "You D. Fool". A gun and holster are in place. Hands on hips. A sheepish grin. Where's the cows? For that matter, where's my horse. He looks about 18-20 years old which makes the picture taking about 1890s. [Probably just before his marriage in 1892?] Pretending, dressing up...maybe it was his last fling before adult life was to catch up with him.

Well Cordilus, as Roy Rogers would say, "Happy trails to you".

Maps from History

2011-06-03T05:20:00.000-07:00

Maps from history will often help the genealogist understand the geography of their ancestors. The names, locations, and description of the land that was once occupied by the family, help bring to life the collection of facts. Peumansend Creek is shown on the map of Fry and Jefferson, 1754. [Here spelled Pumansend.] It is located below Fredericksburg on the Rappahanock River. Port Royal is the closest city identified, being just up river. Port Tobacco is just down river. Almost due north across the Rappahanock is located Chotank Creek. It empties into the Potomac River just across from Maryland Point. These landmarks are important in the life of Cadwallader Jones of Peumansend Creek 1673! [His code in my Jones family is JT-143, important to keep all these Joneses numbered.] Understanding the geographic relationship of the rivers, creeks, streams, and landmarks are often vital to breaking down many brick walls.

The figure is taken from: "A Map of the moft Inhabited part of Virginia containing the whole Province of Maryland with part of Pensilvania, New Jersey and North Carolina", by Joshua Fry and Peter Jefferson, 1754. [Remember, you can click on the figure to enlarge it. It makes it easier to read.]

The Tall and Short of It

2011-05-22T08:02:00.000-07:00

Scouting was part of growing up in Winchester, KY during the 1960s. Every guy worth his weight in salt would start out in the Cub Scouts around age nine. A "Den Mother" she was called. That woman who lassoed a group of wild Indians each Thursday afternoon after school. A special badge of courage she earned during my days!

The picture to the right shows my brother and me at this Cub Scout period in our lives. Getting to wear that blue uniform to Hickman Street School once a week was special. At this point, Henry was just half a head taller.

At age 11, you got to move on up to that group called "Boy Scouts"...with a "Scout Master". Our troop 84 was the largest in Winchester. We would collect 50 - 60 boys each Thursday night at the large Christian Church just across the road from Hickman Street School. There was a large meeting room in the basement with lots of space to run around. Of course we did not do a lot of running being in a church and all. The Scout Law was: A Scout is - Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Obedient, Cheerful, Thrifty, Brave, Clean, and Reverent. Wow, what a list!

The picture to the right shows my brother and me at this "Boy Scout" period. I guess you could say we were at least clean and cheerful. Henry had started his growth spurt now being head and shoulders above. My white tennis shoes show that my feet at least had started to grow. The "Tall" and "Short" of it I guess.

Our "Scout Motto" was "Be Prepared"! To do this we learned all sorts of things about first aid, safety, nature and the environment. Camping, hiking, fishing, wildlife, and the great outdoors were our laboratory. What more could a guy growing up ask for? [This of course was before my growth spurt and girls came into the picture!]

The "Scout Oath or Promise" began with the words: "On my honor I will do my best...". What a group of guys to grow up with when honor, and to do your best, was expected.

Cadwallader Jones of Peumandsend Creek

2011-05-18T07:28:00.000-07:00

A name like Cadwallader certainly catches your attention. It is a Welsh name that has attracted much attention along the genealogist highway. A little of the name's history is given.

Cadwallader is a Welsh name with a distinctive history and significance for the ancient Welsh people. The name Cad means "battle" and wallader means "king". Thus the name means "battle king" or "war king". The name appears among the Welsh kings as early as 617 AD, and the last "King of Wales" was named Cadwaladr Vendigaid (the blessed). After his defeat by the Saxons, the Welsh rulers were referred to only as "princes" instead of "kings". [Some feel that he died of the plague.] At any rate, after his death [ca. 682 AD] the Welsh bards began a political campaign which included a series of prophecies foretelling the return of Cadwalader and the defeat of the foreign invaders. In the Welsh:

"A phan del Kadwalader y orescin mon dileaur Saeson o tirion prydein"

"And when Cadwalader comes to seize Anglesey, the English will be driven from the lands of Britain".

One can understand why Welsh mother's and father's would want to name their sons Cadwallader! Thus, the name appears frequently in the Welsh, particularly among the ruling households looking to claim the fulfillment of the prophecies lingering in Welsh lore and culture. A "War King" who would set his people free!

This account is abstracted from: The Jones Genealogist, Vol. XI, No. 5, Jan/Feb, 2000, pp. 1-2.

My Old Kentucky Home

2011-05-14T06:13:00.001-07:00

The snow shines bright on my old Kentucky home? No, no...the sun shines bright...let's see, both snow and sun shines bright. Anyway, the picture is of our home at 25 Vine Street, taken around 1965. You can faintly see the number 25 in the middle of the space above the front door. The picture window to the right faced west, and I sat many a day looking out this window doing school work. A small concrete front porch is shown, with cedar bushes all around. The snow is about three feet deep, and this winter was a doozy. Lots of shoveling, lots of snow ball throwing, and lots of days to make up for school. Some winters, not so much, some winters a lot of snow fell. There was a saying in Kentucky that went: "If you don't like the weather, just wait, it will change". For almost 18 years we lived the four seasons in this abode...My Old Kentucky Home.

Along Pewmansend Creek 1673

2011-05-09T05:37:00.000-07:00

Simon Miller was the first to be named among the freshes on "Pewamanesee Cr.". On November 5, 1673 it was recorded in Cavaliers and Pioneers, p. 138, "SIMON MILLER, 817 acs. Rappa. Co., in the freshes & on S. side the Riv., on the head of Pewamanesee Cr., adj. Cadw. Jones; lands of Talliaferro, Buckner, Prosser & Royston, 5 Nov. 1673, p. 490." [Patent Book No. 6]

Wow, there you have it, Talliaferro, Buckner, and Jones next to each other in 1673!

On the next page is recorded:

"CADWILL. (Cadwallader ?) JONES, 1443 acs. on S. side & in the freshes of Rappa. Riv., adj. Warwick Camock (Cammock) 5 Nov. 1673, p. 492, 625 acs. granted Symon Miller, who sould to sd. Jones; 818 acs. for trans. of 17 pers:..."

Cadwallader Jones, the first Jones along Pewmansend Creek. What a name I thought. Who was this guy? After 20 years of research, I got to know him pretty well.

Birthday Boy

2011-05-05T03:40:00.000-07:00

Our senses provide us with information about life. Touch, smell, sight, hearing, and taste assist us in exploring the world around us. Having someone help lead the way around this experience helps most of the time. Older bothers tend to guide younger brothers.

The picture to the right is of my older brother Henry. He is using sight and touch to decide if this green stuff is good enough to eat? I know he chose wisely.

Today is his birthday. Many years later of course than when this picture was taken. He certainly help lead me through many investigations involving this life. Happy Birthday Henry, and thanks for helping me explore this world.

Name That Creek

2011-05-03T08:21:00.001-07:00

Two previous post discussed the methods of drawing and using maps in genealogical research. The map to the right shows the end product of such an endeavor. Pewmansend Creek remains outlined in yellow (first 3 miles), then the "north branch" in pink (roughly a 5 - 6 mile extension), and the "south" branch in green (4-5 mile extension). The landmarks of the day were creeks. [Used as street signs.] They are shown listed across the top starting with a) Port Tobacco Bay, b)Madam Lomx, c) Taliaferro's Creek, d) Roy's Warehouse, e) Presser's [Prosser] Creek, f) Passitank, g) Wier [Ware] Creek, h) Harrison's Creek, i) Conway's Warehouse, j) Snow Creek, and k) Nussopanax Run. A rough location of many of the early land owners are shown. Taliaferro, Buckner, Cattlett, Battialle, and Thornton are identified in the "freshes" along this section of Rappahannock River. Who was the first JONES? Was there a JONES along this Pewmansend Creek? Well indeed there was!

For Darla

2011-04-29T13:03:00.000-07:00

Just a few days ago, my cousin Darla placed a comment on the post titled "Life Not Lived", February 17, 2011. She records her mom's memory of a sister named Flossie Mae Jones. Here is the only picture I can find in dad's family picture book which shows Flossie Mae, 2 1/2 months of age. To the right is Thelma Rae, 1 3/4 years, and my dad is to the left. The picture is dated 27 April, 1930. Thelma Rae is Darla's mom. Hello Flossie Mae Jones, we do have one picture of your life.

Life is not so simple, yes?

2011-04-23T07:14:00.000-07:00

Life is birth...pictures, pictures, pictures...growing up...lots more pictures...growing out...lots less pictures...growing old...looking at growing up pictures...death. Life is not so simple, yes?

Life is simple, yes?

2011-04-22T05:27:00.000-07:00

Life is...birth....growing up.....growing out......growing old.......death. Life is simple, yes?

A Picture in Profile

2011-04-17T07:03:00.000-07:00

Family pictures have a way of telling our family's stories. The picture to the right shows Granny Ewen, with her second child May Millicent born December 7, 1920. The picture was taken March 26, 1921, which would make Millicent around four months of age. The lady she is sitting with is not identified, but I would guess it is Granny's mother, Malaha Morton, nee Howell. The most striking thing about this picture is that Granny is sitting in profile. Almost every other family picture that I have show the folks sitting forward and facing the camera. Here Granny is gazing at Millicent who seems a bit shaken at this picture taking experience. Malaha is looking to the camera with a gaze that seems to say, don't you hurt my girls, or your life will be forfeited. The date of this picture gives the context. Granny had just lost their first child, Minnie Thelma Clay Ewen. In Granny's hand writing, she records "Minnie Thelma Clay Ewen - born March 24 1919 - Died March 11, 1920. age 11 mo. 16 days." Therefore, this picture would be taken around the anniversary of the death of her first child, and holding the hope of her second. No wounder Granny's gaze is to her daughter, and not to us. Her contented look seems to say, life goes on, and she is sitting in my lap...a picture in profile.

In The Freshes

2011-04-11T06:26:00.001-07:00

To understand terms used in land patents, it is often necessary to get a grip on certain words that often have a different meaning than we would think. In early Virginia settlement, the rivers and streams played an important part in the establishment of boundaries and patent landmarks. A term used frequently was "the freshes". The drawing to the right tries to show this concept using the map already presented in a previous post. The orange color outlines the "ridge path" that separated the watershed that formed two patterns of water flow. Now if you were a rain drop that fell along this path, you have to go down on either side. The flow toward the major rivers[the blue lines]; in this case ,the Rappahannock River, would then flow into the Potomac River. This water would then flow into the Atlantic. The water drainage would be "the freshes". Thus, in early land patents there would be the statement "Coll. Nicholas Spence, 500 acs. in Potomack freshes, 6 Nov. 1666,...N.E. upon a cr. above Coll. Speaks land..." In effect, this would mean that Spence's 500 acres would be within the bounds of the ridge that formed the water runoff to the river that was the road to his patent. Of course you would then need to find out where "Coll. Speaks" land was located. You also know that 640 acres would be a square mile, thus this 500 acres would roughly one square mile [.78 mile square] from the river's edge to the ridge that drained the water. The blue lines in the figure about place you in the freshes.

The Passing of Time

2011-04-05T16:44:00.000-07:00

Time passes and life goes on with us or without us. Pictures catch the days of our lives at different times and in different places. Edward Turner Jones as a young man is shown. He was born 10 August 1873, at a small rural settlement called Science Hill, Madison Co., KY. Posture straight, hair carefully combed, suit and tie are in place, and shoes are clearly shinned. A hat is carefully placed to show how much a man of the day is represented. I would guess this picture would have been taken around 1890. Manhood has arrived, and life awaits. The picture below shows Edward Turner (called E.T.) some years later. I would guess about 30 years. The same confident look is present. The coat has been removed, the hat remains on the head titled upward, and a bow tie is in place. A pipe is held showing what many "older" adults of the day took up as a fine art. Posture has shifted, looking much more relaxed, with legs crossed. The passing of time can not be stopped, but it can be captured by a picture. I am certain that E.T. would have something to say. He died 5 May, 1938 at his home in Clark Co., KY...the passing of time continues.

Making Maps

2011-03-31T08:11:00.000-07:00

It often becomes necessary to expand your genealogical skills into areas that you may not have utilized. When genealogy becomes geography it is frequently necessary to make maps of the geographical area that you wish to explore. I am not speaking of just looking at maps, but actually drawing maps to fit the history and time peroid you are seeking. Such was the case for my Griffin Jones, Sr. and the next generations.

Pewmansend Creek [spelled a variety of ways] was the general location of my Jones family beginning around the 1720s. This was a creek which emptied into Rappahannock River way up stream from its mouth, which emptied into the Chesapeake Bay. Present day maps have all sorts of names, towns, and listing which may or may not be the names, towns, or listings dating back to 1720. Also, there were multiple land grants and patents that used landmarks no longer in existence on present day maps. Drawing your own maps with all the present day names, towns, and listings removed, allows a way to utilize historical records from "ground zero" sort of speaking. Here is how one can do this.

Start with a present day map of the geographical area your have an interest. [Where your family tree ends or the brick wall begins.] For me it was the state of Virginia, present day Caroline Co., which had been a number of different counties before. A map I have utilized over the years is called "Virginia: Atlas & Gazetteer, Topographic maps of the entire state, Back roads and outdoor recreation", by Delorme, Mapping Co., Freeport, Maine, 1989. This company publishes multiple state maps and I am sure that they have published more up to date editions. It does not really matter the editions however, since you are going to create a map which only shows the highways of the time, the rivers and streams.

The next step is to take a piece of tracing paper and outline the water and streams that make the foundation of your new map. An example I have done is shown to the right. Trace all the streams as shown on the map, identify which direction is north, and establish the scale of the map as traced. My drawn is done on a piece of graph paper. This allows a way to estimate total acres involved since all early patents are given in total acres. My is scaled to two small squares to a mile, thus making 640 acres within one block of four squares. You may want to start with just a plan piece of copy paper.

Pumensend Creek is identified and its branches shown. All other creeks which surround it are also drawn. [A shadow box is often helpful when paper is thick and more light can be place on the tracing.] Thus you have a working map which contains the highways of the time, and the landmarks used for land patents. More to come.

Keep Smiling Until Then

2011-03-27T08:00:00.000-07:00

School pictures were a part of growing up. You were always given a few days warning...parents wanted you to look just right, hair combed and all. For the most part, teachers seemed to enjoy it, having us line up in the hallway, all smiles showing, and march us to the picture place. A big production it was at Hickman Street School.

The picture to the right shows that of my first grade, school year 1957-1958. Curly black hair was pretty well combed. White shirt was buttoned right to the top. A smile from ear to ear which is saying a lot since my ears stuck out a ways from the face that showed such excitement. My first grade school picture and my first permanent tooth!

Teeth eruption seemed to show up at the unluckiest times. The first molars appear on the average around 6-7 years of age. The central incisors appear on average around 7 -8 years of age. The lateral incisors show up around 8-9 years of age...the cuspids 11-12...the first bicuspids 10-11... second bicuspid 10-12 years. The second molars arrive 12-13 years of age. Finally, the third molars (called Wisdom Teeth!) arrive 17-21 years of age. Often these third molars arrive by special delivery in a dentist office.

Yes indeed, baby teeth to permanent teeth were often caught on school pictures, starting right from the first grade until that final grade in the sky I guess. As Roy Rogers would say, "Keep smiling until then".

A Rainbow Gene

2011-03-23T07:04:00.000-07:00

As part of my most recent birthday celebrations, my oldest, five year old grandson gave me a picture that he had drawn. It is shown at the right. A rainbow, glowing sun, and a tree make the picture a happy picture. He had wanted to give me a present that he had made himself. How precious it is, full of his love and imagination.

I was impressed that many years ago his Mom also drew a picture of our family. It shows us under a rainbow with a glowing sun. [See post titled "Daughter's Drawings", Friday, January 28, 2011.] When questioned about Sam's drawing, she reported no direction or guidance to Sam's creativity. It was all on his own. Ah...I thought...we must have a rainbow gene in our family.

Brothers

2011-03-18T05:16:00.000-07:00

Brothers are special. They share a part of life with you that no other person on earth will ever share. Older brothers especially will take a special place in your life. They show you how to throw a ball, which shirt to wear or not, when to run, and when to fight...all sorts of things that have to do with life and growing up, going ahead and leading the way.

The picture to the right shows Edward Turner Jones (E.T.) with his older brother Benjamin Thomas Jones. Legs crossed in tandem, hands on lap, a serious look about both, bothers sharing something together...a picture it is. E.T., with pipe in mouth, has a vest in place. [I guess he wanted to record in history that he had takin up smoking, while his older brother had not.] Brothers together in time and space. What memories they share.

A Blue Baby

2011-03-15T01:10:00.000-07:00

Some sixty years ago today I was brought into this world by Dr. Averitt. Even now, I do not know his first name, for he was always called Dr. Averitt. He literally brought me into this world for I was born by C-section. In the early 1950s, this was not a common surgery. Only about 5 % of the deliveries were done by C-section as compared to roughly 30 % today. The reasons for this surgery was that my older brother had been born by C-section, and the medical standard of the day was "once a C-section, always a C-section". My Mom and Dad have always told me that I was a "blue baby"...all 5 pounds 2 ounces of me. This would generally mean that I was most likely premature, and at birth had underdeveloped lungs. Poor lungs, poor oxygen exchange, and cyanosis, thus a "blue baby" I would become. It would have been much harder to tell the exact gestational age [how long you have been in the oven since the ultrasound was some 30 years away. Only recently has my Dad shared that on this morning some sixty years ago, he prayed for me to live. He tells me that it was not real clear that I was going to make into this world. He had gone outside the hospital, sat under a tree, and started to bargain with God to let me live. I am not all sure what the bargain included, but I seem to have made it these sixty years. How many times has this happened? A Dad, or Mom, or both, asking God to save their child. The asking is part of the struggle. Often the answer is more of a struggle. Well Dad, thanks for the prayers. I believe that I was the one to get the most from this bargain. An Old Testament prophet from around 700 B.C. says: "He has told you, O man, what is good, and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?" [Micah chapter 6 verse 8.] That morning sixty years ago, Dad, thanks for your prayers. Hopefully, I will have some more walking to do.

Nose to the Ground

2011-03-13T08:40:00.000-07:00

Griffin Jones, Sr. was left dangling from the court records of Caroline Co., VA starting 1736. On one side of these records, there were Thorntons, Taliaferros, Youngs, Wares, McPhersons, Buckners, Smiths, and all sorts of other folks. Early on, there seemed to be a concentration of Taliaferros, and Griffin was connected to land of the Thorntons. Using "Ping Pong" genealogy, taking the Taliaferros and Thontons to the other side of the net, would open a whole, new set of adventures. [see post "Ping Pong Genealogy" Friday, 17 December, 2010.]

Early on, the prime land lay below the falls of the Rappahannock River. One of the largest grants was made 1666, to Robert Taliaferro and Lawrence Smith along what became called Snow Creek. An adjoining tract was issued to a John Bucker. A Francis and Anthony Thornton took up land at the head waters of Mattipony River just west of the Smith-Taliaferro land. All belonging to the cluster of names which were connected in some way to Griffin Jones, Sr., and ultimate to Griffin Jones, Jr. The problem of course was how to put these folks together, and where to look.

Caroline Co. was formed 1728 out of Essex Co...but, Spotsylvania Co., was also formed out of Essex Co., 1721. Essex and Richmond Cos. were both formed out of Rappahannock Co. in 1692. Thus any early land grants could be in Rappahannock (before 1692), Essex or Richmond Cos.(before 1721-1728), Spotsyvania and Caroline Cos. after 1728! What a mess!

It is usually around this time that even the most motivated genealogist decides to punt. It is here that genealogy often become geography, for it is using maps [often historical maps] that will frequently help identify the important landmarks given in the documents of the time. Making maps will help the genealogist keep their "genealogy nose" to the ground. [Any one who has ever had a Beagle will know what I mean.] More to come.

Lightly on His Mother's Shoulder

2011-03-08T05:52:00.000-08:00

G.W. Ewen seemed to have one of those faces that did not change with age. He had the same hair, the same mustache, the same eyes, and overall, the same look throughout his picture years. How lucky can one get? The picture to the right shows G.W. and his wife Susan, early in their married life. The first three sons are shown (although one looks like he is in a dress?). Robert (Bob), b. 1881; Asa Brooks, b. 1883, and J.C. (Jake), b. 1887 are the best guess. This picture would be taken around 1888-1890, and G.W. would have been around 30 years old. The oldest has his hands lightly on his mother's shoulder. Mon seems to be sitting upright, but G.W. seems to be relaxed and sitting, leaning backward in his chair. A family picture at the beginning of their story is shown. Eleven children will be born to this couple. A few more are yet to come.

Memories Alive

2011-03-06T10:01:00.000-08:00

The stats section of blogspot.com informs me that there has now been more than 10,000 page views. What a deal! I can not believe that so many have shared in my memories. Thanks to those who have joined from more than 35 countries. I hope you will continue to share in the stories. Please say hello, and leave any comments. Let's keep the memories alive.

Touring in 1929

2011-03-04T07:30:00.000-08:00

Growing up dreaming of cars is part of the American male psyche. [Not sure about the female psyche, never have figured that out.] My earliest memory is of a 1949, black Plymouth sedan. It had a sail boat on the hood, and on the glove compartment. Not sure if I like the car or the sail boats better! My family would often have a Sunday afternoon ride in the country, where I would hang out the window, slap at passing bushes and trees leaves, and feel the wind blowing carelessly past my head. [My folks would be arrested for allowing this activity today!]

The picture to the right shows my Dad, age 3 years, standing on the running board of the 1929, Ford Model A, Touring Car. The picture is dated 18 August, 1929. " What?... Me have any worries?...Not a chance !"...he seems to be saying. Or it could be, "...the fish that got away was this big!" At any rate, he sure seems happy and proud, standing there. A summer day, trees all full, a big smile across the face, are present. Guys and cars... and a fun summer day...some of what growing up is all about. Little did Dad know that only two months in his future would be the stock market crash of October, 1929. What a ride this would be.

Tidewater Virginia

2011-03-03T08:33:00.000-08:00

One common denominator that bound the early settlers together was water. Bays, rivers, creeks, streams, swamps, freshes, ponds, points, and landings served as important landmarks. Water was the access point to the land, and served as the access routes to settlement. We have given the name "Tidewater Virginia" to the geographic area that the Virginia colonists occupied. Therefore, an understanding of this aspect of settlement is key to realizing the impact that the rivers, and streams, and their "names" had on the records of this time period.

The five major waterways (rivers) made up the "main streets" and "broadways" of the early Virginia colony. These were the interstate system for settlement. To help understand this network of waterways, allow me to use a hand illustration. The figure to the right is the illustration.

Open your hand "palm up" and spread your fingers as if you are giving the number five. Straighten your wrist and pretend that your forearm is parallel to the ground. Your thumb should be almost straight up from the floor and your fingers opened in a fan like pattern. The palm of your hand represents the "Chesapeake Bay" with your thumb pointing approximately due north. The Chesapeake Bay follows your thumb almost due north to the settlement of Cecilius Calvert (Second Lord Baltimore), who's Charter to Maryland was granted in 1632. The remaining four fingers will represent the four major water ways to colonial settlement. The spaces between each finger represents a section of land, bordered on both sides by water. Your fingers represent the four major rivers, and will point roughly northwest to westward out of your palm. The first finger is the "Potomac River". It points northwest, and will lead ultimately to the future capital of our nation. The middle finger represents the "Rappahannock River". It almost parallels the Potomac River in its northwestern direction, and is the "highway" to my family's first land patent of 1673. The ring finger represents the "Charles River", which had a name change to "Yorke River". It splits into two branches, the "Mattaponi", and the "Pamunkey", some miles inland. The little finger will represent the "James River". It was the major waterway into the settlement, beginning at Jamestown. [No slight is intended by it being represented by the little finger.] The James River branches at the "Appomattox River", with the James River heading northwest and the Appomattox southwest. The tips of the fingers represent "the falls". This was the place were each river would descend from the Blue Ridge Mountains and "fall" into a level that would allow for transportation. This became known as the "fall line", and represented the end of the road for even canoes. The land masses between each finger were settled from the webs (the place were the fingers touch the palm of your hand) to the tips, beginning by the settlements along the James River. This contact point would represent the "mouth" (beginning) of the rivers, and would often be given landmarks called "points". The names of these points would become landmarks [street signs] to the ships arriving to the settlements. "Point Comfort" was the first name given the mouth of the James River! These beginning points were significant because they were often used as the starting locations of surveys for early land grants. A surveyor would begin his survey at a "point" and measure along the river bank in one mile segments. These mile segments would become the "mile markers" for identifying patents that had been given. Thus, when a patent would say "beginning 13 miles up river". It would be counted from these mile markers.

Where the wrist and palm join represents the entrance to the Chesapeake Bay area. The lower wrist and palm would be at the 37 degree parallel. This is important to recognize, since many of the early map makers could determine latitude with some accuracy.

So there you have it. the "Big Picture" of the settlement areas of "Tide Water" Virginia. Each land mass [the areas between each finger], was settled more or less in sequence from James River (little finger), to the Charles River (later Yorke River), to the Rappahannock River roadways. Special circumstances affected the Potomac River area because of conflicts between religious groups and commercial interests.

Pictures are like that.

2011-02-28T10:38:00.000-08:00

Granny Ewen's mom was Lura Mahala (Haly) Howel, born 29 July, 1871. She was the second wife of Cordillis Morton. The last post shows their children 1911. The picture to the right shows Granny Ewen's uncle on the Howel side of the family tree.

James Howel was born 11 December 1860. His wife's name is yet unknown. His father was Thomas Jefferson Howel, born 17 February 1840. His mother was Mary Ann Lamerson, born 1 April 1836. These dates are taken from the page of a family Bible which Granny Ewen had kept with her throughout her life. A picture of this page is shown at the post called "A small piece of history", 30 August, 2010. I still do not know if they had any children, these Howels? But, the picture kept by Granny shows their life. Pictures are like that.

Granny Ewen's Growing

2011-02-24T14:11:00.000-08:00

A previous post titled "Granny Ewen's Childhood" shows a picture of the Morton family fairly early in their childhood. [18 January 2001] The picture to the right shows Granny's Morton family growing up! This picture has in Granny's hand writing on the back, "Made in year of 1911". Just imagine, a picture of the family 100 years ago!

Here stands left to right, Myrtle Morton (b.1901); my Granny, Stella Morton (b. 1899); "Mama" Morton [Mahala] (b.1871); Bruce Morton (b. 1907); Lemon Morton (b. 1896); and Mose Morton (b.1905). Let's see, that would be 10 years old (Myrtle); 12 years old (Granny); 41 years old (Mahala); 5 years old (Bruce); 15 years old (Lemon); and 7 years old (Mose). Life as it look for my Morton family 100 years ago.

Breath of Life

2011-02-20T06:21:00.000-08:00

To take that first breath of life is an important step for all of us in the human race. It usually starts with a cry, for having been a family physician for more than a quarter of a century, I have been present at many first breath experiences. [more than 800!] That breath fills the lungs, changes the blood flow through the heart, and moves us from a watery existence to the land side of life. Hearing that cry, the mother gets the first sounds of this new life that has been hidden in her womb for some 9 months, give or take a few weeks. All that morning sickness... long nights twisting and turning, trying to get comfortable from that kicking and movement...that big, big belly, and swelling in hands and feet...that reflux, those hemorrhoids, those stretch marks...all this to get to hear that first breath of life.

The picture to the right shows my wife holding our first daughter. Her arms did most of the holding and hugging. In spite of having delivered more than 800 babies, I can say that there is nothing like having your own! But, after 40 years of marriage, I have come to realize that it is the mothers that give the breath of life.

Life not Lived

2011-02-17T09:36:00.000-08:00

The death of a child leaves a hole in the heart that is never filled. Life goes on but memories remain. May Millicent Ewen was born 7 December 1920, and died 25 December 1926. The picture to the right is of May Millicent, taken early in her childhood. It may be the only picture that the family has of her life. Granny Ewen and Granddad Ewen lost three children early in their married life. Their first child, Minnie Thelma Clay Ewen born, 24 March 1919, and died 11 March 1920. Their second child, May Millicent shown to the right. A third child named Susan Christina Ewen, born 7 April 1932, and died 25 July 1934. Lives not lived. What did we miss by not meeting or getting to know them. We will never know.

Say hello, May Millicent. What stories would you have told to your family? Those dark eyes, looking forward. You have the Ewen eyes and that Ewen round head! She is buried between her two sisters at Nada, just outside the front of the "Sunday Go to Meeting" church pictured in a previous post. Her grandfather and grandmother are buried just above. Forever part of the family...we certainly missed you.

Social Roles

2011-02-14T06:34:00.000-08:00

Griffin Jones, Sr. made his appearance in history 13 August 1736. [My eighth-generation

grandfather.] He was found in the legal records of Caroline Co., Virginia, causing all kinds of trouble. What to make of all this? The society that surrounded Griffin at this time was pretty much fixed. He was expected to fit into the culture that produced the environment in which he lived. The legal system was one way to stand up for yourself and your family.

The drawing to the right is a summary table of the "male" social system that was in place around this time in history. From birth , until a male was considered an "adult", was clearly defined. England defined its social structure by rank, and you were born into a class. You were born into this class, and expected to follow what society had structured.

Infancy was considered from birth to around 5 years of age. The immediate family was responsible for your care and upbringing. If born "poor" you became wards of the parish church.

Primary education began around 5-6 years of age. You were usually sent to a school in the surrounding community, or a community close by. For the poor or lower classes, as early as age 10, one could be placed as an apprentice. This involved leaving the home and moving into another family's home. You became a workman for this family and learned the trade that was being practiced. The title "bonded" or "servant" was applied.

Secondary education began around 14-15 years of age for those in the upper classes. Oxford and Cambridge were the schools of choice for the upper crust. This often involved at least one year in the legal system, called the "Inns of Court". It was at age 14 that an individual could select their own guardian. This secondary education could take 5-7 years, and a male was considered ready for the adult community around age 21. This may be as long as age 27 in certain families.

Farm and field was the place viewed acceptable for many. A trade and profession for others was the norm. Church, the legal courts, and the military for the younger brothers were often the goals for those freeman and above.

The court of the monarchy was for the knight and peerage.

So, there you have a big picture of the social structure of male society. Griffin, Sr. would have gone through this system. This would suggest that he was at least 21 years of age in 1736. Understanding this social system can be used to begin to set dates around many "brick walls"!

Countenance of an Angel

2011-02-10T07:16:00.000-08:00

The ground around my house has been covered in snow most of these winter months. Cold, ice, salt, poor roads, and housebound for many days, makes one look out the window and hope for the spring.

Outside my study is a well that was place some 176 years ago. I guess it has seen its share of Kentucky snow and ice. It is part of a cistern system that runs underground collecting the runoff from the snow and ice. Capturing this melting snow, it provided a source of water for the continuation of life around this place. Of course, it no longer operates as a source of water, for time has replaced it with pipes and faucets, and a water bill!

Over this well is placed a fountain. Central to this fountain is an angel statue which looks toward our house. On a sunny day, between the snow and ice, the sun reflected off our angel, and left hope for the spring. The picture to the right is the angel, and I thought it might help those who are still facing the snow and ice. The countenance of an angel...spring is on the way!

My mitochrondial DNA (mtDNA)

2011-02-07T06:00:00.000-08:00

The Y-chromosome seems to get most of the attention, at least for the male of the species. The mtDNA often gets lost in the tree branches along the way, as the family grows for generations. Interesting that it was the mtDNA that opened the doors to the world of genetic genealogy and the study of our DNA existence upon this planet. Not surprising that it is the females who often keep the family's stories, and pass them on to later generations. This was especially true in my family.

The picture to the right shows my immediate mtDNA. Mom standing with her Mom. It must have been a bright and sunny summer day. Summer dresses, sun glasses, sandals, and oh yes, another picture to be taken. Granny has her arm around Mom, holding her left shoulder. My mtDNA to you, my dear, it seems to say. Granny squinting her eyes against the sun's bright rays. I can not tell if Mom is wearing her wedding ring yet, but I guess this picture would have been taken in the mid-to-late 1940s. Granny has a flower placed in her dress, and I know how much she loved flowers and plants. Their shadows are cast almost directly backward. Yes, my Y-chromosome gets most of the attention in these posts, but it is this mtDNA that takes up half.

Gunter's Chain

2011-02-03T13:22:00.000-08:00

When the first surveyor arrived in Virginia, early 1620s, he brought with him the latest scientific invention called "Gunter's Chain". Invented in 1620 by a mathematician Edmund Gunther, it was the most advanced instrument of its time. It became the surveyor's tool, and was used to mark off the land of Virginia. It was 22yards long (20 meters), and was divided into 100 links. This would make each link 6 foot, 6 inches long. Each link was a solid bar, carried on horseback, and hooked together to make various links. One link by 10 links square made 1 acre. [An area of 10 square chains.] In essence, 22 yards long = 66 feet = 4 perches = 1/10 furlong. [It actually was 20.1168 meters, but .1168 of a meter made little difference.] One mile was 5,280 feet = 80 chains. A square mile enclosed 640 acres.

Another measurement was the "rod". One rod = 16.5 feet = 5.5 yards = 5.0292 meters.
A "pole" was 1 square rod. This would be 16.5 feet x 16.5 feet.

These terms are frequently used in the surveys made in colonial Virginia. Now you know!

1 Rod = 16.5 feet = 5.5 yards = 5.0292 meters.

1 Pole = 1 square rod.

1 acre = 160 square rods = 10 square chains.

1 mile = 5,280 feet.

1 square mile = 640 acres.

A Gunter's Chain was 22 yards long (20 meters) and divided into 100 links.

22 yards = 66 feet = 4 perches = 1/10 furlong.

1 link = 6 foot 6 inches long.

Go Fish

2011-01-31T07:24:00.000-08:00

As children proceed through life, there is a progressively increasing reliance on memory. Children must become efficient in their use of both long-term and short-term memory. Rules, facts, concepts, procedures, language, and all sorts of social skills are to be learned and placed in memory. Oh...those childhood memories...some are good, some are bad...and some are just there.

It is certainly a rare occurrence that a child has a chance to store memories of his great-grandfather. I suspect that it very few who can remember meeting and talking to theirs. The picture to the right is my oldest grandson, Sam, playing cards with his great-grandfather, my Dad. I believe they are playing a game called "Go Fish". Sam showing his card, asking Dad if he had one like it. If not...go fish! You then had to draw cards until you got what was asked. The one with the most cards at the end would lose. Lose, win, one of those things one must learn. Go fish, I thought. A Chinese proverb tells that if you give a man a fish, he will eat one day...teach him to fish and he will eat for a life-time. Here, great-grandfather is teaching great-grandson how to fish. [Or maybe it is the other way around!] May Sam store this in both his short-term and long-term memory.

The Silver Penny

2011-01-29T08:57:00.000-08:00

Money has played an important role in most cultures. For the genealogist, understanding how, how much, and why, will often help make decisions regarding our ancestors. For the English around 1600 the silver penny played an important role. The following outlines its use around 1600 England:

12 silver pennies = 1 shilling

240 silver pennies = 1 pound

160 silver pennies = 1 mark (two thirds of a pound)

Shillings, marks, and pounds = terms of accounts/account records

1 silver penny = a days labor wage.

Daughters' Drawings

2011-01-28T07:59:00.001-08:00

Coloring books are often a large part of learning to keep within the lines. All those choices, and shades, and shapes, can keep one occupied for hours. However, sooner or later you are given the freedom to draw on your own. [Walls, floors, and refrigerator doors are often the objects of this expression.]

Two of my most precious keepsakes are the drawings made by my daughters. Lisa, my oldest, was the first to put on paper her drawing of our "Jones Famly". At around age seven, here we are through her eyes. A rainbow arches over head, a sun with rays is in the sky, and lots of green grass. A swing set is drawn [we spent a lot of time swinging] and a car is drawn [we spent a lot of time traveling], and our family is drawn with smiles. My wife (and Mom) is drawn to my left, and the girls are drawn from youngest to oldest on my right. My glasses are in place. Dresses are in order, and this may have been one of our "Sunday Go to Meeting Days" with the car just ready to be loaded.

My second daughter's drawing follows. Her "Jones Famliy" is more organized according to rank. Dad first, Mom second, Lisa third, Lesley forth, and Ellen fifth. All smiles on the faces are drawn. She must have liked bows, for every sister has a large bow in place. Glasses on me, full dress on Mom, and carefully drawn dresses with fluffy sleeves on the girls.

Both drawings have me with glasses and black hair. Special memories are these. What a treasure these drawings... bows and a rainbow...and smiles...what joy.

Hickman Street School

2011-01-26T08:18:00.001-08:00

Hickman Street School was the home of my family for at least three generations. Mam maw would have attended around 1910, Dad around 1930, Uncles Gene and Gayle around 1940, and my brother and I in the 1950s. The picture to the right shows the building as it stood before the 1940s. Large and impressive from the street, and stately to the onlooker. It had changed quite a bit before my brother and I attended with the front, back right, and sides much different looking. The lower left of the picture shows the bell tower of our main street church, and the top of Brown-Proctor Hotel just beyond. This drawing would have been made before the large Presbyterian Church was built and after 1873 when our Main Street church was built. No clear date is given on the drawing, but 18-- something is shown in the upper left.

The second picture shows my brother's first grade class of May, 1956. The picture is taken on the steps of the large Christian Church which stood on the hill across the street from the school. Here, the steps provided an ideal stage for class alignment, and provided the photographer a way to get all the faces in the picture. Four rows, equally spaced, and about equal shoulder to head ratio seems the pose.

My brother, Henry, is third row up, second from the right with that Jones straight line smile. Little did he know that the pretty little girl, Marcia, second row up, second from the left, would prove to be more than just a first grade classmate. For it was in this very church that some 14 years later they would come down these very steps as husband and wife. What a deal! Hickman Street School brought more than one family together.

Sunday go to Meeting

2011-01-25T09:24:00.000-08:00

Going to church on Sunday was always a part of life for many of those living in my family's past generations. To get away from the daily tasks of life, and feed the spirit and soul was generally thought a good thing. The whole family; dad, mom, children, cousins, aunts, uncles, and friends would share time catching up with one another. [It was more common for the moms than the dads.] Coats and ties for the guys, hats and dresses for the gals, allowed for a general family clean-up and dress-up. The first picture shows such a gathering outside the home church at Nada. Lots of children of course, more women than men, and lots and lots of white dresses stage the picture. One little girl on the front row is looking down at the shoes of the fellow standing next to her..."wher'd you git those shoes"...she seems to be saying. It must have been one of those "hell", "fire", and "damnation" sermons for there does not seem to be a lot of happy faces. I would guess the preacher man is the one standing at the upper right, since it appears that he is holding the Bible. I roughly count about 100 souls this Sunday picture...a "Sunday go to Meeting".

This is a picture I took of that very church as it stood this past summer. Windows boarded up, locked, and falling apart, it looked mighty empty and alone standing there. All the folks in the first picture must be dead by now, or at least close to it. No coats, no ties, no hats, and no white dresses...only boarded windows and broken down steps. Where have the Sunday go to meeting days gone?

The Bearded Ones

2011-01-24T11:27:00.000-08:00

Granny Ewen's nee Morton family sure believed in beards. [Nee is used by genealogist to mean the maiden surname.] Of course only on the men, for almost every picture I have of the Morton family, the men have beards. The first picture is of Granny Ewen's Uncle William Morton. His beard extends down to his shirt. The second picture is of Granny Ewen's father Cordillis Morton, who's beard is fairly short considering the Morton standard. The third picture is of Granny's grandfather, Moses Morton. His beard seems to fill the picture. By the time this was taken, he had pearly white hair. The last picture is me. I must have inherited the Morton's beard gene and the white hair gene.

Virginia Land Laws : Cabin Rights

2011-01-22T06:28:00.000-08:00

It was during the Revolutionary War that Virginia addressed the land expansion to the west for the first time under its own laws. "Taking up Land" meant building a cabin and raising a crop of grain of any kind, however small. This entitled the occupant to four hundred acres, and after 1779 the pre-emption right to as much as one thousand more adjoining acres. [Most of the first patents of Kentucky were under these laws.] This pre-emption right was to be secured by a land office warrant which became known as "Cabin rights". The word "patent" as used here means the official certificate of a government grant or franchise. [No longer under the King!] As an adjective it means protected or conferred by letters patent.

"Tomahawk Right" was claimed from deadening trees about the head of a spring and marking the bark of some trees with the initials of the one who made the improvement. Unless followed by a settlement these rights were held invalid. If some one else desired to make a settlement on the land and secure a title, he would buy up the rights rather than quarrel with the one who made them.

Desert of Waters

2011-01-21T05:15:00.000-08:00

It would only seem fair to Mom (16 Candles) and Dad (True Grit) to post my picture around the 16th birthday. Head titled a little to the right, black hair, brown eyes, and thick eyebrows come through. [Black hair and brown eyes were Ewen.] A thin narrow tie reveals the 60s. My smile looks a bit forced, but by this time in history you often had to smile on demand.

I can remember early on, that I was always fascinated with the stars. The constellations had their own stories from Greek mythology, and my favorite was the "Queen's Chair". [She was placed by the gods to stand on her head part of the year.] Asking for a telescope one Christmas, Santa brought me a microscope. A new idea...looking at the world from a different angle...looking inward instead of looking outward. Hum...I would become a doctor instead of an astronomer?

I often wonder if my life would have been different if I had gotten a telescope that Christmas. Becoming a doctor took a lot of determination and true grit. A little from Mom and a little from Dad, and a new idea. Carl Schurz said:

"Ideals are like stars; you will not succeed in touching them with your hands. But like the seafaring man on the desert of waters, you choose them as your guides, & following them you will reach your destiny."

True Grit

2011-01-19T08:18:00.001-08:00

Not to be out done, I thought it would be appropriate to show a picture of Dad. This picture is dated "School Days 1938-1939". Dad would have been a few years short of his 16th birthday, but this is the closest picture I could find to the age of 16 years. Rough and ready I would call it...hair slightly disheveled, collar raised on the right, suspenders showing. Don't mess with me and let's get this picture taking over.

Dad often told some of his childhood stories like jumping off the top of a boxcar while flipping onto a pile of sawdust, swimming across the Kentucky River to Boonesborough Beach because he did not want to pay, and hitch hiking to Lexington to enjoy Joy Land Park. You can sort of see this determination and independence in his face...left eye focusing, because he was left handed. True grit at 12-13 years of age. He often told that he was "passed around" a lot as a child. Pap paw had lost his right eye in an explosion, Mam maw was working full time, and Dad was pretty much left to his own design. One aunt taught him potty training by peeing on chickens. Too bad today that we do not have enough chickens to go around.

Granny Ewen's Childhood

2011-01-18T06:10:00.000-08:00

Having pictures of your grandparent's childhood is special. I just can't imagine what it would have been like to have spent the earliest part of your childhood in a log cabin. The picture to the right shows Granny Ewen (Stella nee Morton) and her brothers and sisters. She is the oldest daughter, b.1899, standing to the left in the dark skirt. Lemon Morton, b. 1896, is the oldest, standing in the dark cloths to the right. Between are Myrtle Morton, b. 1901; Bruce Morton, b. 1907; and Moses Morton, b. 1905 all dressed in white. Bruce seems to be sitting on a small chair which is sitting on a larger chair, which is used to make everyone about the same head level. All those standing have shoes, which they seem to be carefully displaying. All seem to have a sad look about them, uncertain about this picture taking business. Caught in time, around 1907-1908, is this picture of Granny Ewen's childhood. How many childhood memories are caught in time but never passed down to the next generations.

Laws of Gravity

2011-01-17T04:44:00.000-08:00

After multiple falls, knots on the head, bruises on the knees, and lower legs, gravity ultimately teaches us which way is up and which way is down. The laws of nature they are called...gravity being one of the first. We fall down, we get up. We fall down, we get up...on and on it goes until we finally figure out that standing and walking is usually a better way than crawling. Sometimes running and swimming might even be better! No one has to tell us. Innately we learn to stand, walk, run, and many other things that help us grow and become who we are today.

The picture to the right shows my middle grandson Will, as I teach him about the law of gravity. Which way is up? Which way is down? Grandpas are often good at teaching the law of gravity.

Land By Rank - Virginia Land Laws 1763

2011-01-14T08:29:00.000-08:00

The Proclamation of 1763 officially approved a proclamation made by the governor of Virginia 19 February 1754. This act granted land for military services. The number of acres received was based upon the rank of the individual. The following table gives the allotments by rank:

Major-General..................15,000 to 17,500 acres.
Brigadier-General..............10,000 acres and upwards.
Colonels.......................5,000 to 8,888 acres.
Lieutenant-Colonels............4,500 to 6,666 acres.
Majors.........................4,000 to 5,333 acres.
Captains.......................3,000 to 4,666 acres.
Surgeons and Surgeons' Mates...2,666 to 8,000 acres.
Lieutenants, Ensigns, Cornets..2,000 to 2,666 acres.
Every non-commissioned officer...400 acres.
[Had to serve throughout war.]
Every soldier and sailor.........200 acres.
[Had to serve throughout war.]
Every non-commissioned officer...200 acres.
[Enlisted for three years.]
Every soldier and sailor.........100 acres.

Where any officer, soldier or sailor was killed or died in service, his heirs or legal representatives became entitled to receive the same quantity of land as would have been due such officer, soldier or sailor.

Many of these "Military Warrants" were allocated land in what was to become Kentucky. These grants are recorded in "Kentucky Land Warrants, for the French, Indian & Revolutionary Wars", compiled by Samuel M. Wilson. This book is published by Southern Historical Press, Inc. [1st edition 1913.] This reference is very helpful in following any folks coming from Virginia to Kentucky before Kentucky was a state...before 1792. The above table is taken from this source.

Land Laws Virginia - Meritorious Service

2011-01-13T06:05:00.000-08:00

The method of granting land for "meritorious service" was adopted to encourage military services in the Indian wars. [1754-1763] Governor of Virginia Robert Dinwiddie, on February 19, 1754, announced a Proclamation granting land to those who provided military services. Known as "military grants", these became official under the King's Proclamation of October 7, 1763 which stated:

"And whereas we are desirous, upon all occasions, to testify our royal sense and approbation of the conduct and bravery of the officers and soldiers of our armies, and to reward the same, we do hereby command and empower our governors of the said three new colonies, and all other our governors of our said provinces on the continent of North America, to grant without fee or reward, to such reduced officers as have served in North America during the late war, and to such private soldiers as have been, or shall be disbanded in America, and are actually residing there, and shall personally apply for the same, the following quantities of lands, subject at the expiration of ten years, to the same quitrents as other lands are subject to in the province within which they are granted, as also subject to the same conditions of cultivation and improvement..."

What a deal! Pay all the soldiers with land that was not already occupied. This would not cost the British government. This would not cost the colonies. As it would turn out, many large tracts of land ended up in Central Kentucky. At the time of this "Proclamation of 1763", the land grants were considered to be part of the colony of Virginia. All the grants were under the same conditions of "cultivations and improvement" given the previous post. This would be the foundation for much of the western expansion into the wilderness. More to come.

16 Candles

2011-01-11T09:52:00.000-08:00

Our sixteenth birthday is usually remembered. For me, I could not wait to get my drivers license; on the road, free at last! Perhaps for others the saying "Sweet Sixteen and Never Been Kissed" was the order of the day. For most, it was a mile stone of life, this sixteenth birthday.

The picture to the right shows my Mom at the age of 16 years. What was to be her mile stone? She had just moved from the mountains of Eastern Kentucky (Slade) to of all places Winchester. She started a new school, Clark County High School. She had to make new friends, new teachers, new everything!

Determination...that's it. Her eyes are fixed in that gaze...no real smile...no real frown. Hazel eyes that seem to say I am looking right through you. Jet black hair with natural curl that settles on the shoulders. A small chained necklace hugs the neck. I will make it...here at my 16 candles...indeed she did.

Casting Shadows

2011-01-08T06:24:00.000-08:00

Dad and his folks standing together. How many times does it happen? Standing with your folks (or family) for a picture. The picture to the right shows Mam maw and Pap paw holding Dad. Well it looks as though Pap paw is really holding Dad and Mam maw is holding Pap paw's arm. It must have been early morning (or late afternoon) since the shadow is cast at a fairly sharp angle. Mam maw has her watch on her left wrist, and Pap paw has his pocket watch chain on his belt. Keeping time must have been a part of their lives. I guess this is around 1927 - 1928. Dad, maybe a little more than a year old. Pap paw has his hat titled slightly to the left and glasses firmly in place. This picture must also have been taken before Pap paw's dynamite explosion and loss of his right eye. Ironically, there is a telephone pole showing in the back right of the picture.

Dad almost looks like he is about to smile. Pap paw has his horizontal mouth position in place, and Mam maw seems to be saying..."hurry up and get this over with, my arm is killing me!" Dad cast no shadow. Only the shadow of the parents reach the ground. Parents cast shadows in our lives, sometimes only for seconds...sometimes for the rest of our lives.

Virginia Land Laws after 1713 (Part II)

2011-01-07T15:13:00.000-08:00

The failure to seat and plant the lands granted according to prescribed conditions, or to pay the quit-rent reserved, was declared to be a forfeiture both of the grant and the rights on which it was founded. In case of a petition for lapsed land, the patentee was required to appear and make sufficient proof that he had sufficiently seated and planted the land.

Surveyors for the frontier counties were required to reside in their respective counties, in order to be acquainted with the territory and avoid conflicting entries and mistakes in the surveys.

Certain steps were necessary in order to secure a title, or patent, to a tract of vacant land, and unless those necessary steps were taken, the claimant would eventually find himself dispossessed of his holdings. These steps were as follows:

1) A definite tract needed to be selected.

2) Some marks showing the intended boundaries needed to be established, either in designating natural objects such as springs, forks of streams, points of hills, cliffs, piles of stones; or the setting up of stakes, marking trees or planting stones.

3) Some improvement needed to be made to show signs of occupation.

4) A report of intention needed to be made to the county surveyor, and assurances that he understood the intention and made an entry of the same in his entry book needed to be fixed.

5) The entry and quit-rent fees had to be paid by someone (back taxes), either by the prospective owners or by the settlement promoter.

6) The surveyor needed to make a survey of the land and record the survey with a plat.

7) The surveyors report needed to be filed with the secretary for the colony.

8) The report needed to lie two years to see whether a conflicting claim would be filed.

9) The petition for the grant needed to be considered by the Governor and Council in executive session and an order made for the patent to be issued.

10) The patent itself was a grant from the King for the certain tract or parcel of land described in the survey written on parchment by the secretary and signed by the then acting Governor of the Colony.

11) The complete description in duplicate was then recorded in a patent book and the parchment delivered to the person named in the grant.

Every tract of land whether large or small had its patent, which in the Colony of Virginia was a grant from the King. While the King personally had no hand in the ordinary procedure, these original papers were important documents. In case of an inclusive survey, the patents to the smaller individual tracts were supposed to be surrendered for the larger one.

Virginia Land Laws after 1713 (Part I)

2011-01-05T07:39:00.001-08:00

An act was passed that in the future all surveys should be made by a surveyor duly sworn and commissioned. {By William and Mary College} The breath of each tract (survey) taken up should be at least one third its length, except where the courses were interrupted by streams, swamps, or bounds of previous patents. Next, this act stated that the surveyor should note on the plat how much of the tract was plantable and how much was not. For all previous grants [prior to 1713], one third should be accounted plantable, the remainder not. The grantee should be obliged to clear and tend three acres at least, for fifty acres of plantable land, and so proportionately for the whole tract. This was to take into account to reclaim three acres for every fifty acres of swamp, sunken ground or marsh, if any such was found to be in the survey. When three acres for every fifty acres in the tract was improved, the grantee was to put and keep on the land three head of neat cattle for every for every fifty acres of barren land. If the whole tract were barren and unfit for cultivation, the grantee was to erect a dwelling house, twenty feet by sixteen and to put and keep thereon three head of neat cattle for every hundred acres. If the land was fit for neither cultivation nor pasturage, to put and keep thereon one able hand for every hundred acres, to be employed in mining or quarrying stone. Thus, every three acres cleared and tended, or reclaimed should suffice to save from forfeiture forever, fifty acres in any part of the survey.

Wow, you can see that the colony of Virginia wanted the land to be used in the most effect way. This principle, improvements for valid patent became the standard process for land expansion westward for generations to come.

Like Father, Like Son

2011-01-03T10:56:00.000-08:00

Going through some old family photographs this morning I found a picture of my Dad. It was amazing to me, that the picture was taken just about the same age as my own picture shown in the post "Life's Challenges" [Friday, Dec. 31]. Dad had a picture taken with the very same challenge that faced me..."to assume a sitting position without help and to be able to maintain it with the back straight." Wow I thought, father - son caught in the act at around the same age!

Dad tells us that he was around 10 pounds at birth. It is hard to imagine that Mam maw popped him out since she was a small lady, but I do not doubt the 10 pounds. My mouth and eyes are pretty much identical. Dad has a little less cloths on, and he might be trying to support himself with his left hand. Our legs are almost in the identical position. His seat certainly looks more comfortable than my hard floor.

What a picture it is. Dad and me taken around the same age a generation apart...like father...like son.

Lost your Marbles?

2011-01-02T08:52:00.000-08:00

"Have you lost your marbles?" A question stated frequently in my growing up days. I always took this saying as coming from the generation before, since playing marbles seemed to be during my Dad's generation. You could still buy a bag of marbles at J.J. Newberrys on Main Street, but this section of the toys was gradually replaced by sacks of army men, cowboys and Indians, fire trucks, and all the real boy toys.

At one point, I even tried to play marbles, but the rules we never quite clear, and my thumb hurt after trying hard to flip those little round, glass, balls. In the real marble playing days, I guess that if you really lost all your marbles, you could become sad, angry, and feel a loss. Coming home dejected, I could see where your mom might ask, "Have you lost your marbles?"

The picture to the right shows some of my Dad's marbles. They have been placed in a "Lamb Mason" jar with the tin lid. Various shapes and colors...various sizes...various game playing experience...how would you know which one to pick as your shooter? Perhaps a "cat eye" would work. I suspect that most of the expert marble players are gone. Someone should write the rules down for future generations. At any rate, if you have lost your marbles, I have some.

His Father's Place

2011-01-01T07:52:00.000-08:00

Family pictures are always fun to see, especially if they are over 100 years of age. Can you imagine what it took to round up 15 folks, get them dressed, and seated for a photograph taken in 1900! George Washington and Susan Cole Ewen appear to have accomplished this task, for the photography to the right is of such a gathering. It shows the family; husband and wife, children, and a couple of folks that have not been identified. There are numbers written above the Ewen children starting with the oldest male child Clifton (Cliff) at number one, and moving to number 9, my grandfather Sidney Brent (Brent). The daughters, numbers 10 and 11 follow the males. There were 11 children, thus by 1900, Susan Cole Ewen would have spent at least 11 years of her life pregnant. [roughly 46% of her married life!]

G.W. and Susan Cole were married 5 Dec. 1876. Their oldest son "Cliff" stands proudly between and behind the sitting parents. Robert (Bob) stands directly behind his father, and his birth year 1881 is known. Cliff looks a number of years older, making him born around 1878. Asa Books is number 3 [b.1883-d.1943] standing somewhat awkwardly leaning to his right. Moving to the other end of the line, Green Ewen stands slightly bend to his left with a hand held on his shoulder showing some affection from the unidentified women to his left. [She has that Ewen look about her, and I suspect she was a sister to G.W.?] On down the numbers: 5) Jake (J.C.) b.1887, 6) George Earl, 7) Carlton, 8) Edward, and baby Sidney Brent Ewen held on his mother's lap. Grand Dad Ewen a little baby! Never thought I would see a baby picture! The two daughters, 10) Earsef (Ursula) and 11) Minnie were numbered youngest to oldest. Who ever numbered this family picture sure wanted to count the boys.

George Washington Ewen was to die some six years after this picture was taken. My grandfather would never get to know his father. I wonder how his life was lived with eight other older males to help take his father's place.

Life's Challenges

2010-12-31T07:52:00.000-08:00

Life has a number of built-in challenges. At birth, for a full-term infant, regaining their birth weight by 10 days of age is usual. Birth weight doubles by 5 months of age, and triples by 1 year of age.

Growth increases by 10-12 inches in the first year of life.

Subcutaneous tissue (fat) reaches its peak at around 9 months of age.

The head is slightly larger than the chest at birth [needed to open the door], but the chest size increases to match the head size by the end of the first year.

Teeth erupt in most infants between 5 and 9 months of age. By one year of age most children have 6-8 teeth.

Challenge after challenge face us.

The picture to the right shows me at one 8-9 month challenge...to assume a sitting position without help and to be able to maintain it with the back straight. My arms are extended [already talking with my hands before I could talk with my lips], fingers spread, and a sheepish grin upon my face. My back certainly appears straight. Legs are flexed, and it almost looks as though I could jump up and walk away. One of life's challenges caught on film. However most of the time, life does not always provide a camera.

Shorts and Nothing Else

2010-12-30T07:38:00.000-08:00

The summer months in Kentucky were spent in a variety of ways. Usual dress was shorts and...well nothing else. It was common to have the summer days interrupted by a photographer pulling a small horse, house to house, yard to yard, asking folks if they wanted their children's picture taken. Can you imagine the excitement that getting on a horse in the middle of the summer would produce. [Not that horses were anything special in the Bluegrass of Kentucky!]

The picture to the right shows my brother and me in such a pose. [I was 4 years and my brother was 6 years of age.] Danny was the name. A horse called Danny and us in the summer of 1955. We had just moved into our new house at 25 Vine Street. Our summer attire was spotless and our smiles expectant. My older brother Henry was a little more reserved, but he was sitting on the back edge of the saddle. My face certainly showed the excitement and joy that I was experiencing on Danny. Holding the reigns...ready to go...getty up! But where?

Snap, the picture was taken. Down we came. Back into the summer of 1955 and our new neighborhood. Only the picture remains.

Virginia Land Laws (Part VII) Surveyor's fees

2010-12-29T05:40:00.000-08:00

The surveyor's fees were to be paid in tobacco, collected by the sheriff, if necessary. For every survey made, plainly bounded as the directs, and for a plat of such survey, after the delivery of such plat, where the survey was not more than one thousand acres of land, cost 500 pounds of tobacco. For every one hundred acres contained in one survey above the first thousand acres would earn an additional 50 pounds of tobacco. For surveying a lot in town would cost 20 pounds. For a survey when hindered or stopped before completing the survey, to be paid by the party requesting the survey 250 pounds tobacco. For running every dividing line between parties cost 250 pounds. For surveying an acre of land for a mill was 100 pounds of tobacco. For land formerly patented and required to be resurveyed, the same fee as for land not before surveyed was charged. For an inclusive survey, as second fee was not paid for the part previously surveyed, but only for the new part. For an inclusive survey of several adjacent tracts previously surveyed the plat was made for ten shillings. For lands surveyed for one party and assigned to another, the assignee shall pay, if the other did not. For the benefit of the public, the tables of fees (costs) were to be set up in the secretary's office and in the courthouse of each county.

Indians were not allowed to alienate their lands to any but some of their own nation. All conveyances from them were declared void and heavy penalties were imposed on those who should purchase or procure conveyances from them. (the Indians) But, encouragement was given to those who would cultivate trade with the Indians.

These land laws were in force until 1713.

Virginia Land Laws (Part VI) The Surveyors

2010-12-28T07:08:00.000-08:00

Surveyors were commissioned by the master of William and Mary College, which was founded 1693 under royal charter by King William III and Queen Mary II. The government confirmed only such surveys as had been made by surveyors so commissioned. Both surveyors and chain carriers were required to be sworn before the county court. Surveyors were required to see that every tract surveyed should be plainly bounded, either by natural bounds, marked trees or other artificial landmarks. These surveyors were to deliver plats of surveys to those for whom they were made within six months after the survey was made. They were not to deliver such plats to any other person till six months had elapsed. They were also required to enter every plat and survey in a book to be furnished him for that purpose within two months after the survey was made, The entries were to include all streams crossed in the course, and the boundaries and adjacent plantations. In June of each year, the surveyors were to return to the county clerk's office to be recorded there lists of all surveys, specifying for whom made, the quantities surveyed, and where situated.

A penalty was imposed on the surveyor for refusing to survey. It was provided that all entries should stand good till the surveyor gave notice that he was ready to survey. If the party [the one requesting the survey] failed to attend the surveyor within a month after such notice, his entry should be void. The county court might appoint inspectors of the surveyors' books to report on their condition and take care of them in case of the death or removal of the surveyor.

Christmas Decorations

2010-12-27T08:21:00.000-08:00

Three to four inches of snow on Christmas eve made this the first white Christmas for our Jones family in about 10 years. Things were much quieter this year because only eight family members could join us. The snow, work, and the other sides of the family made us a very small group, compared to the 15 - 20 that usually joined in the family get together. Mom was unable to put up her usual "decorated to the hilt" tree this year, and many of the decorations remained in the boxes that my wife and middle daughter discovered. For several hours my wife, middle daughter, and Mom made a trip through our family history using the containers of decorations:

This one we put on the Christmas tree on Vine Street. [That would have been around 1955!] This one was taken to school by your Dad [that's me] every Christmas to help decorate the Christmas tree at school. [My intials were still on the bottom.] This one your Dad [that's me] made in Cub Scouts, which still showed the word "DAD" [for my Dad] in brightly colored letters on the large styrofoam ball. This one we got in Germany. This one I just liked. On and on our family Christmans was told through a box of decorations. My wife and daughter were excited when Mom told them to take what they wanted. This would probably be the last Christmas that she would be able to get all the decorations out and up around the house. My middle daughter loved it! Mother still wanted to keep the ones that my bother and I took to school every season. My Dad still wanted to keep the hand made one [from me] that proudly stated "DAD". We love you Mom. Thanks for the years you decorated the tree and your house with all the things you loved. May they continue to decorate our family home for generations to come.

Virginia Land Laws (Part V) The Processioning

2010-12-23T05:41:00.000-08:00

Every fourth year the county court was to direct its vestry to lay off its parish into precincts. The appointed time for this process (a procession) was to be between the last days of September and March. Two freeholders (land owners) were to check each "procession" and were to return a report to the vestry. These reports were then directed to be registered by the clerk of each county court. Three processionings settled the bounds of lands unalterably, provided they were made with the consent of the owners and saving the cases of infants, women and persons of unsound mind. In this manner, perminent boundries were set by "precincts" for each county and vestry in Virginia following the land law changes of 1704/1705.

Virginia Land Laws (Part IV) Escheated Lands

2010-12-22T06:06:00.000-08:00

Titles to lands previously granted [before 1704] were confirmed, whether duly recorded or not, but after that time all patents and the rights on which they were founded were required to be recorded. Patentees were required to seat [settle] and plant the granted lands within three years. Seating and planting meant the building of one acre. A failure to so seat and plant a grant within the prescribed three years meant a forfeiture of the grant and of the right on which it was founded. Time was extended to three more years in case of the death of the grantee. If lands were forfeited (escheated), they might not be patented to another for three years after the date of the first patent, and not then without an order of the general court. If any patented tract was found to contain more than the patent expressed, the patentee might obtain a patent for the surplus.

Every form (patent) contained a reservation of a fee rent (tax) of one shillings for every fifty acres and a requirement that the premises should be seated and planted within three years from the date of the grant. This fee rent (tax) for each fifty acres was the so-called quit rent. This "rent" was often waived for the benefit of the early settlers into an area which the Governor or Council felt beneficial to the colony. A Rent Roll of Virginia 1704 - 1705 was taken and described as : " A True and Perfect Rent Roll of all the Lands held by her Majesty in...(each county listed)" This account gives the owners and their acres of land patented in each county of Virginia for 1704. This reference is published in a book entitled :

"The Planters of Colonial Virginia", by Thomas Wertenbaker, Princeton University Press, 1922. It is a tax record and land record of all Virginia that had been settled up to this point. This record is an invaluable resource for the genealogist who has reached this date in their family tree climbing.

Escheated lands were forfeited or lapsed lands. This term appears in many of the records during this period.

Virginia Land Laws (Part III) Treasury Rights

2010-12-21T06:10:00.000-08:00

On the payment of five shillings for every fifty acres of land, the receiver-general of the revenues of the Colony was directed to deliver to any person desiring to take up vacant lands a certificate. A surveyor was then to lay off for the claimant the quantity expressed in such treasury warrants. The survey was then returned to the secretary's office so that a patent might be issued. Each claimant was limited to five hundred acres, unless he owned five or more tithable servants or slaves. In this case, he might take up two acres more for every tithable. [Tithable were the inhabitants of the colony upon whom a tax might be levied. In early Virginia a tax was usually imposed upon every male person over sixteen years of age. All white male servants and all imported slaves were included. The rule varied. Each county was divided into several tax precincts and a special commissioner was appointed in each to draw up an accurate list of the resident tithables.] Grants for more than four thousand acres in any one tract were prohibited, except in entries before made for larger quantities. Swamps, marshes and low grounds adjacent to patented high lands could not be taken up till one year after notice, in the presence of two witnesses, to the patentee of the highlands.

Virginia Land Laws (Part II) Importation Rights

2010-12-20T07:44:00.000-08:00

Under Queen Anne (1702) the Crown took a new interest in the land laws of the colonies. By 1705, there was completed a general revival of the laws, with three acts passed prescribing the forms of patents.

The first was called "importation rights". Every free immigrant to the Colony, other than transient persons, had an importation right to fifty acres of land. It allowed that every imported servant, after the term of service expired, had the right to fifty acres. Every immigrant, bringing with him a wife and children, to fifty acres for his wife and each child. It clarified that the immigrant only, or those to whom he should assign his rights in the presence of two witnesses, should be entitled to such rights, or certificate. The proof of such importation rights should be made, on oath, before the general or a county court. A certificate was to be produced in the secretary's office; upon which the secretary should grant the claimant a certificate. Based upon this certificate, any surveyor might lay off the quantity expressed, on any vacant land. The survey was then to be returned to the secretary's office, and a patent could be issued.

This first "right" would certainly encourage those to come to the colonies.

Virginia Land Laws: A Chronology (Part I)

2010-12-19T07:47:00.000-08:00

Understanding the process by which land was "taken up" in colonial Virginia is often key to recognizing the pattern of migration and settlement that one's family may have experienced. The land laws were specific to the individuals (ancestors) who sought to buy land make a plantation among the wilderness. The following information is abstracted from the work by F.B. Kegley entitled: "Kegley's Virginia Frontier", published by The Southwest Virginia Historical Society, Roanoke, VA, 1938.

The "Land Laws of Virginia" were the laws and customs under which new lands were settled in the first English colony in the new world. In 1606, the 1st Charter of the Virginia Company, the King agreed that he would grant by patent, to such persons and for such estates, as its Council should appoint, all the lands within the territory granted by the charter. These lands were to be held by the Crown, as of the Manor of East Greenwich in Kent in free and common "Socage". [socage = Feudal tenure of land by a tenant, in return for agricultural or other nonmilitary services or for payment of in money.]

The 2nd Charter of the Virginia Company, 1609, authorized and required the lands to be distributed under the Crown's common seal, from time to time, among the adventures and planters, in such proportions as it should appoint and allow. This land distribution required a commission of survey, and the distribution was to be based "...as to the special merit of the grantee".

This beginning changed in 1624, when all rights and powers were resumed by the Crown. It was then provided that private planter's dividends of lands [those in the Virginia Company] would be placed under control of the Colonial Assembly. These lands were to be laid off in "severalty" [a separate and individual right to possession or ownership that is not shared by any other person] The land boundaries were to be recorded by surveyors. Petty differences were to be decided by the surveyors and important ones were to be referred to the Governor and Council.

It was not until 1666 that any changes in these land laws were made. Here, the colony of Virginia was empowered to make grants of waste and inappropriate lands.

Ping-Pong Genealogy

2010-12-17T05:58:00.000-08:00

For every genealogist there will come a time when one feels that they have reached the end of their family's trail... or feel like the tree branch they have been climbing has been cut off...or they have smacked their face into the proverbial brick wall. With a surname like JONES this has happened to me multiple times! When this happens, and indeed it will happen, take a deep breath and begin playing what I call "Ping-Pong Genealogy".

The first step is to imagine that the brick wall is actually a table tennis net. You are on one side, and the solution to your brick wall is on the other. Second is to line up all the facts (or assumptions) that you have accumulated up to this point. This may be dates, documents, associated names, maiden names, church membership, social or military records, etc., etc., until you have placed all the pieces on your side of the net. For example, my Griffin Joneses where in Caroline Co., Virginia starting around 1735. They seemed to have dealt with a bunch of people who had distinctive surnames such as Buckner, Thornton, Taliaferro, Roy, McPherson, and many others. Take one surname and serve it over the net to the other side.(a Ping) By this I mean move to the other side of the net historically, geographically, socially, or by documents to a point further back in time. The name Taliaferro spreads dramatically upon the pages of historical documents going all the way back to the 1630s! [Here I started a new notebook on each surname.] Then jump back over the net, a Pong, taking what you have uncovered. Do the same for deeds, wills, court documents, land grants, etc., etc., until you have additional information to add to your family search. Note any connection to your surname. As you bring these pieces together you will find that many brick walls begin to crumble. Ping-Pong anyone?

Unusual Places

2010-12-15T09:25:00.000-08:00

Records found in unusual places will often prove to be the way around many of the "brick walls" confronting the genealogist. Digging around all the records that come available will often open doors unknown. At least skimming the index to books and records for the names you are searching, will not take a lot of time, and may prove helpful if your ancestor's name is present. Such is the case for my Griffin Joneses.

The "Laws of Virginia" have been published since the colonial period. [The English loved to keep records!] On the 3rd October, 1778, there was an act passed entitled: "An act to direct the sale of certain lands late the property of John Thornton, esq. deceased, and for purchasing other lands in lieu thereof, and for other purposes." These records can be found in a series of books called "Hening: Statutes at Large" in 13 volumes. This series of documents begin in 1619.

Apparently, John Thornton of Caroline Co., died without a will (intestate) and his estate was left in a mess. So much of a mess, that the legislative body had to make an act to get it all untangled. In this act Griffin Jones is listed as follows:

"...a tract of about one thousand seven hundred acres lying on Mattapony river, purchased of Griffin Jones and the executors of Reuben Thornton, gentlemen, but not conveyed, and of the reversion in fee expectant on the death of Mrs. Betty Thornton, widow of the said Reuben Thornton, of and in another tract of five hundred and thirty acres lying on Mattapony river, in the said county of Caroline, purchased of Francis Thornton, but not conveyed...". Wow, what a mess indeed! This record goes into great detail regarding the estate of John Thornton. Griffin Jones seems to be in the middle of it, but how and why. Pieces of a puzzle in unusual places.