Archive for the ‘blog’ Category

Monday’s Memories

Posted: May 8, 2012 in blog, camera, cornett, Hawaii, Iphone, memories, Monday, ocean, photos, salty air, sand, tourist
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Today was a beautiful day here in the islands of Hawaii. The photos below were taken with just an Iphone camera! Not bad for a cell phone camera. I would swear I was a beach bum or a mermaid in another life; as much as I love the ocean, I can never get enough of it! The water was just cold enough to be shocking to my sun kissed skin. 

The beach was full of both tourists and local people, you would think it was the weekend or summer break. I thoroughly enjoyed the cerulean blue water, the silky fine sand in between my toes, the balmy ocean breeze, and the smell of the salty air. When I go to places like this, I love to just watch people just to see what they do. Even though I live here, it’s fun to watch the keiki’s (young children) play in the water, carry their boogie boards- which looks much larger than the children. But they are having the time of their lives, trying to catch the colorful fish in their little sand buckets, building sand castles and just having fun like little kids do. They are so carefree and enjoyable to watch. This one little boy came up to me and my friend today with the biggest smile on his face, carrying a boogie board. How can you not smile back and say hello? 

Many people become so preoccupied with their own personal lives and the stress they may carry on their shoulders that they seem to forget to stop and take a look around them and consider the blessings that God has already given them. So when I feel all out of sorts and stressed, where do you think I go? I go to the beach of course! I go to my “happy place” and just sit down and watch the waves come in and go back out into the vast ocean. For me, it’s very calming and it’s almost like the waves pull all my stress and problems of the day and take it to the ocean. I hope that makes sense to whoever is reading this blog. But seriously, for me, the ocean has this peaceful way of making me feel like a brand new person. I end up being stress free and makes me feel like I can take on the world! 

These are my Monday Memories… 

A Little Twig On My Family Tree

Posted: September 1, 2011 in ancestor, Ancestry, blog, brick wall, Canute The Great, cornett, Cornettsville Cemetary, Denmark, England, Erin Cornett, pension, Virginia
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I have been researching the Cornett, Canute, and Sutherland family surnames off and on for the past few months. Along the way, I have met new cousins and created a few contacts, both professional and personal, as it relates to the topic of Genealogy. It seems that my family tree is one twisted tangle of little twigs. But I seem to think that there may be some vines intertwining with those twigs that cause me to search even deeper. I can almost picture myself spreading this vine curtain to see what’s inside, stepping into the past and being swallowed up as the curtain closes. Sounds like a creepy movie in a way. 


I have been reading up on the book I purchased a few months ago, titled, “Grayson County: A History in Words and Pictures”, I have also enjoyed looking at the photos of the first settlers to Grayson County, Virginia. The book encompasses a little less than 400 pages of fact written by the Grayson County Historical Society during the years 1792-1950. There are many interesting details and stories in this book that I will have to share at a later date. 
I have been most curious while searching for answers to all the mysteries of my family, I have yet to uncover the greatest mystery and a mountain of a brick wall called Alexander Sutherland. I hope to one day solve this with the help of my cousins, who happen to be also doing their own research on the same family surname. 


According to some, the Canute surname was believed to have actually been named “Carnutte”, stemming from Danish origin. There are many variations to the name and some also believe the name was of French origin. So really, who is correct? Is it speculation? How did they come up with this? I can understand the Danish part in this, as King Canute was most likely of that descent, as he was King of Denmark. But French? I’m not sure about that yet, although it could be very possible, I just need the cold, hard facts!


So if the Cornett family did descend from Carnutte, researching the Carnutte surname should be foremost on the list of priorities. It is said, and passed on from generation to generation that the Cornett family descended from King Canute II of Denmark. King Canute II was also known as Canute the Great, who reigned as King of Denmark during the time period of 995-1035. Canute the Great, being the son of Sweyn, King of Denmark.


Below is an excerpt I found on a web site dedicated to the genealogy of the Cornett family. The link source is also below if you would like to visit the site and utilize any other links on the site itself.

 If the Cornetts descended from Carnutte, one may begin with the Carnutte’s history. It is believed by some that the family is descended from King Canutte II of Denmark. King Canutte II of Denmark “Canute the Great” (995-1035).  He was the first Danish King of England.  Under his rule Norway was conquered.  He was the son of Sweyn, King of Denmark.1 On the other hand, if the Cornetts were of French origin, it is likely that the family came across with William the Conqueror.
Erin Cornett was born in 1676 in Northumberland, England; he raised sheep. There is no record of his wife’s name. His son, Earl, was born in Southampton, England in 1696. He was a farmer and a member of the Church of England. He had seven sons: John, Roger, George, Francis, Frank, Jesse, and James. John Cornett …born in Southampton ,England in 1727. In 1740, he sailed to the Colonies with six of his brothers. They worked as indentured servants on an English  lord’s farm near Philadelphia, Pa. After gaining his freedom, John went to Henrico, Co.Va. (near Richmond) and raised tobacco for a living. He was taxed for land there on March 24,1747… His will lists that he had six sons and no daughters. His second wife was Elizabeth Bacon Mosby.She was a widow with one son… John died about 1776 at Elks Creek, Va. He was a member of St. John Episcopal Church. Four of his sons fought in the Revolutionary War (another source says six2). These four were later given land grants for their war service.William and Sam settled on Line Fork… Nathaniel and Roger settled in Benge, Clay Co.4 “[He] died about 1776 in Elm Creek, Virginia… his children were Rebecca Canute Cornett; David Cornett, born about 1750; James Canute Cornett, born about 1755; John Samuel Cornett, born about 1759; Nathanial Cornett born about 1760; William Jesse Cornett, born in 1761 in Henrico County, Virginia; and Roger Cornett, born about 1768.

My ancestors are William Jesse Cornett who died November 26, 1836 and is buried in Cornettsville Cemetary and Rhoda Gilliam, his first wife. They were married on May 7, 1787 in Washington County, Virginia”3  William Cornett enlisted twice in Virginia Revolutionary War units and received a pension (# W6723). His son, John (b. 1794) married Rachel (Smith) Kelly, and their son Russell (b. 1840) married Ailey Amburgey (b.1841), their last child being Sarah Elizabeth Cornett, my grandmother. Russell and Ailey’s brother, John J. Amburgey, had served together in Co B. of  Benjamin E. Caudill’s 13th Cavalry CSA.







Source: Mark S. Carroll/ Cornett Ancestry
Image Source: Getty Images

Saturday Shout Out

Posted: July 16, 2011 in article, blog, Family Cherished Blog, Genealogy, Saturday Shout Out
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A few days ago, I thought about taking a few college courses in Genealogy to further my research and put my thirst for knowledge to work. Then life intervened and I got side tracked and it just slipped my mind to investigate it any further. That is, until I read a blog called Family Cherished written by Valerie, a very talented and inspiring writer I might add. The particular blog article I am referring to is called, “Getting a Great Genealogical Education For Little or No Money!”  Can I just say, I was hooked before I even finished the first paragraph? 


The article was very informative, and just what I was looking for, in terms of courses that wouldn’t put me into tremendous debt. Been there, done that! I’m still paying off college loans, so why would I want to be further indebted just to take a couple of extra courses? This article is a “must read” for those that have been thinking about gaining a little extra knowledge on this topic. Valerie listed some very good ideas on…..well you really need to read it for yourself! 


Kudos, Valerie for writing such a great article and spurring me into action!

Where Do I Go From Here?

Posted: July 10, 2011 in blog, books, Graphic Design, publishing, social networking, Twitter, writing
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Adobe Creative Sweets

Adobe Creative Sweets (Photo credit: nicole_writes)

A college friend of mine found me on Twitter today through my blog on Genealogy. It was a surreal moment, because I had just been thinking about her only two days ago. Monete and I had the same classes, and had similar dreams of making it big in the graphic design world. It was kind of funny, remembering her passion for Photoshop while my own passion was geared more towards vectors and I loved Adobe Illustrator. She would help me in Photoshop and I would help her in Illustrator. It was a win- win situation!

There are just some talents that God blessed people with and I think God put me in her path for a reason. So after graduation, she moved away from the metro Atlanta area and we kind of lost touch, until today. Now I’ve moved away and she is still making a go of it in the graphic arts world. I thought, “Okay, now I have a degree, it’s only a matter of time before someone likes my work and decides to hire me!” Boy, that was a huge smack of reality! So what am I doing with that piece of paper that I framed? Well the degree is still in its’ frame, hung up on my bedroom wall. I now have an Associates degree in graphic design and animation that has only become a hobby at most. That paper reminds me of how expensive that particular hobby actually was.
Another lesson learned, right?

Now today, only five years later, I have finally found what I love to do. But how many people actually can say they make money from writing blogs? This blog has become my baby, I guess. I always loved reading and writing, except when it was required in high school! At that time all I ever wanted to do was get a job, get paid, and go home. I didn’t want to read Shakespeare plays or write Haiku poems; I wanted to grow up fast, become a writer, get out in the real world and make something of myself. Thinking back to when I was 16, I was infatuated and very addicted to reading the Harlequin romance novels. I could finish one book in a day, and then I’d be at the library checking out a dozen others. After reading so many of them, I thought to myself, “I could do this!” So I did. I wrote my very first manuscript and submitted it to an agency in New York City. It was accepted, but the agency had a fee associated with publishing the book. I think it was two thousand dollars back then. So where is a teenager supposed to get that kind of money from without having a job?  My mistake was thinking that the manuscript wasn’t good enough for them to publish my work, so I requested the manuscript back and I then threw it in the garbage! Now I wish I had at least held onto it!

So where do I go from here? I think I will stay on this particular path, because it’s something I love to do.

Need a Graphic Designer? Try Monete!