Posts Tagged ‘family’

Don’t Forget Dad!

Posted: August 17, 2026 in Family
Tags: , , , , , ,
0

Hello everyone, this is my dad, Billy Edward Cornett, born March 15, 1944. He passed away in April 2001 and lived to be 57 years of age. From what I can recall, he lived with his mother, Lucia Rose Cornett in the family home that I remember from when I was maybe 6 years old, in Whitehall, Maryland. He lived in this house for about 28 years (since April 1998).

Just last week, I submitted a request for a copy of his birth certificate online through the Virginia Vital Records office. Easy process and it only costed me $15, cheaper than I thought it would be, to be honest. I am waiting to receive this document via snail mail. I’m kind of excited to see what kind of information I can glean from his birth certificate! Then just this morning, I found that I misplaced his death certificate, somehow. I had placed the copy of it in an Evernote app, in a note I created several years ago. So once I decided to no longer use the app, I emailed it to myself and must have accidentally deleted it. (YIKES!) So I had to try and remember the funeral name from the death certificate so I could request a new working copy, not certified but just a copy, at least for now.

I contacted the funeral home via their website, and I must say within less than 5 minutes I was contacted by phone, they searched and sent a copy to my personal email address. How’s that for customer service?? In a past post, I believe the title was “Who’s My Daddy”, I mentioned that my father was a brick wall of sorts. Since I am a child of parents who divorced when my sister and I were very young, we do not have very much information on him. Maybe a handful of memories, a couple of photographs, I want to know so much more!

I plan on trying to have a conversation with my mother this afternoon, after work to see if her memory will cooperate with us both. She has early signs of dementia starting, so there are a few questions I would like to ask to see if I can maybe learn where he went to school, when they met, what he did for work while they were dating…you know the early years kind of stuff! Based on his death certificate, I know he only had an 8th grade education and his occupation was listed as a carpenter, but that’s really all I know the details of, sadly. Why did he not graduate high school like my mother had? Did he have to quit school to help support the family? Did he just not like school? SO many questions that I hope to enlighten you all with, in a future post!

The reason I wrote this post, is sometimes dads get overlooked and they can be an important building block to your future research as you travel through the many avenues or traveling down the long, winding dirt roads of our ancestral roots.

HAPPY HUNTING! May your adventures lead you to thrilling discoveries and unforgettable experiences, whether you’re exploring the great outdoors, searching for hidden treasures, or simply embracing the joy of pursuit. Remember to take in the beauty around you and cherish each moment as you embark on this exciting journey filled with new opportunities and challenges along the way!

Family Reunion Hawaiian Style

Posted: September 9, 2012 in Family
Tags: , , , , , , , ,
0

White and Purple Flowers, taken on September 8, 2012, Hawaii
Photo Credit: Kelly Vial 2012

Yesterday I had the opportunity to be a part of my husbands family reunion here in Hawaii. It was a beautiful, but hot day with little breeze. As we entered, my husband signed us in and grabbed our name tags that stated what line we were descended from. There are about 11 different family lines that stemmed from one common ancestor. I took our trays of food to the outdoor kitchen where there were many hugs and kisses going around, and new introductions being made. I don’t think I’ve hugged and kissed that many people in one day EVER! You could definitely feel the close bond of a loving Ohana (family). We made our rounds saying aloha to the family sitting down at tables or sitting on benches underneath the palm trees. 

After speaking and saying hello to all the Ohana, I decided to take some photos of the boards on display of the Meyer genealogy tree! Huge! It was stretched out over 3 or 4 different display boards. Another 2 or 3 boards also displayed old family photos of generations past. One looked like a collage, and the others were more formal looking with  8×10 photos with the ancestors name below them. Very nice!

There was a straw hut I guess you could say, that had members of the Ohana giving out goodie bags to the keiki (children). The children’s games were all set up- putt putt golf, a pinata swinging from the tree above, and many others. Some of the older kids were tossing a football, the younger ones were chasing each other around trees, blowing bubbles, blowing their little plastic horns which sounded like a high pitched whistle. The band under the tents sounded wonderful, playing local style music and just seeing everyone so happy, dancing around, doing hula and just having some good ol’ fun was just one of the highlights of the day. 

Before enjoying the food that our Lord had blessed us with, we had Pule Ho’okuu (opening prayer).  There was an abundance of food brought to eight banquet tables, laden with all the food you could possibly envision. Anything from fried chicken and hot dogs to Pork Adobo and spinach salad with tofu (which was my favorite), potato mac salad, beef curry, pies and chantilly cake, doughnuts, mini muffins,  and brownies; you name it and it was there. 

After the potluck lunch, there was a presentation given on the history of George Kahelelani Meyer, our common ancestor. Group introductions of the descendants by lineage were then asked to go on stage in front of everyone. Everyone snapping pictures of each generation and one person to speak and say how they were descended from this one man. After all eleven different family lines had their turn on the stage, we all gathered around in the biggest circle I ever seen, holding hands with one another while everyone sang “Hawaii Aloha” which was written by Reverend Lorenzo Lyons. This concluded all ceremonies of the day, but this didn’t stop me from playing with the keiki’s, chasing one little girl around trees, blowing bubbles with a 3 year old cutey and passing a football to one of the other boys. Mind you, I don’t have a football arm! But it was all in good fun and I had the best anniversary day with my husband and his extended family, that I truly enjoyed being a part of! 

Before we left for the day, my husbands grandmother, Evelyn was acknowledged by the entire Ohana as being the oldest living descendant of George Kahelelani Meyer. She had a beautiful framed picture box type of photo frame, where on display at the top, were two crossed bats that was an emblem of sorts and had a group photo of her grandfather as a member of the local baseball team. What an honor for her! Love you grams <3! 

Hawaii Aloha Song Lyrics by Reverend Lorenzo Lyons

Mystery Monday ~ Who, What, When, Where?

Posted: August 20, 2012 in Ancestry, cornett, Family, Genealogy, research
Tags: , , , , , ,
0
“Hawaiian Jasmine”
Photo Credit: Kelly Vial via kellyvial.wordpress.com
Photo Taken: July 2012, in Honolulu, Hawaii

Hope everyone had a wonderful, blessed weekend! I spent my Saturday, cooking and creating in my kitchen and my Sunday was spent at Ala Moana Beach Park near Magic Island. I went to a baby shower for a dear friend and it was a smashing success! Plenty of games, good food, playing and watching the keiki’s have fun in the sun. There’s nothing better than getting together with your family and friends and welcoming another new life into this crazy world. The sun  was hot yesterday and it was really refreshing to enjoy the cool,  salty water with everyone. It was an unconventional baby shower where men were included in this awesome celebration. It was all great fun 🙂

Speaking of family, who were they really? My quest is to learn more about who my Cornett family really is. It’s more than the genealogy aspect, it’s about the history of my family and getting to know them on a more personal level even though they are long gone. Sometimes I think I should have been born in this era, back in the 1800’s. What life must have been like for them. The trials and tribulations they must have endured in order to survive. Once you start your own family history research, you find that you need to dig just a little deeper because you just haven’t found that clue yet. It may be in the next shovel of dirt you are digging with. You bend over and scoop up a handful of rich soil, while it slowly sifts through your fingers. Looking, searching, and hoping that the next clue will one day be right there in your hands.

What kind of people do you come from? Were they from another country other than the U.S.? Why did they choose Grayson County, Virginia or even Kentucky in which they decided to settle? What were their thoughts regarding the land they would be living on? Was it fertile land, great for farming and cattle? What did they hunt for food? Deer? Did they come across Native Americans? What did they eat back then? So many questions and I will probably never know all of it, but the thrill of the hunt keeps me going!

When my family settled in Grayson, Virginia and also in Kentucky, why did these particular areas appeal to them so much over other areas? I can only imagine that this land in which they decided to live and start a family on, was rough and rugged. Can you imagine having to clear land and trees in order to build your home? Today we have heavy machinery to do this for us, so you can guess how much hard work, tears and sweat they must have poured into their lives, their land and their homesteads. I guess the good thing about that, is the ability to use the lumber in which they had to clear,  using the wood as a log home or cabin.

Where did the Cornett family originate from? From some web sites I have read, it mentions that the Cornett surname was Norse or of French origin. Does anyone really know? The Cornett family married into one family with the last name of Sutherland, where some of the Sutherland’s back in the mid 1700’s originated from Scotland. But what about the Cornett’s? Where do the really come from?

There are so many things to discover in your family tree. The who, what, when, and where of your history will only add depth to your knowledge of your ancestors that came before you.

What will you discover?

Happy Ancestor Hunting!! 🙂

Family History Fun Times

Posted: August 4, 2012 in activities
Tags: , , , , , , ,
0
A Plumeria Gathering
Photo Credit: Kelly Vial 2012

I lost my motivation today to research family members, so I decided to write about some fun stuff for genealogists and family historians. I had to get away for the day, as I am sure most of you understand where I am coming from. Sometimes a girl just needs a break, if just to get away from it all and focus on the fun stuff! I’m not saying genealogy isn’t fun, but I just wanted to focus my energies on something a little different today.

There are so many ideas out there for the family historian, don’t you think it’s time to have a game night with your children? Dedicate one day a week, maybe even tonight, to a game night that focuses on your ancestry. You could create a word search puzzle with surnames or events that happened during that time in your ancestors life. Word searches aren’t your cup of tea? How about Ancestor Trivia? I always loved playing Trivial Pursuit with my family and learned so much and gave a lot of wrong answers to be honest. But it was fun! You could create question and answer cards in which each player has a turn asking a question about all the ancestors in your family tree. What better way than to get the children involved and maybe even spur their interest in their family’s history?

Maybe you and your family are more on the creative side, what can you think of that you could do in terms of your own family tree? You could create a collage, paint pictures, or create Christmas bulbs in which to include on your tree this year! Wouldn’t it be nice to include your ancestors of the past into your holiday celebrations? You and your children could paint a family members name and birth date on the ornament, add glitter, bows, or whatever you like to make that ornament special to that particular person. It’s a great way to get the whole family involved and they might even like it 🙂

Here are some other ideas you might like:

  • Scavenger Hunt
  • Create a Time Capsule (but in reverse)
  • Make Picture Magnets
  • Create a Tombstone Rubbing
  • Tour a Cemetery

Here are a couple of good sites I found that may give you some other ideas:

http://amberskyline.com/treasuremaps/

https://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/Family_History_Activities_for_Youth

http://simplekids.net/family-history-activities/

http://www.kidsturncentral.com/links/genealogylinks.htm

 

 

 

 

Follow Friday ~ The In-Depth Genealogist

Posted: August 2, 2012 in Follow Friday
Tags: , , , , ,
4

Dollar wet ground

Dollar wet ground (Photo credit: ceoln)

As I was catching up on some reading in the genealogy blogosphere, I came across an awesome article that was also a fun read. The In-Depth Genealogist blog site had an article that caught my attention and shed some light on the census records that we all use as genealogists, but just may have overlooked a certain part of the form. The article was titled, “Fun With Land and Property” by Michelle Goodrum.

In this article, she talks about the column with the dollar amounts listed under your ancestor’s real estate or personal property by utilizing an inflation calculator to determine what the value was, but in today’s dollar! I remember seeing this column on one of my own ancestors but didn’t give it much thought. Now I want to go back and check all my census records I have and use this inflation calculator to determine their wealth or lack there of. I never even thought to use this calculator but this could be of great use to the family historian and a wonderful tool.

What a great way to find out just a little bit more about your ancestry. It would give me better insight into how they lived, the value of their land, home, or personal belongings. Maybe they owned a farm, this would hopefully tell me what that property value was worth, say back in the year 1900. Comparing that value with today’s dollar amount, I could probably figure out more about their standing in the community, their lifestyle and even what their cost of living may have been during those times. It’s a wonderful approach to a side of genealogy research that I hadn’t previously thought of before. But in regards to their economic standing and the value of our dollar today, given our economic recession, I would have to take that into consideration as well. Here is the link to the article I read: http://www.theindepthgenealogist.com/?p=2158

Below are a couple of links to different inflation calculators where you can try the one you like best. Compare it to your census records and find out all you can about your ancestors! This is just the tip of the iceberg! Maybe now we can figure out what those numbers really mean!!

http://www.westegg.com/inflation/

http://www.davemanuel.com/inflation-calculator.php

http://www.measuringworth.com/uscompare/

Motivation Monday ~ On The Hunt

Posted: July 29, 2012 in Ancestry, Family, Genealogy, research
Tags: , , , , , ,
1

brick wall

brick wall (Photo credit: Muffet)

Most days, I stay motivated by working with other family researchers, who just so happen to be my own family! Family I never knew I had until recently. They have become my rock so to speak. They know what hard work it can be to try and track down our ancestors. The thirst for knowledge we have about our family’s past. The ache of not knowing where one family members’ life may take us. It could be down an old, beaten path or it could be down a road less traveled. So much so that we have to cut our way through and make the path passable. At the end of the day, a genealogist or family historian still has names, dates, agendas, to-do lists, research plans and logs, documents to find, dusty attics to search through– all this and much more goes running through our minds at any given time. Most of the time I suffer from insomnia and find myself wide awake at different hours of the night, or should I say early morning? It seems like my best writing ideas comes to me at 3 a.m.! I guess it’s my quiet time with no interruptions or anything else that would distract my thought process. It’s just me, my cup of coffee which is flavored with my favorite hazelnut creamer, my laptop, and my thoughts!

I have even found myself dreaming of what I needed to do regarding my genealogy research. I recently had a dream of ancestors and antique shops, where I found something from the 1700’s that had their name and date of birth written on it. It was a simple Christmas ornament, but the shop keeper wanted an arm and a leg for it and it was way out of my price range. ($7500 to be exact) What do you think triggered this dream? It had to be the email I sent to this antique shop in Virginia just a few days ago! If I were to interpret the dream, I would say that I am feeling out of touch, feeling that my ancestors are just out of my reach. So close but yet so far! I can dream up some really strange dreams, but this one I actually remembered in vivid detail for some odd reason.

Today, I feel like I need more motivation to keep up with all the block walls that I seem to be running into blindly. If you can just picture this: a woman running along a winding road, the wind blowing through her hair and the sun shining down on her. All of a sudden she collides into a brick and mortar wall, her face slamming right into it, as it just appeared out of nowhere. She’s stunned. She looks around to see if anyone saw her. Oh, how embarrassed she would be! Mortified to say the least 🙂

In my most recent search for my fathers documents, I didn’t know the city or county he was born in until Sunday afternoon. I received an email from my aunt, telling me that my father was born in Wythe County, Crockett, Virginia. He wasn’t born in a hospital, but born at home. Even though all that is good to know, I need concrete evidence so I am able to move further back into my family tree, nourishing those roots with some good old TLC and begin my thorough research on my grandfather. One of my goals is to become a member of the DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution) through one of my patriot family members. But to do this, I need all the documents that I can get my hands on. With any luck, I will accomplish this goal! For those of you who don’t know me personally, I am determined, strong willed and stubborn like my father. I admit I am sometimes too patient but at the same time, I can also have a mean temper. Just ask my husband he’ll tell you what it’s like! 🙂

 

Family History Interviews

Posted: July 24, 2012 in research
Tags: , , , ,
0
Photo Credit: Kelly Cornett-Vial via kellyvial.wordpress.com (June 2012)

How do you plan on getting clues about your family’s history? What would you like to know? How about interviewing a family member? By asking the right questions, you may just get a lot more information than your originally thought. Getting people to share their stories isn’t the easiest thing to do but in reality, it needs to be done. What would happen if you procrastinated getting your questions together? Your relative may die with those memories and then you would never know. It would be lost forever!

Think about the questions you would ask them if you were ever given the chance. Do you live too far away to do a one on one, personal interview? That isn’t always a bad thing as you can always create a list of questions for your relatives to answer by email, a phone conversation, or even snail mail. With all the social networking that is done by men and women of all ages, there is no reason for you to delay contacting them. Another idea would be to create a “note” in Facebook, list all of your questions and share it! Why not? It’s worth a shot!

If you do have the chance to interview one on one, be prepared to have a notepad and several pens. If you plan on recording the interview, which I would advise, I would have a voice recorder, extra tapes and also extra batteries. Give yourself at least two hours in which to complete the interview.

Below are some questions I will be asking my relatives by the time the day is out. I am currently in the process of creating this interview in a Word document and I will copy and paste the text in an email for those members that do not have the program. There is always the option of a PDF document too! There are so many questions I have to ask, and I think this is the perfect way to get those questions answered.

Questions You Could Ask

Before you get started, write or record the name of the person being interviewed, who interviewed the person (you), the date, time and location of said interview. Try not to ask questions that will give you a simple yes or no. That doesn’t really get you anywhere. Try and think of open ended questions you might ask to give you more details in which you can work with. Good luck!

  •  What is your full name? Why did your parents select this name for you? Did you have any nicknames growing up? When and where were you born?
  •  How did you and your family come to live where you are? Is there a reason behind why they chose this town over another city or county?
  •  What are your parent’s names? Do you know when they were born and where?
  • What were your (4)grandparents names, birth dates, wedding dates, death dates, and place of burial?
  • What were your (8) great grandparents names , birth dates, wedding dates, death dates and place of burial?Did any of your grandparents ever mention if they emigrated from another country? If so, where did they come from?
  •  Are any family members war veterans? If so, what war and in what year? Do you have any documents showing their terms of service?
  •  Do you have other family that lives in this area? Who were (are) they?
  •  Did your family have a house or a farm? What was that like?
  •  Can you describe the house or property in which you grew up?
  •  Were there any special items in the house that you remember?
  •  What is your earliest childhood memory? Any siblings? If so, what are their names?
  •  What was your family like? Did they have different personalities? What were their personality traits?
  •  What was your favorite thing to do as a child? Did you have a favorite toy or game? What was it?
  •  What school did you go to as a child? What was it like? Did you excel in a particular subject?
  •  Did you ever participate in school clubs or activities? If so, what were they?
  •  Were you ever mentioned in a newspaper article? If so, what was it about? Which newspaper?
  •  What was your family life like?
  •  What Church did you and your family go to?
  •  Who did you look up to as a child?
  •  What was your favorite color? Is it the same one that is your favorite, today?
  •  Did you ever own any pets or farm animals that you considered a pet? What were their names?
  •  Do you have any old pictures that you would be willing to share? Who are they of?
  •  What types of events took place while you were growing up? Did you grow up in a recession or experience the affects  of war?
  •  What family traditions did your family have? What were holidays such as Christmas, like for you as a child?
  • What family heirlooms do you own?

 

These types of questions should get you started and you can alter or delete the ones you don’t think you would need to ask. You can also add more than the above questions I listed to better suit your needs. I hope this article helps you in some way. Now I have to get started writing my own!

 

 

 

Adventure Into Your Ancestry

Posted: June 23, 2012 in Ancestry, Uncategorized
Tags: , , , , ,
4

Tree - leaf canopy

Tree – leaf canopy (Photo credit: blmiers2)

A little over a year ago, I became intensely involved with finding out who my family really was, what natural or historical events may have shaped their lives, and even with any amount of luck, I would be able to put a face to those names and dates! When researching I found out a few things, the most important thing being that just because you see it on the internet or in print form doesn’t necessarily make it a fact! I started out with the basic version of Ancestry.com and from here I searched for my Cornett family just to see what information was hiding out inside this site. Granted, there are photos and documents such as BMD records, public and private member trees, stories that members have shared in their trees, census records, immigration and emigration records and so on. What got me into trouble with my tree was linking my current tree to someone else’s data that they had in theirs. Big mistake! HUGE! Not only was there some incorrect data as far as the person’s name but some dates were incorrect too. By the time I realized the error in my ways, I had at least a thousand family members in my descendants’ tree and I had no clue that maybe someone could have made an error. I uploaded a GEDCOM file, which wasn’t created by me, but someone else in the family line and in this file there were tons of errors. This created the biggest family tree on Ancestry that I become sort of lost. Who were these people?

Some of the errors I was at fault for, by presuming these facts to be true in nature, I came to realize that the “research” I thought I was doing, really wasn’t anything but sloppy research on my part. So what do I do now? Delete everything and start over with what I do know as fact! I started with my father, who passed away in 2001, and contacted the mausoleum to obtain his death certificate. Okay, so I’m getting on the right track now; I’m documenting every little piece of information or document I can get my hands on and being that I am his next of kin, I was able to obtain a copy. There was so much more information on this little piece of paper than I had originally thought there would be. I found out the exact time of his death, the facility where he was pronounced dead, his social security number, who his parents were (of course this I already knew), I also found out that he died from congestive heart failure. So having these types of documents further feeds my passion for wanting to know more.

I have talked to family about my passion for genealogy, and they have offered to help me in any way they can, if it is at all possible. I really appreciate all they have done thus far. What next steps do I take? Well, for me, I started to write a blog, originally with BlogSpot, but after a year using the site, I feel that WordPress is offering so much more as far as my writing, which I love to do, and also my desire to connect with others that share my interest in family history. So, with that said, since talking to older family members about what I was doing, I was really overlooking the younger generation. Why not involve them too? Get them interested in who their family really was, what trials and tribulations they may have gone through to get us where we are today. I consider my contributions to this research as a glance into our past. Passing our family legacy onto the younger members of the family. I truly wish I had been this interested 20 years ago!

Researching my families past, who they were, where they lived, who died from what ailment, or even how many children they had, gives me a better idea of what their lives were like. I know some think that what is in the past should stay in the past, but I find this to be a very fulfilling adventure! I like to dig; I like to investigate further so I can paint a picture of who my family was all those years ago. Family stories passed down from generation to generation says that we, the Cornett family, were descended from King Canute, but I haven’t been able to track back that far to say whether this is actually true or not. Yes, we might be, but then again maybe we really aren’t. Another story is that a family member married into the Hatfield family, you know the Hatfield’s and the McCoy’s? The History Channel recently aired their family story and the families well known for their feuding counterparts. I know a member of our family married a Mary Hatfield who was born in 1777, but is it the same one from this notorious family? Or another Mary Hatfield belonging to a different Hatfield generation? Could there be any relation? I hope to one day find out!

This is why I think researching your family’s ancestry is such an adventure! We won’t ever know if we are part of families such as this, unless we investigate and dig deep into our roots. After all, the roots are what keep a family tree standing! I wish you all the luck in finding your past and hearing about your findings as well!

Treasure Chest Thursday ~ James H. Curnutt Petition

Posted: June 20, 2012 in Ancestry
Tags: , , , , ,
1

Treasure chest and moss terrarium

Treasure chest and moss terrarium (Photo credit: elias_daniel)

As I open my little treasure box today, what do you think I will find? Let’s open it up and see what treasure awaits me! As the lid opens on the old, wooden box, it creaks open eerily, I look inside and am astonished by what lays before me. My hazel eyes are as big and round as the golden doubloons inside and worth more to me than I ever imagined. I am in awe of the beauty that lays before me. More than the doubloons worth, more than the shiny baubles winking at me with its’ rainbow prism of colors. I see something. But wait. Do I dare? Tempting me to touch, but I don’t. Instead I delicately pick up an old, printed document. Carefully looking at the text and just skimming the pages.. Why it looks like the petition I was seeking not so long ago! I am still on the hunt for the judge’s final decision, but this is a great start!


Many thanks to fellow researcher, Doris, for all the legwork and emails sent to connect the Cornett family with this document. 













Until We Meet Again

Posted: June 20, 2012 in Uncategorized
Tags: , , , , , ,
3

Dad in October 1970 Is it possible for someone to grieve over the loss of someone they have loved their entire life? My sister Amy and I can attest that this is true, even after 11 years since our fathers’ death in 2001. Some may ask why we are so interested in our dad after all this time, but in truth, we have always wanted to know him, to talk to him, to put our arms around his neck and just say, “Daddy, I love you and always will.” When our parents divorced I was only six years old and my sister was only eighteen months. We never had the chance to know our dad like so many daughters have the chance to do in their lives. As children growing up we were told lies. Lies that forever changed our lives. We were told that our dad didn’t love us or he would want to be with us. To grow up thinking this all your life, is very traumatic for a child at any age. It changed the way we thought, the way we showed our emotions, and the way we showed our love to those around us. For me personally, it hardened my heart in a way that I cannot explain. 


Just recently I found out from my sister that dad did try to visit us but was told that he wasn’t welcome there and he was forced to leave. (I think my mom was at work at the time, so if you are thinking it was her that told him to leave, you can just get that idea out of your head. She was shocked when I told her this new information. She had no idea that my dad and uncle Stewart had driven from Maryland to Florida to come see us, and only to be told to go back home.) So he left. I never seen him again since that day, even though I didn’t know it was him standing on the front porch trying to look in. I believe he just wanted to see our faces just one time before he was forced to go. In the back of my mind, I knew someone had come to visit, but I didn’t realize it was our dad. He was coming to see us! We never knew until decades later. Sometimes, and I speak for my sister Amy when I say this, “What would our life be like right now if only we were given the chance to truly know him?” I can only say that we wish things had turned out differently. To turn back the clock is an understatement. I would love to just start over, knowing what I know now, I think our relationship with our dad would have been quite different. It could have blossomed into something really special between us and our Cornett family.


Before dad’s funeral our Aunt Evelyn called my sister, Amy, and told her she needed to come see dad because he wasn’t doing well and should come to his bedside before he passed away. I wasn’t able to go because I didn’t have the money for plane fare, and I had no one I could ask for money except my husband at the time. Needless to say, I was told we didn’t have the money. The one thing I asked for I couldn’t have, which hurt me even more. I wanted to see my dad desperately but I couldn’t. I felt trapped. I felt cheated. All I can remember is breaking down in tears and running back to my lonely bedroom and just thinking that this could have been the last moment I would ever get to spend with my dad. I don’t know how long I cried, I just remember that I looked horrible with red, puffy eyes and a shiny,red nose that I probably could have passed for Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer’s twin! I am glad my sister was able to pay her last respects even though I couldn’t be there with her. 


The following is my sisters story, painted by her for me so that I could envision what it was like to be in her shoes while she visited with our Cornett family in Maryland and what the funeral service was like. 


Amy’s Story


 Amy With Lucia 2001
Amy With Grandma, Lucia Rose Cornett

I remember Aunt Evelyn calling me one afternoon, saying dad was in the hospital and he was not doing good at all. She said if I wanted to see him I should make it up there really soon. I was able to get a flight out, but a little too late as dad passed away the night before my flight. I got on my flight anyway; I just wanted to see him at least once. My flight landed in Baltimore, Maryland where Uncle Kyle and Aunt Evelyn were waiting for me. They held up a sign that said “Cornett” so I would know who they were. They seen me in pictures through the years, but had no idea what I looked like now, I was 21 or 22.


We left from the airport to Lucia’s small but welcoming home and we were supposed to go to a funeral viewing of a lady, named Edith Cox. At first I wasn’t exactly sure how we were related ( I figured we must be from Scotland or the lady from there because when we went to her funeral there were men dressed in Tartan plaid kilts and playing “Amazing Grace” on bagpipes.) It turned out that Edith Cox was my grandfather, Walter Allen Cornett Sr.’s sister.The men playing bagpipes was pretty neat to see in person. Not everyone can say that they went to a funeral where there was bagpipes playing. What a cultural treat even though it was for a sad occasion. Kyle and Evelyn waited for me in the car while I changed my clothes. I came out of Lucia’s house with my shoes in hand because I was trying to hurry, when I got in the car Evelyn said ” We sure can tell your Bill’s daughter, because he would always walk around barefoot too”. I went to the viewing where I met some of the family for the first time ever in my life. Everyone acted very excited to finally meet me and some I think were even surprised to see me and asked which daughter I was, Kelly or Amy?

I stayed with Kyle and Evelyn the few days I was there, they lived in Westminster,Maryland. They drove me around and showed me the hospital where I was born, the house we used to live in and where mom used to work. I also seen Amish people too which was kinda neat. Pennsylvania is really beautiful and I thought to myself that I wouldn’t mind living there. 

I dreaded the day of dad’s funeral because I would be seeing him for the first time but definitely not the way I wanted. When we got there I planned on sitting in the back of the Church, the preacher introduced himself to me and told me to sit in the front row next to Grandma Lucia. Everyone who came payed their respects, he had an open coffin and he was wearing a shirt and light blue denim jeans, which he was always known to wear, he looked exactly like in the pictures he sent to me.  There was a little girl standing next to me, she was around 7 years old I think. She asked me if I was Uncle Bill’s daughter and I said yes and told her my name was Amy. She said dad was her favorite uncle, she had a stuffed frog which dad had given her and she put it on dad’s chest and she said she wanted him to have it. We all sat down and the funeral service started. The preacher mentioned both our names at the funeral. I was so upset that day that I ended up running out of the service, crying. Uncle Greg followed me out and asked if I was okay and tried to console me the best he knew how.

After the ceremony, all the family gathered at Lucia’s house for dinner. They had foods like macaroni and cheese, pasta salad, dinner rolls but I can’t really remember what else we ate that day. Lucia, Martha, Evelyn, Sue and I sat at the table and they shared stories with me. They told me that he loved baseball and he watched it all the time; I think they said his favorite player was Cal Ripkin. They also shared stories about his epilepsy. 

The night of dad’s funeral we (me, Kyle and Evelyn) spend the night at Lucia’s house. I think it was because they didn’t want to leave Lucia alone; we stayed up late talking about dad and they were telling me what he was like and that he thought of me and Kelly every day and was always talking about us. He would check the mailbox every day, excited when he got another letter from us in the mail. They explained how he came to have epilepsy, that there was an auto accident he was in when he was 18 years old, the car overturned and he hit his head. He had epilepsy ever since that accident; he was also on anti-seizure medication but still had seizures pretty much everyday. They would try to hold him down when he would have a seizure so he wouldn’t hurt himself, but he was just too strong. We talked for a long time, for hours it seemed, about dad, about my life and they asked about Kelly and what she was doing now. They asked about mom too. They told me they really loved mom and they were sad when they split up so many years ago.


That night Lucia told me I could sleep in dad’s room, so I did. When I went into the room I just looked around, I guess it was just so I could see if any of his belongings would tell me a little more about him. He had a simple room, a twin bed and a dresser with a mirror. On the dresser he had photos of me and Kelly and our children, ones that we sent him throughout the years. There was about four pictures altogether set in photo frames. I remember he had a small box of baseball cards that he had apparently collected. I lay in his bed for the longest time that night but I just couldn’t fall asleep. When I finally did sleep, I was awakened by someone touching my shoulder and whispering my name, but when I looked around I saw no one was there. I know this probably sounds really weird but I thought it was dad, you know like his spirit or something there to tell me he loved me and he knew I was there. 

I left on my flight that morning, Kyle and Evelyn took pictures of me and Lucia and everyone that was there. Kelly, I’m pretty sure you know from doing your research we have a pretty big family on the Cornett side. Thee family kept telling me ” I bet you didn’t know you had such a big family”. When I met everyone they remembered me, but for me It was like meeting them for the first time because I was so young I was only a year and a half when mom and dad split up. I had no memories of anyone, not even the one person that I would love to have at least one fond memory of. We all said our goodbye’s and the family welcomed me to come back anytime.

This was really hard for me to write, I think I cried most of the way through it. I just wish things could have been different; I wish I could have met him. I would have been happy with at least meeting him one time, just so I could say I knew my father. I’m sure he remembered me but I don’t have any memories of him at all. The only memory that I can fall back on is seeing him laying in that coffin and wishing I would have gotten there sooner. I wish we could just turn back the clocks and go back but I know that’s impossible. He left this world too quickly and way before his time, but I know he is in a better place now. Up in heaven with God and in no more pain. I just hope somehow that he knew that I was there, that I did try to be there for him even though it was too late. I love him even though we never met really, and I will think of him everyday for the rest of my life. I love you Daddy! 

Not only was my sister’s story hard to read without tears flowing freely, but it was also hard for me to write it. I appreciate the effort she has gone through to share this memory with me. I believe that we have grieved our fathers absence from our lives for so many years. We still grieve to this day. We will probably always grieve for our daddy but as the days pass, the pain hasn’t diminished at all for either of us. For me, knowing that I never had any closure with him makes it that much more difficult to talk about without crying like a baby. I wanted to tell him that I know he loved us and my sister and I share that same love in return. I hope he knows this, looking down on us from heaven above. I wish I could turn back time too, but I also realize that it impossible to do. One day we will be with our dad again and  be united as a family once more. 


Until we meet again….

 















A Mother’s Memoir ~ A Daughter’s Treasure

Posted: June 18, 2012 in Ancestry, childhood diary, discovering family, relatives
Tags: , , , , , , , ,
0

Orange and violet pansies

Orange and violet pansies (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I have decided to start a little genealogy project by interviewing my mother to learn more about her life when she was younger, how she grew up and what her life was like in those times. Even though she is my best friend in the whole wide world, there are still some things about her that I don’t know and have never bothered to ask about. I will start with the formalities and things I do know and then continue on from there. This should be fun!

If given the chance, what family member would you interview and why?


Me: What is your given name?


Mom: Carolyn Ann


Me: What are your parents’ names?


Mom: My fathers name was Claude Flemon Dodson, he was born in October of 1903 and he died in 1987. My mother was Dora Younas Worley-Dodson. Worley was her maiden name. My mom was born on April 20, 1907 and she died on December 11, 1990. It was a day before your cousins birthday and right before you gave birth to your first son, John.


Me: Do you know why your parents named you?


Mom: They named me because my brother, Otis liked the name. He was killed in a head on car collision when I was three years old.


Me: Did you have a nickname?


Mom: No. But when you were born your grandmother, Lucia, called you “Little Carolyn”.


Me: When and where were you born?


Mom: I was born in Belair, Maryland


Me: Where did you grow up?


Mom: Phoenix, Maryland


Me: Do you remember the house in which you grew up in? Can you describe it to the best of your recollection?


Mom: Yes, I remember it. It was a 2 story red house with a basement but the outside had red shingles on the walls. It had an L-shaped porch and when they remodeled the house and built an extra room they added the porch. There was a basement that had 3 rooms for storage; there was a washing machine down there. On the first floor, there was a living room, den, big kitchen, two bathrooms and a bedroom. One of the bathrooms was originally a closet. On the second floor, there was three bedrooms and a hallway that led to the attic. There were two other rooms in the attic and another storage area that we kept all of our Christmas stuff in. It was just big enough that you could walk through.


Me: What is your earliest childhood memory?


Mom: Umm…let’s see! Learning to swim and I was a Brownie in the Girl Scouts. I also remember going to Bible School. We never missed a Sunday at church because my mom would never let us miss a Sunday service. We had to go to church no matter what.


Me: What kind of games did you play growing up?


Mom: Hopscotch, jacks, jump rope, hide and seek.


Me: Did you have a favorite toy? Why was it your favorite?


Mom: Yes! I had a Tiny Tears doll. The very first one. Because I could dress it up and feed it. If you fed it water then it would pee.


Me: (Laughing)


Me: What did you like to do for fun when you were little?


Mom: Ride our bikes and go sleigh riding in the winter time.


Me: Did you like to read?


Mom: Yes, I read all kinds of books.


Me: Favorite color?


Mom: Yellow


Me: Favorite flower?


Mom: Hibiscus, Roses, and Pansies


Me: I thought your favorite was the daisy, because that was in your wedding bouquet!


Me: What was your favorite book as a child?


Mom: The Three Little Puppies. I liked Cinderella, Bambi, Donald Duck. I liked a lot of different stories and read many different ones.


Me: Did you have to do any chores when you were younger? What were they?


Mom: Milk cows, feed chickens, clean the barn, pull weeds and pick vegetables out of the garden. I washed clothes and hung them on the clothesline. Had to iron them too.There’s a lot of stuff we did!


Me: Did you have a least favorite?


Mom: Pulling weeds.


Me: What was school like for you growing up?


Mom: I used to cry in first grade when I went to school until I got used to it.


Me: Didn’t you go to Kindergarten?


Mom: No, there wasn’t a kindergarten back then.


Me: Oh! That’s interesting.


Me: What was the name of your elementary school?


Mom: Carroll Manor. That was my elementary then I went to Ridgley Middle School and I ended up graduating from Towson High School.


Me: What year did you graduate?


Mom: 1964


Me: What was your favorite school subject?


Mom: Reading

Me: I should have known that answer! Because you are always reading on your Kindle app on your iPhone!


Me: Do you remember any fads or fashions that were in style when you were in high school?


Mom: Oh! Hold on! I have to get my laundry!


(Intermission of sorts while mom gets her laundry in the dryer! Hahaha)


Mom: I used to wear skirts, blouses and dresses. Poodle skirts were the big thing then. We wore skirts with a belt that tied in the back.


Me: What kind of clothing did you wear to elementary school?


Mom: My mom used to make our dresses from feed sacks and there was a lot of print, no solid colors.


Me: What kind of music did you listen to? Who was your favorite artist?


Mom: Rock and Pop music of the 60’s. Dionne Warwick and the Supremes and Frankie Avalon.


Me: Did you go to prom? Who did you go with?


Mom: Yes, I went with my neighbors son, Glen. He asked me and he had a crush on me back then.


Me: What did your dress look like?


Mom: It had a flower print that came down past my knees. I looked glamorous in that dress!


Me: Did you have any pets?


Mom: Yeah I had a rooster for a pet but he didn’t have a name because I never named him. I had a Cocker Spaniel named Trixie, a Boxer named Mack, and another dog named Freckles.


Me: Those are cute names I like the name Freckles.


Me: What was your first car?


Mom: A 1963 Cadillac that I received when I graduated high school.


Me: What was a typical family dinner like?


Mom: Everybody ate together as a family. Not like today where families eat at different times.


Me: What was your favorite food back then?


Mom: Ham, green beans, and potatoes.


Me: Green beans? Yuck!


Me: Any Christmas traditions in the family?


Mom: Every year on Christmas Eve, we went to the Christmas church service. Me and my brothers and sister would decorate the tree and sometimes my mom would help. I remember getting up on Christmas day and the presents would be under the tree and there was so many presents that it seemed like they were everywhere in the living room.


Me: How many brothers and sisters do you have?


Mom: I had 3 brothers and 4 sisters. I had two brothers and one sister that died in a car accident. One of my brothers was married and his wife died in the accident too.


Me: What were their names?


Mom: Exie, Otis, and Clara. I was only three years old so I don’t remember if Clara was my sister’s name or if she was the wife of Otis.


Me: What was the full name of your husband?


Mom: Billy Edward Cornett, he was born March of 1944.


Me: How did you meet dad? What year did you meet?


Mom: When I was bowling. I used to belong to a bowling league. We met in 1971. I used to have plenty of trophies from bowling. Me and your dad were on the same bowling team and we both had trophies.


Me: Wow! That wasn’t a very long courtship then since i was born the year after!


Mom: No we were hanky pankyin!


Me: Oh my! I don’t need to know the details. Hahaha


Me: How did dad propose marriage to you?


Mom: He asked me in a car, we were parked on the side of the road across from his house in White Hall, Maryland. We were just talking normally when he popped the question.


Me: Did he look nervous like most men do, when he proposed to you?


Mom: Yeah he looked nervous because he didn’t know what I would say, I guess.


Me: When and where were you married?


Mom: St. John’s Lutheran Church in Sweetair , Maryland on April 24, 1971


Me: Was it a morning or afternoon wedding?


Mom: I think it was about 2 o’clock in the afternoon. After the ceremony we had the reception down stairs in the church hall.


Me: Did you have a honeymoon?


Mom: No.


Me: Why didn’t you have one?


Mom: We couldn’t afford it at the time.


Me: Was dad a romantic kind of guy?


Mom: Not really.


Me: What memory is your most favorite about your wedding day?


Mom: Walking down the aisle


Me: Did he cry when he seen you walking down the aisle towards him?


Mom: No. We were both very nervous. But after the ceremony, everyone got together and we cut the cake.


Me: So you guys had that deer in the headlights look on your faces?


Mom: Kelly, you’re funny….


Me: Wedding gifts?


Mom: I had a wedding shower at his moms (Lucia’s) house and we opened the gifts then. I should have pictures somewhere.


Me: Do you remember what some of your gifts were?


Mom: Vacuum cleaner, towels, dishes, and we were given a money tree but I don’t remember how much it was. That was a long time ago!


Me: Does that mean I’m old?! Gee thanks mom!


Mom: Don’t give me that look either! (laughing)


Me: How would you describe dad? What did you admire most about him?


Mom: Quiet and shy. I liked his personality and he always had someone laughing. He liked to joke around quite a bit.


Me: How did you find out you were pregnant for the first time?


Mom: I was nauseous and I had bad morning sickness.


Me: Were you and dad happy about it?


Mom: yes


Me: You’re not just saying that? Because that was me in that belly of yours!


Mom: No!


(Both of us are smiling)


Me: How did you come up with my name when you named me?


Mom: Sue, your dads sister, liked the name and was going to name her baby Kelly. We were pregnant at the same time and she ended up having a baby boy, so she chose another name for her son. So I decided to take that name. But if you were a boy, you would have been named Daniel Eugene.


Me: I’m so glad I am a girl!


Me: How did you choose my sisters name?


Mom: I just liked that name. Because you had my middle name, Ann, and when I named Amy I wanted her to have part of my first name of Carolyn and used that for her middle name for Lynn. That’s how I did it 🙂


Me: Last question. What is one thing that you would want people to remember about you and your life?


Mom: Kelly Ann! I am dependable, like to help people, and a very lovable person. I don’t know, I didn’t think you would give me such a hard question.










Sentimental Sunday ~ A Daughter’s Love…

Posted: June 17, 2012 in Uncategorized
Tags: , , , , , , ,
1

Look at Earth from the Heaven

Look at Earth from the Heaven (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Dear Daddy,

I miss you so very much. As each Father’s Day passes, I miss you even more. I know you are looking down on me from Heaven above, and I hope that I am a daughter that you are very proud of. I look through your photos quite frequently and have even started a web blog about our wonderful family.
I wish I had the chance to start over, I would do so many things differently. 
  Even though my life is a happy one, I still wish that you were here with me right now. If just to fill that empty space in my heart where only a daddy’s love will forever remain. You may be gone from this earth, but you are always thought of and loved by so many.
  I have heard a few stories about you and what you were like from other family members, but I wish those memories were forever mine. Do we share common interests? Do I smile like you? Do we have similar facial expressions depending on whatever mood we happen to be in? I don’t know these things. I have so many lost memories that a father and daughter should have been able to share. Milestones aplenty. You became an angel before your time. Before I ever had a chance to know you for who you really are. Before I ever had the chance to say good-bye. Letters and photos and sometimes gifts, don’t account for all the father and daughter times that we have missed.
  I realize that God has selected you to be with Him, to stand by Him, but there are times when I need you to be here with me too! I know your days here on earth were few, now you’re in Heaven starting your eternal life anew. So many years have passed since I last seen your face, one day though I will see you again, by God’s grace.
  If I were granted just one wish, I would wish to see you again even if it was only in my dreams. To be able to talk to you, hug you, and tell you that I love you, this would be my forever wish! There are so many things I would like to say, but what I want you to know is this:  For every moment when I think of you, I think of the times I could have spent with you. You’re right here in my heart, a place which I have saved just for you. 


Happy Father’s Day….


Your Loving Daughter,
Kelly Ann






Image Source: My Personal Collection

Funeral Cards Friday ~ Gincy Malinda Caroline Long

Posted: June 15, 2012 in Uncategorized
Tags: , , , ,
4
The funeral card below is one of many that my mother had collected and saved over the years.

Belonging to my great grandmother, Gincy Malinda Long.
July 1, 1886- September 24, 1978.




Happy Mother’s Day

Posted: May 13, 2012 in aloha, beach, culture, Happy Mother's Day, Hawaii, photos
Tags: , , ,
0

English: Mother's Day card

English: Mother’s Day card (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I want to wish all the mothers out there a very special Happy Mother’s Day. Enjoy your day~ you deserve it!

I am spending my Mother’s Day with my mom today and wanted to share some photos of our morning at the beach! Have a wonderful day!





Kalama Beach, Hawaii
Flowers seen on the walking trail to Kalama Beach



My Mother Enjoying the Ocean


What a Beautiful Morning It Is!
Footprints In The Sand




Family Genealogy Package

Posted: July 27, 2011 in birth certificate, death certificates, descendants, family treasures, George Parks, history, Homestead, military service records
Tags: , , , , , ,
0

Yesterday, I received my genealogy package in the mail from my Aunt Evelyn! I was so excited to open it, that it was like opening a birthday gift except there wasn’t any frilly bows or paper to unwrap. In this package came two thick stacks of family history, stapled together, one for Lucia Cornett, (my grandmother’s side of the family) and another packet of information for Walter Cornett’s side of the family, (my grandfather). 


One packet was labeled, “The Family of Stuart Marvin Cornett and Gincy Malinda Long Cornett” which contains names, birth and death dates, marriages and the children’s information, etc and there was even a few photos included in each of the documents, a couple of newspaper articles, one which was a 50th wedding anniversary article, another article titled, “Three Couples From Cornett Family Celebrate 50th Wedding Anniversaries” (Gazette, Galax, VA, Monday, December 9, 1991) How exciting to have three different couples, all in the Cornett family to celebrate such a momentous occasion at one time! The other packet was labeled as “The Descendants of David and Feby (Phoebe) Sutherland Cornett.


The package also included a death certificate for Walter and a birth certificate for Lucia, two different Honorable Discharge papers for Walter’s WW II military service, a press release regarding his service in the Army Air Forces and a story titled, “Roberts Cove” which was written by Pat Miles Burris and Anna J. Woods and included a photocopy of the George Parks homestead which is posted below.

George Parks Homestead
(Notice that there are three front doors)





In the above photo, the back side reads: George Parks and Vinnie Testerment- 
Izora’s Mom & Dad- (Walter’s grandparents on mother’s side)
Date Unknown
‘
The Homestead Photo has writing also- “Old George Parks Homestead”
Date Unknown




And the Plot Thickens!

Posted: July 23, 2011 in books, cornett, Grayson County VA, History of Grayson County VA, Legend of Caty Sage, relatives, research
Tags: , , , , , , ,
0
This past week, I’ve been researching and reading on my Cornett relatives even though I haven’t been posting new articles as I go along. In the beginning of the week I received a book that I purchased on Amazon’s web site, entitled, “Grayson County: A History in Words and Pictures“.
I found a few things about my family personally inside and a couple of photos also, which was very exciting. I can actually put a face to the name now. The book explains the history of Grayson County and how it came to be what it is today. 



Image Source
Grayson County, Virginia Map



Among the events that happened in the 1700’s is a story, which caught my attention and it’s the legend of Caty Sage. She was kidnapped at a young age and given to Indians. Caty’s mother had been at the creek, and came back to get clothes for washing when she found her daughter was missing. Caty grew up among the Indians and even spoke their language, she even married a Chief of the tribe, so when she was eventually found some fifty years later, she needed an interpreter as she no longer knew the English language. The sad part of the story is that when she was about to be reunited with her mother, the mother was already in her elderly years, and died before she was able to set eyes on her beloved daughter. There is so much history regarding Grayson County as a whole; before white man settled here, it was the hunting ground of many different Indian tribes, not only was settling in Indian territory one of the events of the time but the families had to deal with the effects of war too. 


Today, I am still researching my Cornett family and just enjoying the time I get to spend learning about them, their hardships, their way of life, their occupations, the way they dressed and a little about how they raised their children back in the day. It is one never ending journey that I have been taking one day at a time! As a family historian, researching your ancestors will never, ever really be completed, no matter how hard you try. I can’t imagine someone saying “I’m done with my family tree!” Ummm….really? That’s nice, but HOW? I don’t even consider that a possibility! There are so many people in your tree that could be studied and their parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and siblings, for generations and generations. I just don’t see it happening like that. I don’t think my research will ever be complete, at least not in my lifetime! 







Family Heirlooms~ Preserving The Past For Future Generations

Posted: July 13, 2011 in childhood diary, family cookbooks, family heirloom ideas, family treasures, heirlooms, jewelry, Medals of Honor, memories, preservation, scrapbook, the sky is the limit
Tags: , , , , , , ,
0

When you think of the word “heirloom”, do you think of the old doilies your grandmother hand crocheted so long ago, but now look yellow and dingy? I do. When I think of heirlooms, I think of useless objects that have seen better days. Old sienna photos in antique silver frames, handkerchiefs with flower embroidery that my grandmother used to carry around with her, family albums, quilts, baby blankets, family Bibles, and my own wedding dress, which I hope to one day hand down to a granddaughter or great granddaughter of my own. One day! Not anytime soon mind you. What heirloom object would you treasure if it were given to you, to pass on to your children, grandchildren or even great grandchildren? How would you preserve it? 


You may already have a cedar chest full of potential heirlooms, or maybe even in the attic in boxes.  I remember playing with my grandmother’s old clothes when I was probably 8 or 9 years old. She had vintage hats made of black velour with feathers and trim which covered the top half of my face. I remember they were in a box that my cousin and I used to go through to play dress up. 


Isn’t it funny how certain memories resurface when you see an image, read, or even for me as I  happen to be writing in my blog about something as simple as family heirlooms? The memory of my grandmothers old hats just popped into my head for some reason. I wish I had all of her old hats! That would be such a treasure! I don’t know whatever happened to them after she passed away, but it would be an heirloom I would treasure!  

Family Heirloom Ideas

Family heirlooms should evoke special memories of a bygone era. You can even create your own if you wish. Here are a few ideas that have crossed my mind a time or two. It doesn’t have to be expensive to make it an heirloom of quality. For most, it is just tradition past on from generation to generation. 

  • Wedding dresses or christening gowns
  • Create a family cookbook of family favorite recipes- include some that are handwritten   and  dated.
  • Jewelry~ If you wish, you can have a custom made ring, broach, or even a charm bracelet made.
  • Artwork or drawings that were created by an ancestor- have it professionally framed and matted for other generations to see.
  • Medals of Honor- maybe one of your ancestors fought in the Civil War or the American Revolution- creating a shadow box of these medals would be an idea!
  • Another popular idea is creating a scrapbook for each of your children, inside include items of times past i.e., a piece of lace fabric, pressed flowers, photos, or something else that may bring back fond memories.
  • You could even gather memorabilia from older generations, like maybe a childhood diary that may have been kept over the years, a favorite book that an ancestor may treasure. For example, it could be a signed baseball that was part of a collection in your grandfathers belongings, an old trophy, the list can get longer, believe me.
Use your imagination when it comes to collecting family heirlooms, the possibilities are endless. 


Share your ideas! Comment below…


Image Source: 
Antique Linens

Photo Credit: Doris Rudd Designs, Photography


Family Stories That May Be Lost Forever

Posted: July 13, 2011 in data, discovering family, facts, Family, family stories, heirlooms, knowledge, share information
Tags: , , , , , , ,
0
Thank you Ancestry.com! I have made contact with family members I didn’t even know existed. By researching the Cornett/ Sutherland heritage on the web site, I have connected with others who are researching the same family as I am and what do you know? They’re actually family. This is very exciting! The branches of my tree have become so tangled and intertwined, but in such a good way. What a great way to share data gathered through web sites such as Ancestry, and being able to share that knowledge with your own family, is priceless.

Image Source: Family Stories
Photo Credit: Andrew Bret Wallis



I was just talking to my oldest son, John, who was recently asking about our ancestry. He has become somewhat curious about who his relations were back in the “old days”. I was so excited that he even asked, that I think I may have bored him with my rantings of our family tree and what I had found so far. When I was his age, I “tuned out” my family when I heard the stories of ancestors past. Now I’m kicking myself for not paying attention! I went into my own little world of music and television so I didn’t have to listen to boring stories that related to history of people I never even knew. Today, I really wished I had recorded their stories in some way. Now that the older generations in my family have passed on to a better place, there is no way I can get that history, or even the stories back. The stories seem to have died with them. 



Family stories casually chatted about at the dinner table, or told again and again at family gatherings can parallel great epics or notable short stories. The memorable stories of our lives and of others in our family take on special importance because they are true, even if everyone tells different versions of the same event. These tales are family heirlooms held in the heart not in the hand.


So knowing that I lost those memories forever, how do I continue my research into a quest for family stories that relate to my family? Any suggestions?

Billy Edward Cornett– Happy Father’s Day!

Posted: June 19, 2011 in Billy Edward Cornett, biography, family stories, father
Tags: , , , ,
2

Billy Edward Cornett was my father who was born March 15, 1944 and died April 28, 2001. Billy had epilepsy and had to take medication so he wouldn’t have seizures. My parents divorced by the time I was 7 years old, and from what my mother, Carolyn has told me of him, he had worked for the state of Maryland for over 10 years. He worked on paving and repairing the roads and helped to winterize them so that everyone may travel safely during the cold, wintry season that Maryland is known to have.

He liked to go bowling and that is where he met my mother. She had joined a bowling league at that time and he was in the same bowling league as her. They started talking one night and he asked her to drive him and his close friend, Robert home. After that, they started dating every weekend. As far as I know, he couldn’t drive because the driver’s license office refused him, due to his epileptic seizures, so my mother drove him where he needed to go.

My sister Amy Cornett-Butler told me that, at his funeral a little girl probably about the age of 6 or 7 gave him back the stuffed frog he had given her,the little girl said she wanted him to have it. In a recent conversation, I mentioned how I wondered if he ever missed us. Apparently, he talked about my sister and I all the time and had photos of us and our children on his dresser. I never knew any of that. He died 10 years ago, but sometimes I just wish things could have turned out differently for us as a family. One day, I hope to honor him as he has honored me.

I remember a gift he had given me one year, I was probably about 8 years old. It was a Snoopy watch, weird how I remember exactly what it looks like to this day. I wish I still had it, but that was a long time ago.

The script logo.

The script logo. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Dad’s Favorite Team 🙂

A funny story that my mom told me—one night Robert, my dad, and my mom went to a McDonalds and ordered milkshakes, back then the shakes were thick, not like what they are today- half melted by the time you get them. Robert was apparently having a hard time with his thick shake and his straw. Mom had asked him, “Are you getting any?” She said she didn’t get to finish her sentence because they both burst out laughing and were in tears.  I thought that was funny, a little dry humor, if you will.

A few memories from family and friends:
” I miss uncle Bill (FROG) too. Ice Tea and listening to the baseball games on the radio,sitting on the front porch at Gramaws house. That’s where you could find him every summer.” — Cindy H.


“He was such a good man. He was always my favorite uncle! I have such great memories of him. U were very lucky to have a father who loved u and Amy so much.” — Karrieann C.


“Your dad and my dad were the best of friends, and I remember that he would always buy candy bars from me when I sold them for my youth bowling leagues!” — Donna S.

He enjoyed America’s favorite pastime, baseball games. He loved the Baltimore Orioles. I remember him buying me a baseball jersey and I didn’t like it because it was scratchy on my skin, so I hardly wore it. Now, I wish I still had it. Those were the two sports he enjoyed the most, bowling and baseball.
Happy Father’s Day, Daddy. Rest in Peace.

We love you dad!
Your loving daughters,
Kelly and Amy

 


** The photo included in this article is my own.

 

My Experience With the Family History Quick Start Mini-Course (Series)

Posted: June 19, 2011 in citations, course, Family History Quick Start, paperwork, records, sources
Tags: , , , , ,
0

Rizinus

Rizinus (Photo credit: flöschen)

Today, I registered for a free mini-course that was offered by Family History Quick Start. I want to share a little about this course and my experience with the course itself. This post will be the beginning of a series of posts in relation to the course offerings. This site helps you by giving you tips and step by step guidance that will aid in your research. Organizing all the data you have found on your family is a great start; something that sometimes I lack in doing properly. I only say this because there is so much information that I have in my possession already, that having to re-organize the paperwork can be a somewhat painful process. I have absolutely no problem organizing my digital files, thanks to my Graphic Design background.


 Being able to locate the correct documents and images is very important. I am hoping to gain oodles of knowledge from this course to help me organize the findings I have so far, into something that will be easy to read. Not like some of the family tree websites I have visited, which only seem to confuse the viewer even more. The hierarchy of the set up on some of these web pages is a little hard on your eyes. If it’s not a busy, color clash of graphics and font usage then it’s how the tree is displayed and sometimes that just takes away from what you are trying to understand as far as the hierarchy of the family tree itself is concerned.


I’ve been to a lot of different sites on genealogy and family history and the only one I have found so far that breaks things down for you into manageable bites, is the Family History Quick Start web page. The first course in the series is all about getting organized; organizing your computers file folders, tips on creating digital files from paper records, how to’s on saving, naming and backing up these files for easy access later on, and last but not least, is the correct way to cite your sources! When writing, whether it’s a blog like this one or a term paper for a college class, you have to give credit where it’s due. The people that write the many different articles have already completed their research, so don’t steal it and try to pass it off as your own work. It’s very easy to cite a source and only takes a few seconds! Don’t believe me? Then you haven’t seen this website yet! Here’s the link for you to try it out yourself.
Citations Quick and Easy


Tomorrow I will be completing Day 1 of the mini course, I will then post my experiences and thoughts on the subject matter. Until then..good luck in your own search!

Older Entries