Chasing the Past

Our Ancestors (Morris, Smith, Jones, Robertson)


A to Z Challenge 2014

  • A to Z Reflection

    I’m not sure I can truly call myself an A to Z Challenge Survivor or not.  I certainly missed a few posts.  I started off strong, but in the end, I petered out.  My posts were too long and too involved.  I felt like I was cheating if I posted something short. Will I ever… Continue reading

  • V is for Vital Records

    V is for Vital Records

    is for Vital Records. In the early 1900’s the powers that be began to see the importance of keeping up with records regarding births, deaths, and marriages.  Fortunately,  many jurisdictions saw the importance of these records long before hand.  The problem is where this information was recorded and kept. In my county, we lost our… Continue reading

  • U is for Unique

    U is for Unique

    is for Unique. Not.  There’s little in our family tree that is unique.  This is something that makes my research a little more difficult.  Those folks that have unique surnames have the difficulty of finding folks whose names were misspelled by census takers and other record keepers.  My problem is that there were a lot of… Continue reading

  • T is for Timelines

    T is for Timelines

    is for Timelines. Timelines, among other things, seem a pretty simple concept.  But when I look at different family trees, I find this is obviously something very difficult.  My ancestry tree is a work in progress, and one that I use to find people, not where I keep my verified data.  I like to hope… Continue reading

  • S is for Scrapbooking

    S is for Scrapbooking

    is for Scrapbooking. I have a vision of this beautiful heritage scrapbook with information about my ancestors that can be handed down through my family.  The hardest part is what to include. My love of scrapbooking came from my grandmother and great-grandmother.  It is wonderful to look back and see the neat things they made,… Continue reading

  • Q is for Questions

    Q is for Questions

    is for Questions. In genealogy do we ever have all the answers.  That’s easy enough.  Not even close to it!  Here’s just a few of mine: Where did John “Jacky” Morris come from? Who was his father? What was Red Kirby? Who was Allen Thomas’ father? Who did Alfred Elder kill and what were the… Continue reading

  • P is for Preacher aka Five Ancestors Ago–LeeRoy Whitson Harris (52 Ancestors Week 16)

    P is for Preacher aka Five Ancestors Ago–LeeRoy Whitson Harris (52 Ancestors Week 16)

    is for Preacher. This post is a part of 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge by Amy Johnson Crow at www.nostorytoosmall.com. Rev. LeeRoy Whitson Harris is my 2nd great-grandfather via his daughter, Alice Virgillia Harris her daughter, Racie Elmira Harris her son The facts: Born:  20 March 1853 to William Alexander & Ruth Holland Harris Married:  Sarah Russell… Continue reading

  • O is for Occupations

    O is for Occupations

    is for Occupations. According to census data, most of my family were farmers.  There’s the occasional blacksmith and shoemaker, an even more occasional preacher. These two pictures belong to a small set that is, I believe, the only pictures I’ve found, so far, showing any of my ancestors working.  My grandfather went to Newport Tennessee… Continue reading

  • N is for Name

    N is for Name

      is for Name. Today’s relationship to the word is a bit random.  A bit of a stretch, as it were.  My great grandmother’s name was Alice Harris Harris.  Her middle name, according to my grandmother, was Virgillia.  Odd name, huh?  I’ve seen different people put Virginia in their ancestory files.  I used to always chalk that up… Continue reading

  • M is for Murder

    is for Murder. Two folks, that I know of, in our family tree have been tied up in stories of the taking of another person’s life. Mean Johnny Bolt’s story is one of outright murder.  Alfred Elder’s story is largely unknown.  All I know is that I believe he was in prison in Richmond, Virginia for manslaughter.… Continue reading