Divine Guidance - Family History & Genealogy Message Board

Feeling at home where I had never been

PJones1860 — 25 Oct 2006 5:46:17 GMT

I walked on to the parade ground of Fort Griffin Texas as a Indian War reenactor. As we walked I told my husband I feel like I belong here. But having done genealogy for years I knew I had no ties to this place. But for several years we were there every month and it was more and more that I had the feeling of being where I belonged. Then I started doing research on my husbands families. Well the day I found out he had an acestor named Katherine LeBleu I thought I know her. Well guess what I found out she had lived at Fort Griffin. So now I know why I was feeling at home.

I NEED TO KNOW

wingnutter1976 — 8 Nov 2008 12:24:53 GMT

please can anyone help me find out if our family is of the land of the land...and if our ancestors in england were pagan or wiccan religion...i have a gift.. i was born with it..have had visions ect all my life..ont go into detail here but..im the grand daughter of Sydney William John Ansell... who is the brother of Eric Ansell....that owns Ansell rubber products....they had a sister that drowned on their property in egland...ive met her..in the afterlife....please help with ANY info no matter how geat or small....yours faithfully.. Michelle Khosla.myDOB 14-01=1976 and i m born in Adelaide South Australia...im the daugther Susan Ansell..DOB 15-7-1956..Anguston south australia

Australian experiences...

Darlene Thornton — 13 Oct 2000 12:00:00 GMT

First Genealogical "Find"

Harold Huber — 8 May 2000 12:00:00 GMT

SPOOKY ! Maybe dead folks can talk while in the grave !

Ron_Ohnmacht — 22 May 2003 2:53:29 GMT

uncovering family secret!!

tiamoral — 23 Mar 2004 5:52:03 GMT

hello my name is tiamora, i have recently discover that my family has a secret that DOES NOT want to be uncovered. i am having trouble finding information on my family history. which should be simple because there are unusal names that we have. i have my parents and grandparents names, but the trouble is that i don't have specific informaton about my grand parents on both sides. from stories about my history on my mothers side there has been children adopted from other family members, my mother and her oldest sister were adopted by there aunt and on my fathers side theres a name for my grandfather but neither of us know information on him. on top of all that i have a "birth" father i recently found out about and have very limited information that it is impossiable to find him.i take that back i know where he is, but i'm just scared to find a way to contact him. there are soo many secerts in my family that i don't know were to begin. i have this driven force in me to find out who i am and where i come from that is driving me mad. i don't understand the secret and who it is protecting or even why. but i need to uncover the truth so i can have peace of mind;even if it's me my family is protecting.i know that it will be a long road ahead to discover the facts about my ancestry. but there is something in my history that is totally overwhelming i need to discover. if any one can help me find where to begin from the end--- so i can find the beginning to be finished...please help!!!

out of the blue

buzgen — 10 Aug 2003 7:49:42 GMT

I had been looking for my gg-grandmother, Martha. A NY town clerk told me her name on the death record, though hard to read, was Mathews. After 10 fruitless years, a county historian recognized the name as Marthers, and through that clue I found Martha's father's will, listing her children and their location. (The grown children had moved after her death from NY to MI and WI.) Still, no further luck with the Marthers family anywhere.

Then at the end of one day researching at the library in Orlando FL, I had finished what I came to do and wandered aimlessly through the stacks of family histories, just to kill time until our group left. A fat book on "Mather" jumped out at me. It fell open to Addenda, and the first listing there was Augustus Mather, Martha's father, and his family. I now have 9 more generations of Mathers and a connection to the famous Puritans, Cotton and Increase Mather of Mass. Bay Colony! Ancestral help, or just great luck...?

Divine Connections and being drawn to people without knowing why...

melissa — 20 Nov 2006 11:41:40 GMT

Serendipity

Rod Hoots — 1 May 2000 12:00:00 GMT

Sue:

I started to read this string because I had corresponded with Linda Johns, but found some material of interest in your postings. Is that serendipity?

I'm researching the family of Jacob Hutts and his four sons (Jacob, Jr., Leonard, Michael and William) who lived in Virginia in the mid 1700's. Do you have any information on them?

Also saw the name Harmon in one of your postings. The Hoots family has lived on Harmon Creek in what is now Yadkin County for over 200 years. Any connection?

Enjoyed your comments and those of others above.

Rod Hoots
Arlington, Virginia

Photographs from the Land of the Wandering Souls

ljames621 — 17 Dec 2006 4:53:05 GMT

In the summer of 2004 I started a family history. It has been an eye-opening, exciting experience to say the least. My own family is filled with unsolved murders, cover-ups, retribution, and unexplained disappearances. The county where I live, had over 100 outright murders during the Civil War, which had nothing to do with battles between the North and South. There was only one battle ever fought here, with one death as a result.

I have just recently created a website to share my photographs and to tell a bit more of the story. I invite everyone to check it out, and to feel free to comment.

www.landofthewanderingsouls.com

Enjoy!!
Lisa James

Haunted by many spirits

Bill Pfitzer — 18 Feb 2004 7:42:58 GMT

I live in the Central Florida area,& I am experiencing a very strange phenomena. I am being haunted,but not by a single spirit,by multiple spirits. I was wondering if others are experiencing similar phenomena. I can describe some of the spirits,others take some more detailed explanation. I feel like some are trying to relay messages,others just appear. I am wondering what people would recommend,who are experiencing similar situations in their lives. Some of the spirits are very intelligent,& have abilities that they can use to influence their surroundings. Others,have a very powerful presence,that defies normal energy interpretations. I just wanted to know if others are experiencing similar phenomena,& what they are able to do,to clarify the meanings conveyed by the entities. I would appreciate hearing more,from those who really are experiencing similar phenomena.

No reason to go there

Richard Callard — 10 Aug 2003 8:32:27 GMT

I had traveled from California to Kansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Virginia, New York, Canada back to Illinois and stopped in Branson to see my step son. All this time looking up family and being very suscessful, over 750 documents. I spent a few days with him. I could have headed directly back to California, but I told myself why not go to Little Rock, Arkansas, I had never been there. The drive was easy and I got to Little Rock about noon. I looked around one of the Cemeteries, and then thought why not check out the State Archives there may be something there interesting. Not actually family, but why not? I checked a lot of names, nothing. They were going to close before long. Well that's how it goes some days. One last name, IVEY, They went to Texas from Kansas. Not much chance that I would find anything. There they were - 19 pages single spaced typed pages of the right IVEY. The lady stayed over so I could copy the information, now that's Southern hospitality.
Why did I go to Little Rock? and not stop in Austin, Texas,
where the records should be? You tell me!

Looking for graves

Cindy Patterson — 10 Aug 2003 8:03:49 GMT

I am so happy to see this board! I don't think the idea that we are "guided" many times by our ancestors on our search is at all that uncommon.
Mine is a simple story. My mom and I were at the cemetery at my hometown. It was terribly hot that day. I had already been up and down the whole cemetery looking for my g grandparents that my mom insisted were buried there. She doesn't get around easily and she had to go back and sit in the car for a while. But she insisted that I keep looking. It was so hot (south Louisiana in August). I finally stopped, closed my eyes, and said out loud "Look you guys, if you want me to find you, you'd better help now --- I'm about to give up!" -- Opened my eyes and there they were, right in my line of vision but about 3 rows ahead.
Yeah -- this is simple, but it makes me think that sometimes we are guided. I think they appreciate what we are doing.

Two WWII Sailors and Their Grandchildren

cmon2007 — 23 Jul 2006 10:51:05 GMT

Shortly after my daughter married, her husband, knowing my father was in the Navy during WWII as was his deceased grandfather, brought out some photos taken during his grandfather's Navy days. One he showed me was his grandfather's graduating platoon photo. He pointed out his grandfather among the 60 or so sailors. In my lifetime, I had only seen one other photo of a Navy platoon - my father's.

I immediately noticed the training instructor was the same man, in the same pose, who was in my father's photo. Then I noticed another man in the front row - wasn't this a sailor my father had pointed out in his photo? I looked at the information imprinted on the photo - Graduating Platoon Oct 17, 1940. Wait a minute! This was the same date as was on my father's photo! I quickly looked in the area I remembered my father was in his photo and remember saying "And there's Daddy!!"

By the look on his face, I think my son-in-law thought I was joking at first until he came over and looked, too.

My father did not remember the name or anything about him but said he remembered the face. They were from the same state but distant parts of it and did not know each other. They both enlisted about a year before WWII began. They were assigned to different ships and fought the war in different oceans and their paths never crossed again.

I think it is amazing that 64 years later their grandchildren met and married and their great granddaughter will have a photo with two of her great grandfathers in it although they didn't really know each other.

I'm not much of a believer in signs, but maybe this is one - a sign that this marriage was meant to be.

A Coal Miners Story

OH Napier — 18 Mar 2006 5:01:48 GMT

can be read at http://browneyesky41339.tripod.com the man who wrote it is named Glenn Rowe and would be 100 yrs old today.

Third Genealogical "Find"

Harold Huber — 8 May 2000 12:00:00 GMT

DOWSING SPRING HILL - DVD

gnatskinner — 19 Jun 2005 11:09:36 GMT

Greetings,

My name is Rex Jones. I am a resident of Austin, TX, who has produced a documentary film entitled "Dowsing Spring Hill" that may be of interest to members of this forum. The synopsis is as follows:

Dowsing Spring Hill is a supernatural mystery and story of ongoing
racial divide. As the proud owner of his ancestral Civil-War era
abandoned church and cemetery in rural Mississippi, documentarian
Rex Jones invites a dowser to his property to locate unmarked graves.
As the proceedings unfold, it becomes clear that people are segregated
in death as in life.

Please visit www.gnatskinner.com for more information.

Thank you.

Rex Jones

My First Experience

F. L. — 30 Apr 2000 12:00:00 GMT

(I'm going to leave the surnames blank, because I don't have time for a flood of responses from various lists)

Ten years ago, I thought because I knew my 3rd GGF's name and where his son died, that it would be easy to get started in genealogy. I went to a FHC to start looking through the census for 1850 Wilson Co., TN looking for a 5 year old boy named Napoleon Bonapart B____, son of a Mark B__. None to be found. I was so disheartened, I gave up my seat at the microfilm reader, sat in the "book" department, and wondered what to do with the rest of my time before having to drive home empty-handed. A large book across the room caught my eye, and out of curiosity, I picked it up. It was "History of Smith Co., TN". I didn't even know where Smith Co. was located, but turned to the index & found many entries for my "surname". I began reading the various articles, but there were no familiar names. Again, discouraged, I went across the street for lunch, and the name "Americus" kept running through my brain. It was such an odd name I had read that morning in the book, and I mused whether the poor guy had used a nickname & what could it have been... Mark?? I raced back to the FHC, pulled the Smith Co., TN 1850 census & there was my 2nd GGF, Napoleon B___, the 5 year old son of Americus B__. I've been hooked on genealogy ever since, and my serendipity experiences have never ceased!

coincidence?

Katie — 7 May 2000 12:00:00 GMT

My Oldfields

zeldjee — 17 Jul 2005 12:09:41 GMT

Anyone who knows me, knows I have a chronic sleep disorder, insomnia, I can days without sleeping, so once I finially do go to sleep, everyone knows to leave me alone and let me sleep. I also had lost a half lung to cancer in 2000, an since then, the sleep problem seemed to be magnified, so while I'm trying to recuperate, and since I was up all the dang time, I figured I would start our family tree. Since we had lost my husbands head familys, and his older sister, I thought to start there, since I knew much research had been done on the Indiana Tomlinson family, there were thousands of them there, so thought to contact them and let them know I would carry on up here in Washington state. Well, I couldn't find a single one, that I recognized a name, so joined lists an such, but also thought I would branch out some and maybe find a lead from the maiden name of hubbys grandmother, Lute Oldfield, I started searching, nothing, the only two names I had for our Oldfield family were Lute, and her brother Harvey. I searched for weeks looking for Lute, twelve hours a day looking at anything and everything and still nothing, one night/morning, as it was three in the morning, and I was finally starting to wear out, I gave it up an went to bed, and just as I'm starting to drop off, I hear this voice, "GO TYPE IN HARVEY" I think I grumbled something nasty, not wishing to get up, and again heard it, only louder, so by now I'm cussing, an grouching, slapped on my old robe, slippers in hand, and stumbled back to the pc, it's 5:30 A.M. sunday morning, and I'm in an ill mood, so I get online, go to LDS site, type in Harvey, and you know the rest, not only Harvey, but Lute (Lutitia) an several more came up as well, I printed it out, turned off the pc, an went back to bed, right before dozing off, I mumbled "thanks Harve, but quit waking me up ok" I think I heard muffled giggling before I dropped off.
jean

Was it a miracle?

Celine C. de Ruffieu — 7 Apr 2004 12:01:57 GMT

Readers, in 1974 or 76 the Pope can to the United States, Washington, D.C.

A friend told me that there were large crowds that camped over night to see the Pope. There were people taking
photos including my friend.

One of the photos taken, my friend says there was a photo
of the Blessed Mother that could not be misunderstsood.

My friend question is: Where can he find out thru the Vaticam if that was real and if anyone else taken the photo at the same time had the same on film. Is there a Vaticam Department for this type of inquiry?

Would appreciate your replies.

Celine

divine inspiration

SRafter0569 — 28 Sep 2002 3:37:36 GMT

I had known my great-great-great grandfather Benjamin J. Jolly and my great-great-great grandmother was Adlena P.Slate. This I knew from the marriage record of her daughter, Mary Elizabeth Jolly. Benjamin died in the Civil War in a very useless battle, and Adlena remarried afterwards.

We could not find Benjamin and Adlena's marriage record any place. When the federal government was on furlough that year, I determined to work on genealogy since I couldn't go to work. We went to the courthouse and I found this unindexed book of marriages. I checked each name carefully. Finally I came to this page and carefully checked each name when my finger stopped and wouldn't move any more! My husband and I read the entry. Benj'm Jolly and AP Slate (way her name is in all records almost) and their marriage date and parents and place of birth. It almost took my breath away. We've been searching for the marriage record 20 years before I found it. I venture we probably overlooked the entry as many times as we had gone to the courthouse because the book was unindexed. We probably said because time was short and it was unindexed, it had nothing in it for us.

I found out Ben's father was Archibald and his wive was Mary. This led us to find their marriage record.

"Walk this way."

Pam Kerschner — 1 May 2000 12:00:00 GMT

I knew from their obituaries the cemetery that my husband's aunt and her husband were buried in; but when, on a clear, hot summer day, I went there to take photos of their tombstones for my records, I walked and walked all over the cemetery without finding their stones. Suddenly, as I was about to give up the search, a very dark and threatening sky developed and I headed for my car for shelter for a seemingly certain summer drenching. I'm not sure why I didn't just drive away at that point, but for some reason I moved the car to a different spot, stopped and just sat there quietly in the car for a few minutes. As quickly as it had come the blackness moved off to the horizon. I got out of my car and unexplicably walked in a STRAIGHT line to a part of the cemetery I had previously canvassed without success. Looking down, there at my feet were the flat grave markers of my husband's aunt and uncle.

About time someone has taken notice :)

Brian Garrett — 1 May 2000 12:00:00 GMT

Guidance?

30 Jun 2002 2:27:33 GMT

Just came across this board,this story came immediately to mind.Believe it or not,it's true.I was searching a roll of microfilm of the 1880 census,one which had the specific E.D.and ward,looking for my ggg-gmother & family(my gmother's father's father's mother).It should be noted here that my gmother's mother died when my gmother was 6(b.1906),her brother 1.My gmother's brother was sent to live with his mother's aunt Emma.Anyway,I'm searching for one surname,one family.Standing at the microfilm machine,watching the pages rolling in front of me,holding the button which turns the roll.Eventually,my arm grows tired,my eyes lose focus,so I just let go of the button and walk away from the machine,get a drink,stretch my arms.When I go back to the machine,I need to search that page,cause I hadn't looked at it.First,I need to refocus my eyes on the image,so I stare at the middle of the page untill I can see it clearly,when I realize it looks like the surname of the aunt who raised my gmother's brother.I think no......no way.I keep focusing on the name.Yes,it's definitely spelled the same.But no way it's the same family.So,I read down the list of names....untill I see "Emma",13 ! Here,I'm looking at the aunt who raised my gmother's brother,living with her parents & siblings,in 1880 ! This Emma's sister Clara,would have the daughter who had my gmother 26 yrs.later. I hadn't even been looking for their surname,much less had any idea where in the city they lived.The odds of my letting go of the button at that page were astronomical.Perhaps they wanted to be found.

Old Letters

Mary Anderton — 24 Apr 2002 5:50:34 GMT

My story starts with my renting the house my aunt and uncle lived in for 50 years. Many things were still here, such as furniture and personal belongings. There was an old desk with letters about 30 years old. Naturally I was curious and looked to see if some were from my mother. I did not want to be noisy but curiousity got to me and so I read some from other family members. My great Aunt Min had wrote from Canada and it was a thrill to read her old letters. It was during Christmas time and my grandson was visiting. He was overcome by curiosity too and found some naturalization papers in a closet. He asked me who was Michael Busch and I said his great great grandfather. And the hunt was on. I spent the whole year researching our family. But the odd part was yet to come. I was given an e-mail address by a distant family member. I contacted an archivist in Canada. He knew very much about my family. I e-mailed him back with some information about my now deceased Aunt Min in Canada. Now here is the strange part. He e-mailed me back very surprised at my message about Aunt Min because he had written to her and corresponded with her 20 years ago. He gave me more information about Aunt Min that she had been one of the wedding attendants at his uncle's wedding. What a small world and how things come around full circle. I am still uncovering more surprises in this house every day. I recently found a picture of my sister, my son and grandson. It is like a treasure chest finding these neat little things. I am still looking for something of my dad's who died in 1959. I know there will be something related to him. But then, the house rings of memories. My grandmother was here, my parents, my aunts and uncles. I swear sometimes I can hear my aunts talking and laughing in the kitchen, cooking and washing dishes. Who needs TV with all this going on?
Mary

Ancestors to the rescue again!

MarianMurphy — 10 Aug 2003 6:52:21 GMT

After finding out where many of my Buchanans were buried in N.C., I received a forwarded email from Will&Joyce asking for info on the Buchanans same line. I called Will and spoke to his wife Joyce telling her I would send them everything I had. I then told her,"I'll bet we're related too since you are from the same area as some of my ancestors." I asked her to give me six surnames in her family,but it only took one! Her maiden name is Clay. I said, " As in Mitchell Clay and Phoebe Belcher, Indian raid in 1783?" She said ." Yes! I'm related directly to them" I then told her how the in-laws John French( my direct ancestor) was married to Obediance Clay,dtr to Mitchell and John French was part of the rescue party in 1783 when the Shawnee killed three of Mitchell Clay's children.We were both shocked in our amazement. Joyce was looking for her Clay family history too!!! Finally, when I read Mitchell Clay's will, I noticed that one of the witnesses had a similar name as her husband's and sure enough his family had changed their name only 30 years ago! So in the spirit of John French, I zeroxed and mailed them their family histories overnight express, just as John French had helped the Clay family 219 years ago.(Will&Joyce live on the east coast and I am on the west coast!) I just love these stories:) Marian Murphy

Serendipity of Genealogy

genebug70 — 23 Jun 2001 1:56:13 GMT

Why did we go to Beattyville?

Rose Watkins Michael — 17 Nov 2001 2:52:18 GMT

graves

eburns6765 — 25 Mar 2002 5:01:57 GMT

Last year I visited the small town where my ancestors lived for generations. I was visiting an old church and while walking toward it I tripped over a tombstone. I hadn't realized until then that there were graves around the church. The name on the tombstone was William Burdette, not one of my ancestors, but there were wildflowers growing around his stone. I noticed other tombstones where flowers grew randomly.

When I came home I posted some info I'd found on an old school in this town on the internet. The next day I received an e-mail from someone looking for his ancestor, William Burdette. He wanted to know if I knew anything about him. Going through old records at the family history center the name Burdette seemed to leap out along with other family names that I wasn't related to. So I decided to copy these records and put them on the internet. Occasionally I receive e-mail from descendants of the other people buried in that small graveyard.

Help for Us Mortals!

LINDAPARKE57 — 10 Aug 2003 7:20:55 GMT

One morning I was in the process of writing a dedication for a family book I was putting together for Christmas. I was writing the dedication to my dear father who has been gone from this mortal sphere since 1979. I was getting all weepy and sentimental. Near the end of the dedication I wrote, "Well Dad, here's to you and say Hi to ancestors up there. And while you're at it ask them why they didn't write more down so us mortals down here can find them."

Well suffice it to say that by the end of the day I had extended my paternal lineage back two generations (including the maiden name of a gg-grandmother that I had been researching for 12 years!!!). So, next time you hit that old brick wall, settle down and say a quiet little prayer to your favorite ancestors and see what happens.

Fate? or Guidance from the Spirits the be?....

Vivienne — 24 Sep 2001 3:32:00 GMT

This is my story of the Twilight Zone <add theme song here>

My husband's father was in the military and so his family traveled all over the world. However at one point his father was stationed in NY for a brief stay at an Air Force base there. Well this isn't anything so great...but what makes it Really bizarre is this....

One time while my mother's parents were visiting us, my husband and my grandfather got to talking about things, and my grandfather who was a contractor by trade had been a painter during the war while he was in the Navy. What makes this story so strange is that while my husband was being born (The Very Year and Month), my grandfather was also stationed on this base with my grandmother and My mother, painting numbers on airplanes and ships etc. I remember very clearly that day but both my husband and my grandfather were having one of those "chills up and down the spine" moments. I would not come along for a few more years yet, and my husband and his family would move off to Japan for 2 yrs. and then head to Calif. It would not be until years later that he and I met, and several years after we were married that this story came out.
We all thought that was one of those moments of Fate. What are the odds that my mother would be on the same base as my husband and his family during the same months of the same year and both families coming from opposite ends of the United States? Too weird.

Driving Directions in South GA

darthurus — 6 Aug 2001 2:24:03 GMT

One hot, muggy, summer day in south Georgia, Early and Clay Counties, to be exact, I had an encounter with an ancestor.
We were in two cars. My dad was driving behind me as we headed out of Blakely on our way to Americus. We had spent the morning in Blakely, Early County, GA, looking for signs of John G. HOWELL, Anyone named KINCHEN or WYLLY and John DAVIS and his wife Sarah "Sally" BLUE DAVIS. We had some good finds and we headed to Sumter County to look some more.
It began to rain as we drove north. As we drove through the small community of Bluffton, I suddenly pulled off the road at an abandoned store. My dad thought I was having car trouble and pulled up beside me. I told him that I needed to turn left down a country road that I could see. He questioned me, but finally agreed to follow. About 1/2 mile off the highway we saw a cemetery in the middle of a cow pasture. The cows were all over the graves, but moved as we pulled in. There in the middle of nowhere, was the hand hewn rock that covered and fenced the graves of my 3great grandparents: Sarah "Sally" BLUE DAVIS and John DAVIS who came from Sampson Co and Cumberland Co., NC about 1832 in an ox wagon to build a mill and quarry there. That cemetery was not censused until 3 years later. Thank you Sally and John for steering me in the right direction!
Dot

A marriage written in the stars

BRDennis — 10 Aug 2003 7:02:30 GMT

I found out something really amazing recently in my tree.

My parents met for the first time in south Florida and married in 1955. Their families were unrelated, from different parts of the country and did not know each other at all. Well, in doing my family tree I stumbled on to the fact that my parents are related! Not really by blood but close enough.

Back in the 1720's, two brothers named Allred had their families. One of them had a great-grandchild that married my Dad's GGAunt and the other had a great-grandchild that married my Mother's great grandmother. It took 282 years and a trek from NC to AL to TN to TX before my parents met and married.

Divine Guidance for sure LOL

Glitzzz — 20 Aug 2001 4:43:28 GMT

My husband and I had just bought a car from a person and been to the bank ect. The Friend we bought it from had given us a map on how to get to his apt. It is in the Dallas, Tx area. We used the map and got there just fine. My husband drove the "new" car home so if something was wrong he would know. I had put the map in my purse. As we were driving down the road there was a white car ahead of us that was really really slow. We passed and went on our way. I noticed as I went by that there was a little old lady driving, not going very fast. I did pray as I went by that God would help her. Little did I know that we were to be the instrument of that help LOL. Well we got on down the road and pulled into a dirt side road. I wanted to look at the car and drive it on in. We were standing there talking about the car and the good deal we had made, nothing was wrong with it ect., Thanking God when I looked around and there was this little old lady in the white car we had passed some minutes before. I commented to my husband about her and wondered if she was alright. You just don't pull someone over in today's time to offer help. Well she pulled up behind us and she was lost. We found out she had just moved and got lost on her way to the store. I asked her where she lived. You guessed it!!!! Where we had the map to get her back to. I got the map out of my purse and asked her again to make sure and sure enough it was her apt complex. I asked her if she believed in God she answered yes. I told her well this is called Divine Intervention. Gave her the map and she thanked us and we all went on our way. Glitz

my great great grandfather Thomas clark who I found by accident

patsiehatley — 10 Aug 2003 7:15:47 GMT

i have been searching for months for the parents of my gr grandfather James Clark and hitting s tone wall, brick, uyou name it then two days ago I get an email from a lady who was also researching the same Thomas Clark. She had seen my various ;postings and realized we were on the same trail and she gave me tons of info. my Thomas Clark who was always with my James Clark in Morgan Co In. was indeed his father, and not only that James had six other siblings. Seems Thomas Clark was born in Ireland and he and u nknown wife moved to Kentucky where they brought up the 7 children then in 1820 James and his Fathjer Thomas Clark moved to Morgan County Indiana where they were among the very first settlers to buy land there. So now I have my great great grandfather Thomas Clark and all his children, James and Nancy and Mary Polly Clark who was the connection for the lady who gave me all the info, and MArgaret Peggy Clark, Jane Clark, Andrew Clark, Linda Siney Clark and of course my gr grandfather James Clark. So miracles happen.

Lost Cousins

Barbara Nobles — 10 Aug 2003 7:33:29 GMT

I always knew that there were cousins on the Williams side of my family who lived in Newton, Iowa. I remembered talk of Cousin Laura. The families were very close and I thought it a shame that my generation had no idea who they were and why they were in Iowa and we were in Alabama. I began searching for Williams descendants and looking through old papers for names. I found a letter from my Great Aunt Minnie to Cousin Laura Williams written in 1891 that was never mailed. A letter over 100 years old kept for some unknown reason helped me identify a photograph of Counsin Laura and her five brothers. It also gave me enough information to connect with other researchers. I still don't have all the answers and I still haven't found the surviving members of the (Williams-Callison) families but why would one letter that was never mailed be kept for over 100 years!

ONE OF THOSE REAL DREAMS!

conniemullen — 21 May 2003 12:25:12 GMT

About 8 years ago I had a dream where my mother, who had died two years earlier, was sitting at the foot of my bed talking to me about how I need to get started researching our families so that her grandchildren and great-grandchildren will know about their ancestors. As of today with the help of my husband, Mike, and my daughter, Kelley was have over 4000 names on our family tree.
Thank you Mom for encouraging us and giving us the spark that we needed to get started.

gr gr grandfather Nowell

Nita Pearce — 30 Apr 2000 12:00:00 GMT

I had been searching for 3 years for information on my gr gr grandfather, Abraham C. Nowell who had been murdered in 1842 during the Slicker War in Benton Co. MO. I had talked about it so much that the other researchers at the library were aware of my intense desire to find out why he was killed. One day another lady was in the stacks and she called my name and handed me a book that she had just found. The book opened in my hands to a section about the episode. The full story was there. Yes, I think they are here trying to help us.

I'm sure they both helped

serichmonds — 10 Aug 2003 7:23:11 GMT

My Father died in 1951 and my Mother died September of 1999. Two nights after she died, I was crying harder than I have ever cryed in my life, when a feeling of complete peace came over me and I heard a voice say "Why are you crying, your mother is with your Father. She's happy now."

After my father's death and a disagreement with his parents and only sibling, my mother and I lost contact with his family. Because of this, I knew next to nothing about his family history. His sister had no children and she and her parents are also deceased.

Never the less, every six months from 1994 until the spring of 1999 I faithfully posted a message on the various Lockman surname message boards seeking information. Never had a reply.

One month after my mother died, I received an e-mail from a woman who told me she thought her mother was my father's first cousin. She had found a message I had posted six months before. The day she found the message was the first time she had ever used a computer and the first time she had ever been on the Internet.

Since that time, I have met her and we have confirmed that we are second cousins and that her mother was my father's first cousin. She has also given me Lockman family history back to 1818 and with her help, we have discovered more cousins who have provided more information back to 1750.

I am convinced that my mother and father helped my cousin find me.

photo connection

Beverly — 31 Oct 2000 12:00:00 GMT

A researcher contacted me about my Henry family connections, and I read her letter with great interest as she was repeating stories I had heard from my father, when I was growing up. She asked me to please send me what I had on my line of the family. When going through my files, I discovered that I had missed adding my great-grandfathers death dates to my family group sheet, so off I went to my photo files, for I knew that I had a photo of his grave stone. I found the information I wanted, and then glanced down at a few photos I had taken, that I had not identified as being family...there were all of the names that she had sent to me..my 2nd and 3rd great grandparents.

Now these photos were taken on a whim. I traveled back to Ohio a few years back, and went to the small Lutheren church that my parents had been married in, thought it would be a nice addition to the family history to get a shot of it. Mom had chosen all those years ago to get married in that church, not because they were Lutheren,( for they were not), but because that church had a center aisle she could walk down and her church
didn't. After I got the shots, I walked over to the old graveyard, and browsed around, found a lot of old gravestones which had the Henry surname...so, as it was getting dark, I snapped a few photos of some of the older stones, and left. Little did I know that these photos were really of my family members.

Now why were they buried there, when they were not Lutheren? I have no idea, but they surely did want to be found and I would never have thought of looking in that graveyard for them.

Great Aunt "Hattie" asked to be recognized!

Lexi51nga — 15 May 2003 6:35:04 GMT

Great Grandmothers Gift

Jean WATKINS SHERWOOD — 4 Jun 2000 12:00:00 GMT

Dreams & Help from Beyond!

Mary Adkins Pinion — 10 Aug 2003 7:43:10 GMT

A Dream Come True... I have been searching for my ancestors for over 6 years and was at a brick wall... I had a dream where a tall white haired long white bearded man in a black old time suit came up to me and reached out his hand. He said "Hello, I am the James Adkins you are searching for." The very next day, I found or learned that the Father of my James WAS JAMES ADKINS.

And as I said before, I have worked with my mothers help for years and every line was blocked. My mother died unexpectly in Aug of 97, and now I have so many open doors that I am having trouble keeping up. Just last week, I received 3 emails with family information, and received a phone call from a relative in Michigan that I didnt even know existed.

Even tho Mom has passed, she is not away. Myself and my sister feel her presence everyday. And I am very grateful to GOD for her not suffering. She is at peace.

Thank you for listening!
Mary

One of Several

Mary Cookson — 10 Aug 2003 7:45:20 GMT

I got my Computer about a year ago and I have had an intrest in Genealogy sence I was 18 I woud bother my mother and outher family members for information they diden't remember much or never new. I would check the library's but kept loosing my information once I gatherd it. then after my computer my son bought me a Family tree soft wear package .I started agin I kept my search to my mother side becaus I was illagitement and not realy excepted into my stepfather family but one night I had a dream of a driving with my son past the old home place and a horse aproched us and woulden't let us pass. we bumped it a couple of times tring to pass but it woulden't let us so we tried to find out where it belonged we led it further up the road and the horse dident speak but it was a fealing that the horse diden't know where it belonged but just new that it did. when I woke and went over the dream in my mind I new whoe the horse was eather my step sister Rosemary or her daughter they had both passed away before this and my step sister had a beautiful horse named Jerry when I was about 6. she was telling me she wanted to be part of my search but diden't know where in my line she belonged. that is when I added my Step fathers line to my Genealogy.

OH, ALRIGHT, IF YOU INSIST!

Mary Lou Kline — 17 May 2000 12:00:00 GMT

Second Genealogical "Find"

Harold Huber — 8 May 2000 12:00:00 GMT

Greatgrandmother Barbara

Lois Morgan — 10 Aug 2003 7:52:26 GMT

I had only been "doing" genealogy for a few months and was in touch with my oldest living relative, a cousin of my late mother's who is in her late 80's. In asking about the family she had mentioned a few things, and then said in a letter that she knew nothing else and was sorry but she didn't have any newspaper clippings or pictures to share with me. I thought nothing more of it, until one night I had a very explicit dream in which I was told clearly, that I would receive a manila envelope full of pictures and in it would be a picture of a pretty woman who, although she had a large nose, had the palest, whitest most beautiful complexion, which smelled of a nice face powder, and who was extrememly kind and gentle.I didn't mention this to my husband although it was such a vivid dream I couldn't shake it. In the mail that day was a letter from my elderly cousin who told me she was sending, by separate mail, some original pictures (taken in the 1800's) of some of the family. An hour later, a manila envelope arrived with pictures of family members..some of whom I hadn't even known about, and none of whom I had ever seen. One of the last pictures I looked at was of a small, pleasant faced woman,very pale complexion with a large nose, but beautiful dark eyes, who is my greatgrandmother Barbara Eshelman Miller. I feel as if she directed the work from "afar" and is now pleased that she and her children and brother and sister are now remembered.

lots of experiences!

JWheeler7557 — 22 Jun 2001 8:06:58 GMT

I love this site! I too have had some neat experiences that can't be explained. Would you believe the Post Office would forward a genealogical letter (that was sent to my old address in Colorado) to me here in Texas 8 YEARS AFTER I HAD MOVED? That's unheard of!

Once I was cranking through a microfilm to get to the item I wanted and "accidentally" discovered the life story of the sister of my great-great-grandfather.

Another time a friend hired me to research her family for her because she couldn't sort it all out (no wonder--three of her great-grandmothers were sisters, and two had married first cousins...) and it was an amazing experience. That summer every time I turned around, more information on her family "dropped in my lap", so to speak. Once I picked up an old genealogical magazine from Arkansas at the library, flipped through it, and came upon the picture of her great-grandparents, as well his life story as told to a newspaper reporter when he was over 100 years old. (He remembered George Washington and his troops coming through town when he was a boy!) In just a few months I traced several of her lines back 13 generations. When she told her daughter about it, her daughter said, "Good! Now maybe Grandpa will quit bothering me." Her grandfather had appeared to her in dreams, but she couldn't tell what he wanted. Now we know what he wanted...

Middle Man

suecrawford22 — 10 Aug 2003 7:48:37 GMT

About two weeks ago I found a message on the Coke County, TN
site from a gentleman who's last name is Rosser. I sent
and email and we stated to ask questions, as one would, of]
each other. As it turned out he himself was not related to
me but to a great great aunt and uncle, who married brother
and sister who were. He was mostly interested in the parents of the brother and sister.

The information that I gave him were the date and time frame the he had been to for different relatives of his.
Some questions I could not answer. So, I gave him a list of
three names of thirds cousins for him to contact.

Today one of the cousins let me know that contact had been
made. It seems that the father had married several times
and had children but my relatives did not know them. Now
the circle will hopefully be complete.

records

eburns6765 — 25 Mar 2002 5:01:57 GMT

I have another story. For the past few months I've been transcribing old school records. Specifically, I'm trying to identify teachers and students who attended an academy in Monroe County. I've plowed through 4 rolls of microfilm, looking at tiny tuition receipts which do not identify the location of the school and I was getting frustrated. Finally, in the fourth roll of film,I started rolling forward and was ready to quit. Then I noticed a School Commissioner's report in 1848. Not only were the schools divided in districts, but next to the teacher's salaries was a notation of the district they taught in. The high school teachers were also identified. At the bottom of the page the signature was my great great great grandfather.

The Lost Great Grandmother

PJones9879 — 10 Aug 2003 7:59:08 GMT

I was searching for my Husbands Great Grandmother and his Aunt had told us that she died in a very small town called Pyron, Texas. Upon locating the area and the small cemetery I asked my husband if anyone had ever mentioned where in the Cemetery she might be. He said" no", so I said I will find her. I have always been able to sense things with out knowing how. I got out of the car and walked directly to the fifth row from the front on the left side to a white broken stone that read: Martha Jane Tirrell , the missing Great Grandmother and information I needed to continue my family research. My husband and children keep asking me how did you do that as I say to them she must have been wanting to be found. She just seemed to tell me. Now if I could locate my missing Great Grandfather's death location my biggest brick wall would tumble down.

A caressing hand

Elaine Helders — 10 Aug 2003 7:59:36 GMT

I'm very glad to hear that these feelings of "guidance" are not mine exclusively! My family started our search about 5 years ago, the old fashioned way...no computers, just walking the cemeteries and checking obits, census, etc. Several years ago, we went to St. Bernard's Cemetery in Bridgewater, NJ to see if we could find our family. As soon as we entered, I was drawn to one particular area and before we even got out of the car, my husband spotted the grave of my gggrandparents and several of their children. On the same day, in the same cemetery, I felt as though we should go toward a particular tree that stood alone. Yep! More family. We were overwhelmed. Was it possible? Were we being "taken by the hand"? There is no explanation of the numerous coincidences that we have experienced over the last five years. I could write a small book. I am glad to hear that you also have experienced the nurturing hand of our ancestors who have gone before us! To that I say..."lead on". An open mind and an open heart works best for me.

Divine Intervention? It sure wasn't me.......

Mountaineer79 — 29 Oct 2001 1:47:57 GMT

Letters from the past.....

Gloria Boyd — 4 May 2000 12:00:00 GMT

When my daughter was in fifth grade her English class was reading the book "My Brother Sam Is Dead" for their Revolutionary War unit. It was about a young man who ran away from home against his father's wishes and enlisted as a soldier. She didn't care much for the book and hated the title. At the same time we had moved to a new house and didn't have time to unpack all the boxes so we stored the ones we didn't need right away in the basement. During the move a hose had worked loose inside our washing machine without our knowing it. When we hooked up the washer and started a load of wash it was fine......until the rinse cycle. It flooded our laundry room, powder room and foyer and dripped down into the basement on top of our boxes. After we cleaned up the water upstairs we went downstairs to see what could be salvaged out of the soggy boxes. In the middle of the pile was a box my Dad had given me before our move that I had never opened before. In that box were numerous family documents including a series of letters beginning at the time of the Mexican War and ending with the Civil War. They were written by my great-grand uncle Philip Solly who had run away from home against his father's wishes to volunteer as a soldier in the Mexican War. The water had not touched them and they were as perfect as they day they were written. I was thrilled to have found such a treasure and to this day I still believe that there was a guiding hand that revealed these letters to us at just that time. My daughter read the letters and took them to school to show her teacher and class. She has developed a keen interest in history and has even learned to understand mom's genealogy obsession!

Philip's letters are transcribed on my website:
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~solly/pages/soldier...

(You can copy and past this url into your browser or click on the below link and go to the section titled "Letters")

ancestral assistance?

VIOLETS3 — 10 Aug 2003 8:31:53 GMT

I was totally brick-walled in my search for my husband's Crow/Crowe/Hornaday family. One day I visited our local library and wandered up to the Special Collections section to see what they had besides Emily Dickinson. (I'd lived here for 25 years and never been in the Special Collections section.) What I found was a whole lot of information on New England but not much for the rest of the 50 states.

They did have a section of books on family histories...again mainly local or New England. As I was running my fingers lightly over the spines I got like a static electricity type shock from one of the books. I pullled the book off the shelf. It was titled "Roots and Branches" and it was authored by a Quinn Hornaday. It was a history of the Hornaday family from NC. Flipping quickly to the index, there was "our" Susan. A quick search showed her married to James Crow. AND her sister married to James' brother, Emery Crow. Now with two marriages to look for, we found them, not where we expected but in the next county over.

I've never figured out why or how that book got into the library in Amherst, MA or why I happened to check out the special collections that day. But I'm sure I was guided to find that information!

What Possessed Me To Stop Turning the Handle??

Rebecca — 4 May 2000 12:00:00 GMT

I had very little information about my great-grandmother, Gretchen Bunge Jensen. We knew she was in NYC in 1900 and that her father was a doctor whose name was Carl Bunge. One family member had her autograph book, which Gretchen started at age 12 and in which she got signatures of some family members. One such signature said "Your sister, C. Paetzold". We assumed this was her sister's married name.

I started by looking in the 1900 soundex for NY (not a small task :-)), looked and looked for Carl Bunge, C. Bunge, and found nothing. I was very perplexed, then thought maybe his name was really Karl and headed off to the "K"s. Well, you know how when you are looking through microfilm and you're turning the crank sometimes your hand just stops?? I was thinking to myself "Please please I really need to find them" when for some reason my hand just stopped.

In front of me on the reader was a card "2 of 2" and the first name on the list of children was "George Paetzold" and under that was another Paetzold and under that was "Paul Bunge" which you could barely read. I was just about to start turning the crank again when my slow brain said "Paetzold"??? I'm not in the P's! And as I slowly turned the crank backwards to look at card "1 of 2" -- there they all were. My heart started pounding and tears came to my eyes. Carl Bunge was going under the name Charles Bunge and he had 4 stepchildren who carried the surname Paetzold, as well as my great-grandmother Gretchen and her half-brother Paul.

I suppose that at some point I might have gotten desperate enough to look card by card through the 1900 soundex BUT all I know is that finding that census record was a gift from my ancestors. If Clara had not signed that autograph book as "C. Paetzold" I might never have found them, and from the census information I was able to take the Bunge line back to 1800 in German records, etc. etc. etc.

a clue can be anywhere

Barb Senden — 10 Aug 2003 8:33:57 GMT

About a year and a half ago a friend and fellow graduate student showed me a small book her great-aunts had put together about 50 years ago on her family's genealogy. She has absolutely no interest in the subject herself so I was surprised that she would have gone to the trouble to dig it out of her files just to show me, but she knew I was researching my own family so she thought I might be interested in seeing it. When she handed it to me, I thought (but didn't say), "How nice, but what am I supposed to do with this? It's not my family." To be polite, I took a look at it anyway. It was divided into chapters on the main surnames. I was surprised to see that one of the names was Page - my mother's maiden name - but I didn't see anybody I recognized.

I decided to copy the chapter (it was only about 10 pages) and file it away, "just in case." After all, I figured, my Pages were from New England, and hers were in New York - not too terribly far apart.

About 6 months later, I found a website that had my ggg-grandfather (the oldest ancestor I knew about at the time) and 4 more generations back from him. Out of curiosity I decided to pull out the copy of her Pages and found a common ancestor! I had been sitting next to a distant cousin in classes for a year and a half without knowing it. We had even held the same job (she replaced me when I left). I wouldn't be quite so surprised if we lived in NY or New England - but we're in the midwest, and the common ancestor lived almost 300 years ago!

What a Response!

Jenny C. Thomas — 4 May 2000 12:00:00 GMT

Great Idea

Charlene — 3 May 2000 12:00:00 GMT

This is a really good idea. I have been very fortunate in my searches and feel very connected to my ancestors in some way. I have asked others if they feel connected and they say no, it's just names and places. Everytime I find a new ancestor I am thrilled. I cannot think of anything to post at this time, but can never shake, nor do I want to shake that warm, glowy feeling when I think, write or talk about one of my ancestors.

I thought I was crazy....

jeanChristian — 25 Jun 2001 9:59:01 GMT

I thought I was crazy for having these same thoughts, dreams, and feelings.
I find I become obsessed with whatever line I am researching, thinking about the family all the time and imagining their lives.
I am fortunate enough to be in the possession of a family bible dating to 1834. I love to hold the book and touch the pages "they" touched, hoping for the genealogical clues to reveal themselves.
I like the others am sure they are watching my work, and while I haven't had any actual guidance given me yet, I know they are watching me and hoping I will find them.

My father, the family historian, passed away before I became thoroughly entrenched in genealogy, and I definitely feel his presence.

I will hope that I am as lucky as those of you who have had actual guidance from those who went before.

Thanks for a terrific idea!

Spirits working

Donna — 10 Aug 2003 8:35:37 GMT

I had a few extra minutes after reading a film before the library closed. I went through the card file for the films they had there on a permanent basis & found a card for an 1840 census. I looked at the film & only part of the county was on that reel. I found my great great grandmother as a widow, & wanted to look at the rest of the county for other relatives. I put the film away, went back to the card file & there was no card for the film I had just retrieved & looked at nor was there a card for the other half of the county. I had someone else check & they found none either. Now it was there, or I could have never found the film, but it wasn't there when I didn't need it any longer.

Donna

J Z SHELTON. "Junior"

Vonette J Shelton/Curtis — 2 May 2000 12:00:00 GMT

My uncle was missing in action in WW II and I always wondered about him. He was killed in 1944 and I was born in 1947. A body was never found or his tags. I sent for his records but was told they did not have any. From out of the internet a lady state to the "Shelton forum" that she was visting the neatherlands and saw these two Shelton names on the MIA memorial while there and one was J Z Jr. Shelton. From this I told the Military Records where he was buried...where his memorial was anyway....and name, rank, serial number and the came up with some papers...they were still investigating in 1960...I have requested his Personal File but they have not responded to date. I thought this was strange that out of nowhere this lady sent this name to the very place that I was searching for my Shelton's, and she was not searching for Shelton's. So why?
did she send this and at a time that I am searching...I think he wants me to find out where he is and the facts..
Vonette
alvon@apex.net

Home at last

CynthiaDriscoll — 14 Feb 2002 2:01:52 GMT

My son Thomas...

Drema — 2 May 2000 12:00:00 GMT

All 4 of my grandparents died before I was born, and I never even knew their names.

When I was pregnant with my son and trying to come up with names for him, I was living in Japan. I was trying to think of a name that went well with the first name I had chosen, and I liked the sound of Thomas, although that is not a name I would have ever considered before. My sister was pregnant at the same time, living in West Virginia, and because of the distance, we never had the opportunity to discuss names.

Our sons were born a few days apart. She had a birth announcement in the mail to me and I had a birth announcement in the mail to her, and we were shocked when we received the announcements to find that we had given them both the same middle name, Thomas. Her son goes by the name Tom even today.

But the real surprise came when our mother wrote to us that she was thrilled that we had decided to name our sons after both of our grandfathers, who were both named Thomas.

Now some may say that we grew up hearing the names of our grandparents, but our parents never referred to their parents by name, and I really didn't know their names!! But I guess that is when I first became interested in genealogy.

It's a small world!

floraverstraten — 17 Aug 2001 11:44:47 GMT

I was looking for someone researching APPLEGARTH line and was on a site and got a message from an APPLEGARTH and it just so happened he was living in the same small town that my son just transferred to in the military. AND, we discovered that we were cousins, our grandparents were brother and sister! This same person grew up 12 miles away from where I live now... So many more stories, so little time.....

Wondering what this board is for?

Jeannie_Watts — 29 Jun 2001 6:37:51 GMT

Well, I don't think I can explain it any better than I have on the web site I created just for that purpose! So please follow the link below to "Somewhere Over the Rainbow..." for a full explaination & rules for posting. Please enjoy the board. I can't wait to hear all of your true-life amazing genealogy success stories!!!

Your host,
Jeannie Watts

How to get past the brick wall.

Catherine Walker — 1 May 2000 12:00:00 GMT

Dreams/Ghosts

shirley — 30 Apr 2000 12:00:00 GMT

help from the other side

Melida G Phelps Cannon — 1 May 2000 12:00:00 GMT

My grandmother had given me a couple of pictures of my greatgrandfather in his firemen uniforms. In one of the pictures the uniform didn't look like it was a firemen's uniform something about it was different. While stumped trying to figure it out I took a family trip to the mountains of VA and drove past an estate sale. I made my husband turn around someone/something drew me to this sale I went inside this home and looked through the things in the home that were for sale I didn't see anything I was interested in.So I thank the women there and headed out the door I turned and stopped in my tracks glancing at a table of nick nacks on the otherside of the room And tucked in the back of the table was a jar of old buttons so I made an offer and purchased it.I had this feeling that I just had to have this jar of buttons. Later that evening I was looking though the buttons and ran across a medal that had inscribed on it the word W.O.W. upon checking I found out that W.O.W. stood for Woodmen Of The World and further checking the picture I had had in questions, I found that my greatgrandfather Newberry belong to the order of W.O.W. in Norfolk, the uniform he had on was not that of the fire department it was that of the Woodmen of the World

Unexpected Phone Call

Lucille R. McMillan — 1 May 2000 12:00:00 GMT

When I began working on my mother's family records I found that I did not know anyone to contact to get records of the descendants of my great Aunt Betty Pobst Sanger, sister of my grandfather, Charles E. Pobst. I was wondering how I would get the records of her descendants.
I had a beauty shop in my home and one day while giving a shampoo and set to one of my ladies who lives within a mile of me, my phone rang.
It was a friend that I had not seen for some time and while talking to this friend I mentioned that my mother's name was POBST.
When I hung up Carolyn, who was sitting in the styling chair, said, "MY GREAT GRANDMOTHER WAS A POBST. IF YOU HAD ASKED ME HER NAME I COULD NOT HAVE TOLD YOU BUT WHEN YOU MENTIONED POBST IT RANG A BELL."
I asked her "What was her given name?"
"I think it was Edna Elizabeth but she was called BETTY, and she married Henry Sanger."
"THAT'S MY GREAT AUNT that I have been wondering how I would get information on her family to go in the BOOK I am working on."
A few days later Carolyn brought her mother to see me and her mother sent me information on the descendants of Betty and Henry, and a picture of the family with the only picture I had ever seen of my G-GRANDMOTHER Sarah B. Stover POBST.

Who would have thought that one name mentioned at the right time and in front of the right person, in a conversation on the phone would find a lost limb of my family tree. Only God can do things like that. Praise the Lord for his love and help.

DORMANT RESEARCH

DIAN350 — 22 Jun 2001 10:28:19 GMT

My research was in a folder in a briefcase in a closet for 32 years. It had moved with me to 5 states and Bermuda. That's a lot of closets. In Jan. this year I felt like there was something I needed to do. Everyday I just had this feeling that I was suppose to be doing something I wasn't. One day I opened the closet door where the briefcase was up on the top shelf and it fell right out on me. I picked it up and said to myself I guess I'll look at this old information I had gathered so long ago. Well, that was it. I had the briefcase and a computer and I started all over again. I found some sites on the web and I was off and running. Right away in a few days I had found a CUZN. Since then we have burned up the email sometimes as many as 3 a day to each other. If it had not been for that briefcase falling on me I may never have gotten back to searching for my roots. How is that for providence?? I had more information in that old briefcase than I realized I had. I have found so much on the web it is hard to believe. All the people I have contacted have been so generous with information and help. People searching for their ROOTs are the BEST. This is going to be one of the best sites ever. Dian Hamby

Divine Assistance

paynep1 — 25 Mar 2004 2:00:06 GMT

On my first search trip to North Carolina last Labor Day weekend (September 1999), I drove by a grave site next to a wooded area. It was not a well kept grave site. Something or someone told me to drive in and check it out. There was my great grandmother's grave (Sarah Florence Heath Carmack) and one of her daughter's (Victoria Carmack Taylor). The interesting part is that I always thought she had never married. However, she was buried next to her husband (Calvin Taylor). Talk about a strange feeling!

Mother's help

Marcelle — 1 May 2000 12:00:00 GMT

Maybe this is not "divine intervention", but it is significant to me. My mother passed away in 1996, but before she died, I was so determined to find out when her grandmother died. Well, it had been over 40 years, so my mother couldn't remember exactly when. Three days after her passing, my father wanted her things removed from the house, and as my sister and I cleaned out her closet, there was an envelope filled with the funeral book, cards, and obituary notices for my mother's grandmother. I think my mother pushed me in the direction of that closet that day.

Another quick story: had been researching Sommers line in NJ forever it seems, and my father had no knowledge of his family at all. However, after much searching, I finally hooked up with ONE individual online who was also from this family. With my great grandfather being one of ten children, I felt that this was inevitable, but it took a long time! Hang in there - they do want us to know about them!!

"supposed to be"

genebug70 — 23 Jun 2001 1:56:13 GMT

Another "supposed to be" happening was in my first trip to Salt Lake City about 20 years ago.
It wasn't nearly as big as it is now and only covered part of the downstairs floor of the main offices.
So, my husband had work to do and dropped me off, every day, for three days to let me see what I could find.
On the third day, I was so discouraged, I hadn't been able to find anything, that I didn't already have!!
It was almost time for my husband to pick me up and I was wandering the stacks, almost in tears. This once in a lifetime, opportunity, wasted!!
My eyes were wandering the rows of books and as I walked by the surname publications stack, I must have hit this book with my toe, because it sort of fell off the bottom row and as I bent over to pick it up, I saw the title.
" John Barton and his Descendants"..
It was my ancestor! I had never found anything more him than what I had been told by grandparents.
I started reading it and in a few minutes I went to tell my husband, to keep circling the block, til I could get the information out of it, that I needed.
My trip wasn't wasted, after all.
Grandpa Barton knew I was looking for help!
And, it wasn't my only trip to Salt Lake either, 10 years later, we moved there to live for two whole years!
Believe in what your are doing, pray for help and keep your mind open, always.

Old Man in the Cemetery

burgess4819 — 17 Jul 2001 4:29:53 GMT

Divine inspiration

SRafter0569 — 28 Sep 2002 3:37:36 GMT

My husband and I were at the Virginia State Archives and we were viewing microfilm from Mecklenburg Co. The films that day were almost impossible to read. The ink was faded and writing even worse. I was heading for Mecklenburg Co records when I ended up in the area where Brunswick Co films were. The files are arranged alphabetically. I picked up this one reel and took it to the reader. I found great-great grandfather )John Cleaton and his wife (Penelope Preston) written very large and clear. Penelope's name was misspelled, but that was okay. I knew one of my uncles had been named after two maternal grandmothers. Years later I found the other grandmother he was named after.

My obsession with "Finneywood"

JoLee Gregory Spears — 30 Apr 2000 12:00:00 GMT

Why was I so intrigued with "Finneywood"?

I was reared at the homeplace of my ancestor John Gregory, several miles north of the South Meherrin River, in Lunenburg Co. South of the river in Mecklenburg had been "Finneywood," a small village with depot that sprang up with the railroad. It was a ghost town when I was a child; for some reason, it so intrigued me when my father would take me there (a bustling place when he was young). I visited back, as an adult, and my heart sank to see the ghost town had withered away. Just a couple of houses remained, abandoned depot and stores gone.

Recently I was drawn to deedmapping the land of the early residents in that general section of Mecklenburg. Imagine my surprise when the land of my next further back Gregory ancestor (who moved away before the railroad) mapped right over the later Finneywood Depot and village. I have an ancestress (given name unknown) buried there somewhere.

Divine Inspriation

LindaNelson54 — 24 Jun 2001 4:09:39 GMT

boiling dreams

TrumanA — 8 May 2003 11:57:04 GMT

Once I was in Washington, D.C. working at the national archives, looking at microfilm for hours. I had a dream that night about a pot of boiling water and the more I looked at the bubbles they seemed to become peoples faces. I looked closer and recognized some of them and they were bringing others with them to the surface of the water. Without speaking they told me to keep looking at the census records, they remembered they census taker comming around and they were sure they had their names written down.

The next day while looking at the 1850 census of Lexington County, S.C. I discovered my great great great grandmother, living with her two sons in the home of another woman, who I recognized as someone who had conveyed land to my great great grandfather (one of the two sons) in 1853.

Cemetery Help

KelleyMullen — 17 Jul 2001 11:41:45 GMT

I have to tell you a story that is still incredible to me. I was looking for the grave of a relative of mine who had died in 1921 in St. Louis. She was a nun, and the order of nuns she belonged to listed her as being buried in St. Peter and Paul Cemetery in south St. Louis (not a usual place for a member of their community to be buried). The Archdiocese of St. Louis has information on all of the Catholic cemeteries in one database. They did not have Sister Rainalda listed anywhere. So, not knowing how big the cemetery was, I drove there to look for her grave on foot. When I arrived at the cemetery, it was huge (about 28 different acre sections of tombstones). I got out of my car and began walking in the front of the cemetery. The longer I walked, the more frustrated I got. I finally said to myself, "Come on Sister Rainalda, where are you?" All of a sudden, I asked myself, "If I was burying a nun in the early 1920's and it was not the primary burial site for her community, where would I put her?" It came to me like a lightning bolt. "By the crucifix." I noticed a large stone crucifix in the back of the cemetery, nearly concealed by trees. I drove back to it, parked the car, and nearly tripped over her tombstone. I've been back to it since, just to be sure it was really there. What a tremendous experience.

Kelley

ancestral assistance

charlescook35 — 31 Oct 2002 11:13:51 GMT

I have no doubt that my ancestors lurk, somewhere, nudging me in certain directions. I have felt this many times, particularly in certain lines. It's something I have trouble explaining or even talking about. However, I really believe it.