I have to say I'm still praising the Lord for sparing the gifts I made for my family. Let me tell you the story:
I spent the better part of spring and summer researching online, going through momma's old notes and bugging people about family tree stuff. I might have spend a thousand hours or more on research, (and will do more) and then more on arranging these family tree books for my family using the ancestry software. I bought a book binder, book blanks and eventually ran out of good paper and even had to get a new printer. I worked my butt off, let me tell you. Each book had something like 250 hours in each of them of research, arrangement, printing and assembly. I made custom decals for these books, I had a vellum cover page, it was all put together with love... When I decided to wrap them, I looked around our apartment and saw some postal paper I had not used up. You know the kind, that's thick, tape won't stick to it easily, and it has this waxy finish inside. I had this nagging feeling that I should use this paper, just in case dad's dog Roxy were to have an accident. So I bought red twine, I made old fashioned gift tags with grommets to complete the look, and wa-la, these were the prettiest gifts I'd wrapped in a while. I even found another roll of the paper in storage that I had bought on a whim years and years ago. There was a whole lot of love in these gifts and even in how I wrapped them (key up the Sound of Music "these are a few of my favorite things").
I kept having this nagging feeling that I should put them in a giant plastic ziploc bag. But I didnt. I just put them high up on the mantle at Dad's, safely away from the dog and the tree water. We even took them there early so I wouldn't forget them.
It rained and rained and rained leading up to Christmas Eve. I made my customary Ark building jokes, and thought nothing of the rain. Well I thought nothing of it past complaining that this year's extra rain had cost me money because dried fruit and pecans were so high, I, as usual, digress.
Christmas Eve I saw my sisters whispering off in the corner and looking at me. I knew they were talking about me, but figured I'd said or done something to make someone mad, and even told Don so. It's been a hard Christmas for me this year, and I was feeling pretty miserable. The highlight of the evening was my Aunt getting the book I made her, and seeing every one look at it (well that and the wino card I gave dad, but you have to ask him about that). So why did this book make my sisters seem so uncomfortable? I figured it was just hard to see those that had gone before us.
Then Christmas morning we are opening presents. I noticed Erin's gift had red streaks all over it. I knew that it must have gotten damp but until dad announced I made a mistake in his book, I didn't know what had happened. (I'm heartbroken over the mistakes by the way) Anyhow, they explained:
The chimney at dad's leaked, and they had moved the gifts to rest atop another stack of gifts. The family tree books had been soaked, one even rested in a puddle. My sisters were discussing it at my aunts Christmas gathering and trying to decide if they should tell me or wait and see if the gifts were ok. They elected not to worry me, and waited to see if they were alright. They, Thank God, were. The postal paper I used had saved the books from destruction. That nagging feeling that they needed to be protected from dad's crazy dog saved them from ruin. God knew, and pushed that idea that I HAD to wrap them in that postal paper. God knew in 2005 when I bought that paper on clearance at the post office for 35 cents that I'd need exactly that paper later on to save a special work for my family. God knew, and I, happy to find things on clearance, bought the stuff up years in advance, even before I knew I needed it for anything specific. That nagging feeling about that special wrapping job was God pushing me to protect that work, preventing my hear from breaking, and ensuring my family had a special book that was a combination of mom's years of research and my picking up the torch after she was gone.
God is SO good! Sometimes you do things that are small things, like buying postal paper and never throwing it away after two moves and 8 years, and those small things add up to something really huge later on. Sometimes you make a small decision that has a HUGE effect on something you never even imagined, like water resistant paper on gifts for the family. Sometimes, things are so amazing the only explanation is that God was keeping you (or in this case these books) safe. Sometimes God appears in something and you can look back and see his hands on it from the very start.
So that's our Christmas Story this year. I listened to that little voice, and looking back I can see it was the divine hand of the Almighty playing a huge part in something I hadn't even thought of. It was amazing, and it renewed my belief that God does indeed care about the small stuff.
So I'm still praising God for this miracle, and wanted to share a little story about it with you.
26 December 2013
21 October 2013
The Georgian Riviera, or There Abouts
It's about 100 miles along the Georgia coast from Tybee to St. Mary's, well if you measure in a kind of straight line that is. If you measure all along the islands and in and out of the inlets its quite a bit more. But if you meander up the wide and deep Savannah River, like James Oglethorpe did some years back you'll sail right on past the lighthouse at Tybee, several old forts and on into Savannah's famous river district. If you keep going under the span of the Talmadge Memorial Bridge, you'll be amongst all of those cargo ships that load and unload in the Port of Savannah.
If you turn back the clock, you'll find quite an interesting history of this beautiful city. James Oglethorpe landed along the banks of the river in 1773. He was looking to create a buffer colony between the English colonies and Spanish Florida and French Louisiana. After all, the King of England didn't want those pesky Spanish or French contaminating his holdings. You see, Oglethorpe was one of the kings men, and he was set on sending debtors to the colony rather than prison because there was much more room, or so history tells us. It was also a place for protestants to find refuge and it provided that military buffer the King so desired.
They tried to grow mulberry trees for silk worms, but the climate wasn't exactly right for it. The peach trees they planted, however, did thrive. Peaches originated in China and would be distributed across Asia and into Europe and much later North America. Here in the US we think of peaches and we think of Georgia. (Except those around my hometown, we think of peaches and we think of Gaffney, SC and the giant peach shaped water tower off I-85)
Savannah grew, as did most port towns, over the years into something that is "the same but different" from its original existence more than 200 years ago. Great tall ships were replaced by giant container ships. Cobblestones were replaced by asphalt, and brick buildings were often replaced by modern offices. But the beautiful view of the river is still enjoyed by many as they saunter along River Street and visit the shops. It is a cheaper destination than Charleston, and the beautiful parks are fantastic to visit. Had Savannah been anything but beautiful, Sherman would have burned it rather than present it as a Christmas gift to Lincoln.
And let me tell you, it's still so very beautiful. But more on that later, after we make our annual trip to enjoy the beauty of such a lovely city.
If you turn back the clock, you'll find quite an interesting history of this beautiful city. James Oglethorpe landed along the banks of the river in 1773. He was looking to create a buffer colony between the English colonies and Spanish Florida and French Louisiana. After all, the King of England didn't want those pesky Spanish or French contaminating his holdings. You see, Oglethorpe was one of the kings men, and he was set on sending debtors to the colony rather than prison because there was much more room, or so history tells us. It was also a place for protestants to find refuge and it provided that military buffer the King so desired.
They tried to grow mulberry trees for silk worms, but the climate wasn't exactly right for it. The peach trees they planted, however, did thrive. Peaches originated in China and would be distributed across Asia and into Europe and much later North America. Here in the US we think of peaches and we think of Georgia. (Except those around my hometown, we think of peaches and we think of Gaffney, SC and the giant peach shaped water tower off I-85)
Savannah grew, as did most port towns, over the years into something that is "the same but different" from its original existence more than 200 years ago. Great tall ships were replaced by giant container ships. Cobblestones were replaced by asphalt, and brick buildings were often replaced by modern offices. But the beautiful view of the river is still enjoyed by many as they saunter along River Street and visit the shops. It is a cheaper destination than Charleston, and the beautiful parks are fantastic to visit. Had Savannah been anything but beautiful, Sherman would have burned it rather than present it as a Christmas gift to Lincoln.
And let me tell you, it's still so very beautiful. But more on that later, after we make our annual trip to enjoy the beauty of such a lovely city.
12 August 2013
Annoying or Entertaining? Nah, I'm Someplace In Between
I pontificate. (That's a great word, isn't it? Pontificate.) I pontificate at great lengths about history, about things no one cares much about, and about my life before Meniere's. I'm known to ramble on about one historical subject or another even if people around me are beginning to roll their eyes and look annoyed. I am used to looking in to the faces of the bored whose eyes glass over as they clearly are mentally someplace far from my impromptu history lesson. I can not seem to help myself though, and I carry on as if everyone wanted to know that the real reason we have stop lights is because they were invented to help deaf drivers in the early days, or what ever I'm going on about.
I am not used to being told I should have taught history. Yesterday I was told exactly that in line at Target while I was filling some poor cashier's head full of useless history knowledge. People tell me all the time I should work for a museum or I'd be happier doing some history tour in some super cool city like Charleston. And they might be right, but most don't remind me that I'd have loved to have taught history. It is the "what might have been" that makes my heart ache. Although I have teaching credentials, AND a degree in history, it would cost me thousands of dollars more to get credentialed in history for South Carolina, and then, well, there is the "no jobs" thing. Oh and the new curriculum standards that are a joke. But someplace, in a perfect world, I dream about teaching history. I imagine what it would have been like to inspire young minds with my enthusiasm for history. I imagine.
I don't have the heart to be told what I can and can not teach. I do not have the heart to be told I must not teach the truth and that I must not tell how it really happened in order to follow some political agenda.
At least as I pontificate to those around me, some are entertained, and everyone learns something, even if they are annoyed a bit.
Maybe one of these days I will write a book. I say that knowing full well that I'm too afraid of failure to actually get beyond that dreaming stage...
So I tell little tidbits of history like women gossip in the beauty salon to whom ever will listen, and smile with pride when I teach something cool to a stranger even if they didn't like history in the first place.
I am not used to being told I should have taught history. Yesterday I was told exactly that in line at Target while I was filling some poor cashier's head full of useless history knowledge. People tell me all the time I should work for a museum or I'd be happier doing some history tour in some super cool city like Charleston. And they might be right, but most don't remind me that I'd have loved to have taught history. It is the "what might have been" that makes my heart ache. Although I have teaching credentials, AND a degree in history, it would cost me thousands of dollars more to get credentialed in history for South Carolina, and then, well, there is the "no jobs" thing. Oh and the new curriculum standards that are a joke. But someplace, in a perfect world, I dream about teaching history. I imagine what it would have been like to inspire young minds with my enthusiasm for history. I imagine.
I don't have the heart to be told what I can and can not teach. I do not have the heart to be told I must not teach the truth and that I must not tell how it really happened in order to follow some political agenda.
At least as I pontificate to those around me, some are entertained, and everyone learns something, even if they are annoyed a bit.
Maybe one of these days I will write a book. I say that knowing full well that I'm too afraid of failure to actually get beyond that dreaming stage...
So I tell little tidbits of history like women gossip in the beauty salon to whom ever will listen, and smile with pride when I teach something cool to a stranger even if they didn't like history in the first place.
04 July 2013
While you celebrate, remember the cost
While everyone posts photos of red, white and blue swimsuits, cans of beer, and 4th of July trinkets, stop and think about the men and women that gave it all so that you could be free. Between hot dogs, beers, and sparklers today, take a moment to thank GOD for the freedom you have.
Here are some photos to remind us all of the sacrifices made so the world can be free...
Here are some photos to remind us all of the sacrifices made so the world can be free...
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"Thank you" in French.Yes, Thank you for your service and for my freedom. |
01 July 2013
A brief overview of the 17th Airborne Division in WWII
Most of us have heard of the 82nd Airborne or the 101st Airborne divisions, but very few of us have ever heard of the 17th Airborne Division. There were several Airborne Divisions in the war, and the ones we think about the most are the 82nd and the 101st. All of them saw combat, some were there for D-Day, and others were there afterwords for other important operations.
My interest in the 17th Airborne Division came out of the genealogy research I have been doing, and my quest to find out more about my grandfather's service in World War II. I knew he was a paratrooper, but I had no idea what exactly that meant in his time.
Paratroopers were a very new, and specialized soldier at the beginning of WWII. Keep in mind that airplanes had only been around for about 40 years at the beginning of the war, and had only been used in the military since about 1909. The first airplanes (not tethered balloons) in combat would be in The Great War, and those planes were primitive compared to even what was available at the beginning of WWII. Parachutes, along with stunt jumpers, had existed for some time before the military "caught wind" of the idea. During the 1930's other countries began to develop airborne units. It wasn't until 1940 that the United States had its first airborne soldiers. Forty-eight volunteers made the first jump in the United States in August of 1940. Soon after that the Airborne units began to form and prepare for war.
The 17th Airborne division was officially activated in April of 1943 under the command of General William Miley. The division included the Parachute Infantry Regiments, Glider Regiments, Medical Regiments, and various support units. (I'm sure you are wondering why the Army used gliders. At the time, there were not parachutes large enough to drop jeeps and artillery guns so the Army used disposable gliders. These unarmed, engine-less aircraft were silent and made an lightly armed paratrooper division more deadly to the enemy by providing support that otherwise would not have been possible.) The paratroopers of the 17th Airborne Division would train for months preceding their deployment to England.
Once in England, they were not utilized for Operation Market Garden as they had arrived too late to be considered. The Division fought in the Battle of the Bulge and then were withdrawn to prepare for a combat drop into Germany. Operation Varsity was the official name for the Rhine Jump. Operation Varsity was a success and the soldiers with the 17th were then part of the "occupation duty" before being transferred to France for further deployment. Many of the men with the unit were on the way to Japan when the atomic bombs were dropped. The ships were rerouted back to the United States where the division was dissolved in September of 1945.
This is a very brief overview of the unit in WWII. Stay tuned for a more in depth look at the 513th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 17th Airborne Division.
My interest in the 17th Airborne Division came out of the genealogy research I have been doing, and my quest to find out more about my grandfather's service in World War II. I knew he was a paratrooper, but I had no idea what exactly that meant in his time.
Paratroopers were a very new, and specialized soldier at the beginning of WWII. Keep in mind that airplanes had only been around for about 40 years at the beginning of the war, and had only been used in the military since about 1909. The first airplanes (not tethered balloons) in combat would be in The Great War, and those planes were primitive compared to even what was available at the beginning of WWII. Parachutes, along with stunt jumpers, had existed for some time before the military "caught wind" of the idea. During the 1930's other countries began to develop airborne units. It wasn't until 1940 that the United States had its first airborne soldiers. Forty-eight volunteers made the first jump in the United States in August of 1940. Soon after that the Airborne units began to form and prepare for war.
The 17th Airborne division was officially activated in April of 1943 under the command of General William Miley. The division included the Parachute Infantry Regiments, Glider Regiments, Medical Regiments, and various support units. (I'm sure you are wondering why the Army used gliders. At the time, there were not parachutes large enough to drop jeeps and artillery guns so the Army used disposable gliders. These unarmed, engine-less aircraft were silent and made an lightly armed paratrooper division more deadly to the enemy by providing support that otherwise would not have been possible.) The paratroopers of the 17th Airborne Division would train for months preceding their deployment to England.
Once in England, they were not utilized for Operation Market Garden as they had arrived too late to be considered. The Division fought in the Battle of the Bulge and then were withdrawn to prepare for a combat drop into Germany. Operation Varsity was the official name for the Rhine Jump. Operation Varsity was a success and the soldiers with the 17th were then part of the "occupation duty" before being transferred to France for further deployment. Many of the men with the unit were on the way to Japan when the atomic bombs were dropped. The ships were rerouted back to the United States where the division was dissolved in September of 1945.
This is a very brief overview of the unit in WWII. Stay tuned for a more in depth look at the 513th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 17th Airborne Division.
25 June 2013
The photos I am comparing. What do you think?
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| The patch of the 513th Paratrooper Infantry Regiment |
So far I have only two photos of my grandfather from when he was in the military. I will have another to post later. I have compared these two with the "eye patch" photo I first located and I'm not 100% sure its my grandfather, but at the same time I'm not convinced it isn't either. The circumstantial evidence is pretty big. He was in that regiment. He did have a head of dark hair at the time, he had an eye injury, and according to my grandmother, always wore his uniforms a baggy. So take a look and tell me what you think.
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| Granddaddy in what I believe to be his paratrooper shirt. |
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| Granddaddy in his Air Corps Uniform early in the war. Before he became a paratrooper. |
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| Hard to tell for sure, but the guy in the eye patch might be him. |
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| Another photo of the same unit. One kinda jumps out at me, but I wont say which one. What about you? |
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| A newspaper clipping about Granddaddy. |
(PS I borrowed those two photos Im not sure about from 513th-pir.com. In the spirit of research I am including them here. If it is not okay, please let me know, and I will take the post down, but in the spirit of research, here they are. Once I have located the appropriate company for my grandfather, I will remove this post.)
Things forgotten, things lost, things discovered, and things destroyed forever
On July 12th, 1973 a massive fire at the National Archives, National Personnel Records Center destroyed more than 80% of the Army's personnel records from November 1912 through January 1960. It also destroyed a block 75% of Air Force records between the years of 1947 and 1964 after The name "Hubbard, James E". There were no copies, these had not been transferred to microfilm and there was no index. The fire caused a total loss of millions of records, and although primarily isolated to the Army and Air Force, there were some Navy, Coast Guard and Marine records also destroyed that had been pulled for use at the time of the fire. Some records were fire damaged, others were water damaged, and some have been, with the advent of modern technology, salvaged from the mold that set in after the wet papers were stored. In many cases, the National Archives can reconstruct parts of a service member's records, but by no means can they reconstruct all of it. (http://www.archives.gov/st-louis/military-personnel/fire-1973.html)
My paternal Grandfather, like many men of his generation, was involved in WWII. An earlier attempt by family to get a copy of his military records resulted in a letter telling us that his records had been destroyed. My family didn't keep many records, and my grandfather died in 1979, long before I could ever ask him about the war or his service. So I set out on a quest while I worked on the family tree, to discover the stories and not just the names of those that made me, well, me.
This quest is by no means complete, but I have found out more about my grandfather in the last two weeks than I ever imagined I would know. Some folks have been very forthcoming with information, while others have decided not to provide me with any information at all! None-the-less, the story begins to take shape.
Growing up I was always told that Granddaddy Lancaster was in WWII. I was told he had gotten in trouble while stationed in Alaska because he shot a bear (it was actually a rabbit), I was told he was in Europe for D-day as a paratrooper (it was after D-day but still impressive) and that he had gotten a Purple Heart for being shot off a tank (the story was different, but I'll get to that). Beyond the family stories, any questions were answered with "ask your grandmother" or "ask your father" and I never got to know more than the stories mom knew, or thought she knew.
Perhaps my quest over the years to make my father proud evolved a little when I signed on with the Army as a contract cadet in Army ROTC at Wofford College. I knew dad did not serve in Vietnam, despite his best efforts, and I wanted somehow bring pride to the family name. I was so proud to be headed to school to fly helicopters and I was excited at the chance to be the first officer in the family since the War Between the States. It was a short lived dream, as a car accident ended my budding military career. I'd go on to serve my country through service to my community as a firefighter, but I never lost that drive to bring pride to the family name.
As the genealogy project grew I wondered more about my grandfathers service record. I asked my Aunt. She gave me as much information as she knew, which was a little more than I knew before. My grandfather was in Alaska when he shot that rabbit. He was a mechanic and was on guard duty. They were going to court marshal him for the offense! James F. Byrnes was called to represent him. He wasn't court marshaled but he was demoted. (I discovered he was in the Army Air Corps via Ancestry) My aunt also told me he was a paratroop infantryman with the 17th Airborne Division and he was in the Battle of the Bulge and jumped the Rhine (Operation Varsity as I have learned). She told me he jumped with dynamite strapped to his legs. She also told me that he was injured in the eye while riding on a tank, although he wasn't supposed to ride tanks for that very reason. She said he was on a ship bound for Japan after V-E day, and they turned them around after the bomb was dropped and he came home.
So I asked my grandmother and much of what my Aunt told me was verified. I also learned he trained to be a paratrooper at Ft. Benning, and wrote my grandmother letters while he was overseas. She didn't keep those letters because she said she was in nursing school and didn't have the space. Such a loss!! She remembered the day in 1945 he presented her with her ring, and she remembered lots of other things, but nothing specific as to the regiment he was attached to. I would have to keep digging.
So I had my grandfather's division, but not the regiment. I begin to dig on the internet. Through what I knew I narrowed it down to three regiments. Then I requested two books from the public library inter-library loan service about the 17th Airborne Division. While I waited, I began to research the regiments in question. One I was lucky enough to find a roster from Christmas of 1944. My grandfather's name was not on it. Then I stumbled upon a website about the 513th Paratrooper Infantry Division (http://513th-pir.com/). I dug through the unit history and it matched the time line, but then again, so did the other two. They had just two companies photographs online. I looked at the two. Under third battalion company I, I noticed a guy with an eye patch that resembled my grandfather. (http://513th-pir.com/I_Company.html) Later in the afternoon, picked up the books I'd ordered. I sat in the car flipping through the oldest one, "Thunder from Heaven", and there at the back was a lengthy roster of the members of the 17th Airborne Division. I cried with joy when I found Granddaddy's name and his regiment number, 513. I rushed home to compare the photos I had with the one I found online. My aunt wasn't sure if it was him I'd found, but it was possible. I knew for sure that Granddaddy was in the 513th now! I began to read about their contributions to the war effort. (more about that in a later blog)
The real challenge will be rebuilding my grandfathers records from his time in Alaska! I'm working on it now, but its a daunting task because I have no clue what he did for sure, and I do not know anything about what unit he was in. But I do know he was 17th Airborne. That is a great start to my quest!
My paternal Grandfather, like many men of his generation, was involved in WWII. An earlier attempt by family to get a copy of his military records resulted in a letter telling us that his records had been destroyed. My family didn't keep many records, and my grandfather died in 1979, long before I could ever ask him about the war or his service. So I set out on a quest while I worked on the family tree, to discover the stories and not just the names of those that made me, well, me.
This quest is by no means complete, but I have found out more about my grandfather in the last two weeks than I ever imagined I would know. Some folks have been very forthcoming with information, while others have decided not to provide me with any information at all! None-the-less, the story begins to take shape.
Growing up I was always told that Granddaddy Lancaster was in WWII. I was told he had gotten in trouble while stationed in Alaska because he shot a bear (it was actually a rabbit), I was told he was in Europe for D-day as a paratrooper (it was after D-day but still impressive) and that he had gotten a Purple Heart for being shot off a tank (the story was different, but I'll get to that). Beyond the family stories, any questions were answered with "ask your grandmother" or "ask your father" and I never got to know more than the stories mom knew, or thought she knew.
Perhaps my quest over the years to make my father proud evolved a little when I signed on with the Army as a contract cadet in Army ROTC at Wofford College. I knew dad did not serve in Vietnam, despite his best efforts, and I wanted somehow bring pride to the family name. I was so proud to be headed to school to fly helicopters and I was excited at the chance to be the first officer in the family since the War Between the States. It was a short lived dream, as a car accident ended my budding military career. I'd go on to serve my country through service to my community as a firefighter, but I never lost that drive to bring pride to the family name.
As the genealogy project grew I wondered more about my grandfathers service record. I asked my Aunt. She gave me as much information as she knew, which was a little more than I knew before. My grandfather was in Alaska when he shot that rabbit. He was a mechanic and was on guard duty. They were going to court marshal him for the offense! James F. Byrnes was called to represent him. He wasn't court marshaled but he was demoted. (I discovered he was in the Army Air Corps via Ancestry) My aunt also told me he was a paratroop infantryman with the 17th Airborne Division and he was in the Battle of the Bulge and jumped the Rhine (Operation Varsity as I have learned). She told me he jumped with dynamite strapped to his legs. She also told me that he was injured in the eye while riding on a tank, although he wasn't supposed to ride tanks for that very reason. She said he was on a ship bound for Japan after V-E day, and they turned them around after the bomb was dropped and he came home.
So I asked my grandmother and much of what my Aunt told me was verified. I also learned he trained to be a paratrooper at Ft. Benning, and wrote my grandmother letters while he was overseas. She didn't keep those letters because she said she was in nursing school and didn't have the space. Such a loss!! She remembered the day in 1945 he presented her with her ring, and she remembered lots of other things, but nothing specific as to the regiment he was attached to. I would have to keep digging.
So I had my grandfather's division, but not the regiment. I begin to dig on the internet. Through what I knew I narrowed it down to three regiments. Then I requested two books from the public library inter-library loan service about the 17th Airborne Division. While I waited, I began to research the regiments in question. One I was lucky enough to find a roster from Christmas of 1944. My grandfather's name was not on it. Then I stumbled upon a website about the 513th Paratrooper Infantry Division (http://513th-pir.com/). I dug through the unit history and it matched the time line, but then again, so did the other two. They had just two companies photographs online. I looked at the two. Under third battalion company I, I noticed a guy with an eye patch that resembled my grandfather. (http://513th-pir.com/I_Company.html) Later in the afternoon, picked up the books I'd ordered. I sat in the car flipping through the oldest one, "Thunder from Heaven", and there at the back was a lengthy roster of the members of the 17th Airborne Division. I cried with joy when I found Granddaddy's name and his regiment number, 513. I rushed home to compare the photos I had with the one I found online. My aunt wasn't sure if it was him I'd found, but it was possible. I knew for sure that Granddaddy was in the 513th now! I began to read about their contributions to the war effort. (more about that in a later blog)
The real challenge will be rebuilding my grandfathers records from his time in Alaska! I'm working on it now, but its a daunting task because I have no clue what he did for sure, and I do not know anything about what unit he was in. But I do know he was 17th Airborne. That is a great start to my quest!
06 April 2013
Digging up your family tree... Getting started.
Ok, although this will sound much like an infomercial it's true: it has never been easier to follow your family tree. What took my mother almost ten years to do, pre-Internet, took me about forty-five minutes. Because I know how to research, and I know what to look for its pretty easy for me to follow my family tree.
You don't need to have a masters degree to hours of research experience to start digging up those roots, all you need is an Internet connection and a little starting information.
What you need to start (ideally):
Your full name and birth date.
Your parent's names, birth dates and places of birth.(wedding date if possible)
Your parent's siblings names and birth dates
Your grandparents names,birth dates and birth places (wedding dates if possible)
Some time and a computer
Family Tree software or pen and paper.
Access to a map or google maps/earth
Any family documents that might aid you in your search. These might include military papers (DD-214, draft cards, etc), marriage certificates, death and birth certificates, family bibles, already compiled family trees, family photos, and anything else your family might like to share with you.
The more you know starting out the easier you are going to find information. But you can trace it all back without more to go on than the above.
I have quite a lot of information that my mom had already compiled on the Lancaster and Davis families. I also had a Family Tree Maker file from a guy that does this stuff for fun, and it had over 200,000 people on it. But I decided while I had some time on my hands and those files not in sight, to start with just me, well, me and Don.
I went to Ancestry.com and entered my name. Now you get a "shaky leaf" if you have a document that might match the information on a person. Some of it is a match, some of it is not. You can make a tree online for free, but you can not look at or save the documents without a membership. I joined.
On my name there were several "hints", that's the stuff that might be a match for my name. My wedding license, and some public data base information came up. I checked it, and it was actually me. It is IMPORTANT to check to see if the hints are actually for the person you are looking for. Sometimes the dates might match and some times just the names. Sometimes there are different spellings, and other times dates are not complete. This is where you have to look at the data, match it up and "attach" the document to the family member or "ignore" it.
Then there are the already done trees for your family. When people load family trees up online, often there will be a hit for someone in YOUR tree. You have to look carefully to be sure it is a match before you add the people to you tree, but it grows your information very quickly this way. I check census records and other documents or sources to be sure there are matching names and places and dates and such. Spellings often change (like McGahee for McGaha) but if the spelling is too different (Smyth for say Samuels) you should question the link. If I'm not sure, I don't add the person.
As you grow your tree you find out all kinds of neat things. Some people have already linked photos, other times you find a link to a news paper article or even a copy of a census page or military record! There aren't any census records past 1940 online, and some of the military records were destroyed in a fire in 1973, so there is a gap there you may encounter. Some states have great records online, others, like SC, its spotty and depends on the county.
I hope this is enough to get you started. I'll add more as I discover it, but this is a beginning.
Some tips:
https://familysearch.org/ a free site that is run by the Mormons. It is GREAT, free, and has LOTS of info already ready for you to delve into.
http://www.ancestry.com A pay for use site. Many trees are already loaded into this site, and this makes it easier to get started. LOTS AND LOTS of archived documents are easily accessible here as well, saving time getting the documents you need to "prove" your lineage. Its free for the first 10 days, then its 25 bucks a month for the US records or 35 bucks a month for access to the "world" records. You can upload and save all kinds of data, and its integrateable with the Family Tree Maker software. For the money, this is a great site. You can make your tree private (though I wouldn't) or you can make it public for others to share.
https://www.23andme.com If you want to see genetically where you come from. This site offers the best deal for DNA sequencing.
You don't need to have a masters degree to hours of research experience to start digging up those roots, all you need is an Internet connection and a little starting information.
What you need to start (ideally):
Your full name and birth date.
Your parent's names, birth dates and places of birth.(wedding date if possible)
Your parent's siblings names and birth dates
Your grandparents names,birth dates and birth places (wedding dates if possible)
Some time and a computer
Family Tree software or pen and paper.
Access to a map or google maps/earth
Any family documents that might aid you in your search. These might include military papers (DD-214, draft cards, etc), marriage certificates, death and birth certificates, family bibles, already compiled family trees, family photos, and anything else your family might like to share with you.
The more you know starting out the easier you are going to find information. But you can trace it all back without more to go on than the above.
I have quite a lot of information that my mom had already compiled on the Lancaster and Davis families. I also had a Family Tree Maker file from a guy that does this stuff for fun, and it had over 200,000 people on it. But I decided while I had some time on my hands and those files not in sight, to start with just me, well, me and Don.
I went to Ancestry.com and entered my name. Now you get a "shaky leaf" if you have a document that might match the information on a person. Some of it is a match, some of it is not. You can make a tree online for free, but you can not look at or save the documents without a membership. I joined.
On my name there were several "hints", that's the stuff that might be a match for my name. My wedding license, and some public data base information came up. I checked it, and it was actually me. It is IMPORTANT to check to see if the hints are actually for the person you are looking for. Sometimes the dates might match and some times just the names. Sometimes there are different spellings, and other times dates are not complete. This is where you have to look at the data, match it up and "attach" the document to the family member or "ignore" it.
Then there are the already done trees for your family. When people load family trees up online, often there will be a hit for someone in YOUR tree. You have to look carefully to be sure it is a match before you add the people to you tree, but it grows your information very quickly this way. I check census records and other documents or sources to be sure there are matching names and places and dates and such. Spellings often change (like McGahee for McGaha) but if the spelling is too different (Smyth for say Samuels) you should question the link. If I'm not sure, I don't add the person.
As you grow your tree you find out all kinds of neat things. Some people have already linked photos, other times you find a link to a news paper article or even a copy of a census page or military record! There aren't any census records past 1940 online, and some of the military records were destroyed in a fire in 1973, so there is a gap there you may encounter. Some states have great records online, others, like SC, its spotty and depends on the county.
I hope this is enough to get you started. I'll add more as I discover it, but this is a beginning.
Some tips:
- If you aren't sure, don't add. Double check other family trees, if they short cut they might not be as reliable as you want for your record.
- There are great videos and classes on both the Mormon's site and Ancestry.com.
- If you choose to get a book to help you, "The Everything Guide to Online Genealogy" is fantastic. Don't short cut, get the newest version even if you have to order it at the bookstore. Its worth it.
- Online databases grow every day. Check back in a week or a month, you'll be shocked at how fast those databases grow
- Google stuff you don't know. (Dropsy is edema, and it killed one person in the tree. I had to google it)
- Ask, Ask ASK family. Ask extended family, ask everyone. Get copies of EVERYTHING. They might have already done the leg work for what you are already doing.
- Share your tree. Nothing sucks more than to find a tree that you KNOW has information you need and its Private. You request access, and no one answers you.
- If you insist on the DNA stuff, www.23andme.com is a much better deal than what ancestry has, and is now just 100 bucks.
Here are some links to get you started:
http://www.cyndislist.com/ This is a site with links to thousands of other sites on line. It is a GREAT starting point for anyone wanting to look online for recordshttps://familysearch.org/ a free site that is run by the Mormons. It is GREAT, free, and has LOTS of info already ready for you to delve into.
http://www.ancestry.com A pay for use site. Many trees are already loaded into this site, and this makes it easier to get started. LOTS AND LOTS of archived documents are easily accessible here as well, saving time getting the documents you need to "prove" your lineage. Its free for the first 10 days, then its 25 bucks a month for the US records or 35 bucks a month for access to the "world" records. You can upload and save all kinds of data, and its integrateable with the Family Tree Maker software. For the money, this is a great site. You can make your tree private (though I wouldn't) or you can make it public for others to share.
https://www.23andme.com If you want to see genetically where you come from. This site offers the best deal for DNA sequencing.
28 March 2013
We don't die, we nullify!
So, again in the news South Carolina is being known for Nullification. ( The T and D March 2013 ) So just what the heck IS Nullification? Didn't we learn in school that it was John C. Calhoun's pathetic attempt to save slavery? (I didn't learn that, but apparently many did) Let's take a closer look at what Nullification actually is.
If you do a Google search on "nullification" you will get a number of differing opinions about nullification along with the ad that says "eBay- great deals on nullification" (huh?). Dig deeper, and you find there are few who actually know what nullification really is.
Nullification is " the action of a state impeding or attempting to prevent the operation and enforcement within its territory of a law of the United States " Merriam-Webster dictionary. Basically it is the state saying "NO!" to the federal government when a law is passed that is considered by the state to be unconstitutional. Wait, you say, that isn't in the Webster's definition. No it isn't, but that is what nullification is. Its a legal theory, and sometimes practice, where a state determines under the power of the 10th amendment is unconstitutional.
We all seem to remember ole' John C. Calhoun from our history classes being the "man" on nullification. Oh he got all hot and bothered over a tariff that would have really hurt the economy of South Carolina. This was the Tariff of Abominations. Now all this happened in the 1820's and 1830's. This Tariff WOULD have hurt South Carolina, as well as other agricultural states. So, South Carolina said it was not constitutional to levy such a tax on imported goods made from the raw exports from South Carolina, and they refused to collect it for the federal government. Well President Jackson said he'd send troops to make them collect, and South Carolina threatened to leave the union if they did. It was sometimes called the "Nullification Crisis", and it ended up with a compromise on the tariff that both kept South Carolina in the Union, and collected a tax on those goods. Anyhow, all of this would be tied to States Rights later on, and then erroneously tied to slavery.
The idea of Nullification did not come from the loins of our dear John C., (though some historians claim Lincoln did... oh but I digress) the idea was the brain child of Thomas Jefferson. He said in 1798 that "That a nullification, by those sovereignties, of all unauthorized acts done under color of that instrument, is the rightful remedy" (Kentucky Resolution, 1799). Much of what Jefferson believed was influenced by John Locke, but that is another historical story for another day. None-the-less, Jefferson believed that states could and should nullify things that were not constitutional in order to prevent the federal government from becoming a tyrannous ruler over the free people.
Are all laws going to be nullified? No. Most laws are perfectly constitutional. Should all laws be nullified? No. Can all laws be nullified? No, they must be considered unconstitutional by the states to be subject to nullification.
Some historians blame Calhoun for the crisis that followed the nullification and secession threats. That crisis was the war between the states. Some even say nullification was a way to protect slavery. Those are not true. It is in many ways a stepping stone to states rights. The important thing to remember about nullification is that its based on the 10th amendment, and it is a way for the people to protect their rights when the federal government encroaches too far past what the Constitution allows.
(Another good overview of Nullification can be found here: http://www.libertyclassroom.com/nullification/ )
If you do a Google search on "nullification" you will get a number of differing opinions about nullification along with the ad that says "eBay- great deals on nullification" (huh?). Dig deeper, and you find there are few who actually know what nullification really is.
Nullification is " the action of a state impeding or attempting to prevent the operation and enforcement within its territory of a law of the United States " Merriam-Webster dictionary. Basically it is the state saying "NO!" to the federal government when a law is passed that is considered by the state to be unconstitutional. Wait, you say, that isn't in the Webster's definition. No it isn't, but that is what nullification is. Its a legal theory, and sometimes practice, where a state determines under the power of the 10th amendment is unconstitutional.
We all seem to remember ole' John C. Calhoun from our history classes being the "man" on nullification. Oh he got all hot and bothered over a tariff that would have really hurt the economy of South Carolina. This was the Tariff of Abominations. Now all this happened in the 1820's and 1830's. This Tariff WOULD have hurt South Carolina, as well as other agricultural states. So, South Carolina said it was not constitutional to levy such a tax on imported goods made from the raw exports from South Carolina, and they refused to collect it for the federal government. Well President Jackson said he'd send troops to make them collect, and South Carolina threatened to leave the union if they did. It was sometimes called the "Nullification Crisis", and it ended up with a compromise on the tariff that both kept South Carolina in the Union, and collected a tax on those goods. Anyhow, all of this would be tied to States Rights later on, and then erroneously tied to slavery.
The idea of Nullification did not come from the loins of our dear John C., (though some historians claim Lincoln did... oh but I digress) the idea was the brain child of Thomas Jefferson. He said in 1798 that "That a nullification, by those sovereignties, of all unauthorized acts done under color of that instrument, is the rightful remedy" (Kentucky Resolution, 1799). Much of what Jefferson believed was influenced by John Locke, but that is another historical story for another day. None-the-less, Jefferson believed that states could and should nullify things that were not constitutional in order to prevent the federal government from becoming a tyrannous ruler over the free people.
Are all laws going to be nullified? No. Most laws are perfectly constitutional. Should all laws be nullified? No. Can all laws be nullified? No, they must be considered unconstitutional by the states to be subject to nullification.
Some historians blame Calhoun for the crisis that followed the nullification and secession threats. That crisis was the war between the states. Some even say nullification was a way to protect slavery. Those are not true. It is in many ways a stepping stone to states rights. The important thing to remember about nullification is that its based on the 10th amendment, and it is a way for the people to protect their rights when the federal government encroaches too far past what the Constitution allows.
(Another good overview of Nullification can be found here: http://www.libertyclassroom.com/nullification/ )
27 March 2013
I could eat it with a spoon
I often say that I love history so much I could eat it with a spoon, but I'm not sure that its so easy to explain what that means.
History fills me with joy. You know that kind of joy you get when someone you love bakes your favorite dish just for you on a day when you really need it. It makes me all warm and fuzzy inside, and makes me smile. Its a link to the past, and its full of stories and tales that make you wonder why we even have fiction.
History is a dish that is often served cold, but warms the heart, mind and soul of those that feel that connection to things long past.
History is a mix of things, kind of like a good curry, that without one part, it just wouldn't taste so good.
History is a window into a place that you can no longer travel to by boat, but you can take a trip in your mind, back to a place and time that really did exist.
All things in History are not happy things. There are many things we don't like, and would like to forget. We must never forget those things lest we repeat them.
We smile at the sweet things, and scowl at the bitter ones. We try to figure out what mixes of events happened to make events cook up as they did, and we try to imagine what it would be like with or without many of the ingredients.
We try to remember the stories we were told, you know the ones that never make it into the books, so we can retell them to another generation. As with a great recipe, each time the stories are passed on they change flavor just a little. We hope the next generation loves the dish enough to remember how it was put together so it can be passed on again and again and again.
There are no calories in History, though it does often lead to heartburn if not properly delivered. (Bad historians are like bad cooks, no one wants to go back and no one forgets them because they often leave a bad taste in your mouth)
Like a wonderful sweet and warm bread pudding, History fills me up. Its satisfying and fantastic to ingest.
History. One of my favorite things in the world. I really could put it in a bowl and eat it with a spoon.
History fills me with joy. You know that kind of joy you get when someone you love bakes your favorite dish just for you on a day when you really need it. It makes me all warm and fuzzy inside, and makes me smile. Its a link to the past, and its full of stories and tales that make you wonder why we even have fiction.
History is a dish that is often served cold, but warms the heart, mind and soul of those that feel that connection to things long past.
History is a mix of things, kind of like a good curry, that without one part, it just wouldn't taste so good.
History is a window into a place that you can no longer travel to by boat, but you can take a trip in your mind, back to a place and time that really did exist.
All things in History are not happy things. There are many things we don't like, and would like to forget. We must never forget those things lest we repeat them.
We smile at the sweet things, and scowl at the bitter ones. We try to figure out what mixes of events happened to make events cook up as they did, and we try to imagine what it would be like with or without many of the ingredients.
We try to remember the stories we were told, you know the ones that never make it into the books, so we can retell them to another generation. As with a great recipe, each time the stories are passed on they change flavor just a little. We hope the next generation loves the dish enough to remember how it was put together so it can be passed on again and again and again.
There are no calories in History, though it does often lead to heartburn if not properly delivered. (Bad historians are like bad cooks, no one wants to go back and no one forgets them because they often leave a bad taste in your mouth)
Like a wonderful sweet and warm bread pudding, History fills me up. Its satisfying and fantastic to ingest.
History. One of my favorite things in the world. I really could put it in a bowl and eat it with a spoon.
22 March 2013
There's a Birdie in my family tree
In an effort to continue the research my mother once did on our family tree, I joined Ancestry.com. There are many stories that come from my family, some true, others not so much. One story that IS true involves the Birdie I found in our tree. Birdie Pauline Lancaster. The daughter of Dr. Samuel Theron DeJarnette Lancaster (or STD for short). Now Dr Lancaster is my great great grandfather, and was a prominent figure in the history of the town where I grew up. Its not really a "town", its not incorporated, but its a farming community located at highway 56 and highway 215 in Spartanburg County.
In the early days, post offices were housed at a general store or similar business in a community. Walnut Grove once had a post office, as did many other tiny communities before the introduction of the Zip code and the combination of post offices nationwide. Wait, I'm getting ahead of myself.
The early post offices had a postmaster, and that person was usually the store owner where the post office was housed. That postmaster had the privilege of naming the post office. And often it changed when the duties of the postmaster were handed to another person. In the late 1890's, it was decided that the post office names would become permanent.
The community of Stribling had a postmaster at the time of the decision to solidify the post office names. The postmaster was Dr. STD Lancaster. Now, Dr. Lancaster was not only the community doctor, he also owned a store and ran the post office. When the US Postal Service came around to ask for a more permanent name to the communities post office, it fell to Dr. Lancaster give it a name, for all time. The name Stribling was already taken, so he named it after one of his lovely daughters, Birdie Pauline.
So the Birdie in my family tree is how the town I grew up in got its name.
In the early days, post offices were housed at a general store or similar business in a community. Walnut Grove once had a post office, as did many other tiny communities before the introduction of the Zip code and the combination of post offices nationwide. Wait, I'm getting ahead of myself.
The early post offices had a postmaster, and that person was usually the store owner where the post office was housed. That postmaster had the privilege of naming the post office. And often it changed when the duties of the postmaster were handed to another person. In the late 1890's, it was decided that the post office names would become permanent.
The community of Stribling had a postmaster at the time of the decision to solidify the post office names. The postmaster was Dr. STD Lancaster. Now, Dr. Lancaster was not only the community doctor, he also owned a store and ran the post office. When the US Postal Service came around to ask for a more permanent name to the communities post office, it fell to Dr. Lancaster give it a name, for all time. The name Stribling was already taken, so he named it after one of his lovely daughters, Birdie Pauline.
So the Birdie in my family tree is how the town I grew up in got its name.
Among other things, here is an introduction to me.
"Would you like fries with that?" is a blog. But you knew that right? The name comes from what I was told I would say over and over with a history degree, because "unless you teach or write, you can't do anything else with a degree in history".
That student advisor wasn't far off. (You CAN go to law school, but I didn't) I majored in elementary education, and due to a string of events we shall save for later, I had enough credits to also land a degree in my favorite subject. You guessed it. (not that it was that hard or anything) History.
Oh, I also have a masters in Special Education, but again that's not what I'm doing. You know, the job market for new teachers sucks, so I work in small government. I worked as a firefighter for more than a decade, and the vast majority of it was in a specialized field: aircraft rescue. I have credentials as a haz-mat responder, EMT-B, and arson investigator, among many others. Then I got sick, (Meniere's disease) and that was the end of my career. No one really wanted to hire an unbalanced (no really Meniere's is a balance and hearing disorder) crusty old fireman, so here I am working in small government and happy as a clam. (Why exactly are clams happy? Do they want to be in my chowder?)
So, working in small government part-time is what you do with a degree in history, that is if you don't teach or write or go to law school. So in my spare time, (working part-time that seems to be a lot) I'm going to write a blog about history. This will likely follow no discernible path from one story to another, but a lot of the historical stories will be local. Some of the things I write about might even be how- to's on history research and genealogy. It all depends on my mood.
So, sit back, relax and enjoy some ramblings about history from the Rogue Historian (that's me by the way).
And yes, you DO want fries with that.
That student advisor wasn't far off. (You CAN go to law school, but I didn't) I majored in elementary education, and due to a string of events we shall save for later, I had enough credits to also land a degree in my favorite subject. You guessed it. (not that it was that hard or anything) History.
Oh, I also have a masters in Special Education, but again that's not what I'm doing. You know, the job market for new teachers sucks, so I work in small government. I worked as a firefighter for more than a decade, and the vast majority of it was in a specialized field: aircraft rescue. I have credentials as a haz-mat responder, EMT-B, and arson investigator, among many others. Then I got sick, (Meniere's disease) and that was the end of my career. No one really wanted to hire an unbalanced (no really Meniere's is a balance and hearing disorder) crusty old fireman, so here I am working in small government and happy as a clam. (Why exactly are clams happy? Do they want to be in my chowder?)
So, working in small government part-time is what you do with a degree in history, that is if you don't teach or write or go to law school. So in my spare time, (working part-time that seems to be a lot) I'm going to write a blog about history. This will likely follow no discernible path from one story to another, but a lot of the historical stories will be local. Some of the things I write about might even be how- to's on history research and genealogy. It all depends on my mood.
So, sit back, relax and enjoy some ramblings about history from the Rogue Historian (that's me by the way).
And yes, you DO want fries with that.
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