John Bones lost his wife, Maria, to tuberculosis. In a letter to his mother dated 4 June 1833, he writes, "I thought when in health that I appreciated her...but I now find that much as I love her I was never fully aware...of the treasure I possess in her, until the prospect of her removal, … Continue reading Something to Change My Plans
Letters were a lifeline for the Bones family and their associates to their families in Ireland in the 19th century. They communicated the latest family news, neighborhood changes, business dealings, and political perspectives. But their letters also had limits. Some letter writers were limited by a scarcity of paper or ink, keeping letter writers to … Continue reading A Thousand Letters
Wondering why there's an "s" on Adam? Read on to find out about this Eden of the 19th century. When Sarah Eve was a young woman, she was intrigued by a list of books that she found in her uncle's trunk. Sarah lived much of younger years with her aunt Catherine in Charleston, South Carolina. … Continue reading Adams & Eve’s Paradise
My grandparents' met sometime between 1938 and 1939. Grandpa was a sales rep with Swift & Company which sold meat to grocery stores. His routes took him to various places, including Abbeville, South Carolina, where my grandmother lived. By 1940, they were dating and grandpa sent grandma this note (hopefully with some flowers or chocolates): … Continue reading The Real McCoy
Isabella and William Campbell made the trip across the Atlantic ocean just weeks after they were married in August of 1838. According to Isabella's letters home, they sailed from Belfast to Liverpool and then on to Canada and down to Georgia, probably making stops along the way. By November they were in Augusta, Georgia, staying … Continue reading Unchilled by the Cold
My 4th great-grandmother, Mary Elizabeth (Eve) Carmichael, kept a diary from 1837 to 1850 that was passed down and is now kept at the library at University of North Carolina. As a teenager, on one of our semiannual drives from Washington, DC to Clemson, South Carolina, to visit my grandmother, we stopped at UNC so … Continue reading Peculiar Gratitude
John Holden is a brick wall and a stubborn one at that. There are no birth or death dates for him, no place of birth or death, no known grave, no census records. I'm not even sure his name was John. His wife and daughter were the only proof of his existence until recently. Last … Continue reading A Brick Wall Named Holden
Heart Genealogy 