questionableadvice: ~ Etiquette, Health and Beauty, Frances...

questionableadvice:

~ Etiquette, Health and Beauty , Frances Stevens and Frances M. Smith, 1889

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"The past cannot be changed, forgotten, edited or erased; it can only be accepted."

“The past cannot be changed, forgotten, edited or erased; it can only be accepted.”



- TheDailyPositive.com (via thedailypozitive)



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Old Georgetown Road - part of the original King’s Highway,...

Old Georgetown Road - part of the original King’s Highway, the main road leading from Charleston to Boston.

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One of my all time favorites!

One of my all time favorites!

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The Stories That Bind Us

I feel a strong connection to my ancestors and our land because someone in my family showed me these places, told me who lived there and showed me pictures if possible. They told the stories of the people's lives. These were my ancestors before me and I felt a connection and have memories that I want to hold on to. That's what I want to pass down. Not everyone feels that connection, but I read an article recently that made a lot of sense to me and I think it explains how important knowing your history means.

The article was printed in the New York Times on March 15, 2013 and titled “The Stories That Bind Us” by Bruce Feiler. A study had been done showing that children who know more about their family’s history tend to do better when faced with challenges, have a stronger sense of control over the lives and higher self-esteem.  Why does knowing where your grandmother went to school help a child overcome something as minor as a skinned knee or as major as a traumatic event? The answers have to do with a child’s sense of being a part of a larger family. The bottom line: if you want a happier family, create, refine and retell the story of your family’s positive moments and your ability to bounce back from difficult ones.

Yes, as children growing up we all yawned a lot during the “back when” stories of our elders, but believe me, those stories stay in your memory and are appreciated so much as you grow older.

If you would like to read the article in its entirety the link is:

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/17/fashion/the-family-stories-that-bind-us-this-life.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&

Another good article: http://www.journaloffamilylife.org/doyouknow.html

Surprising Discoveries Part 1

Over the past few years the internet has connected me with family that I didn't know about as it has with many others doing their family history research.

The most surprising came about 7 years ago when I was contacted by someone who saw my inquiry on a website regarding my Haynes family. My great-grandmother was Annie Haynes Fultz who passed away when I was 12 years old and I already knew quite a bit about her and her siblings, but not much about her parents and nothing at all about her grandfather (still trying to find out more about him!). Well, this person said we were related because her grandfather was Annie's brother. I said I'm sorry you must have the wrong Willis Haynes because Annie only had one brother and that was not your grandfather. I even have Annie's handwritten paper which lists her parents and siblings with their birth dates and he is not on there, and I have never heard his name before. He was not in the obituary or will, either. She was surprised that I didn't know of him and even provided me with his death certificate listing Willis and Margaret Haynes as his parents! I immediately called my dad (Annie's grandson) who also had no idea this person existed! Unfortunately, Annie's son (my grandfather) had died three years earlier and I really wish I had known about this when he was still alive so I could ask him.  The person (the granddaughter) told me that Willis had an illegitimate child and brought him home to raise as his son. Willis died the following year and all of his children other than this son were already grown, so the son and Willis' wife moved in with their daughter and her husband. I have learned from other family members that there was a rumor that the child was actually the "out of wedlock" child of one of Willis' daughters, but it was 1906 and it was kept secret and he took the child in as his and his wife's. The child and Willis' wife did move in with that daughter after Willis' death. Perhaps I'll never learn the truth, but that was the BIGGEST surprise I've learned so far!

Picture History!

I know I'm slow finding things sometimes, but just ran across two web sites that are really interesting. You can take an image and pin it to a mapping site to see what the current address used to look like. Don't laugh; I'm sure they've been there for ages and I'm just finding out!  www.whatwasthere.com is a really neat site for this. There are tons and tons of images already there and I love pulling up an address (say Historic Downtown Charleston) and seeing an image from the past overlayed on the current street view of Google Maps! You can slide a bar that fades the image in and out to make is easier to view.

Another similar site is www.historypin.com

I'm a visual type of person so being able to see old images overlayed on current images makes it so much more easier for me.  Try it....I'll bet you will be addicted!