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
My mom with her dad, ca. 1950. In honor of my mom's birthday this week, here she is as an infant with her dad. Mom was the fourth of six children, born while the family lived in Colorado. She has an incredible song catalog in her head, remembering countless songs all the way back to … Continue reading Photo: Birthday Girl
Recently I was interviewed by Denys Allen on her podcast, "Your Pennsylvania Ancestors." We talked about what I've learned from my 6th great-grandmother Mary Adams Bones about getting through difficult times. Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts.
When Julia Anne DeVore King was 15 years old, she married her Aunt Ellen's widower, Dr. William Edward Prescott, who was 35 years older than her. Julia became stepmother to her three cousins, Julia Annie and Wallace Thomas, who were older than her, and Eustace, who was 6 years old at the time. Julia and … Continue reading The Second Wife
December marks the anniversary of the death of both my paternal grandparents: this week brought the 11th year since my grandmother's passing and next week brings the 34th year since my grandfather's passing. I don't have any memories of my grandfather, but I knew my grandmother pretty well and sometimes her absence pains my heart. … Continue reading Grandma Wasn’t at Antietam
Martha Lake Carmichael, my great-grandmother, had the nickname Heart. It's not exactly known how this name came to her, but as I've researched her life and death, I've found it very fitting. During her short life, Heart had a very active social and community life and appears to have been loved by all who knew … Continue reading Heart Failure Following Childbirth
The prompt for 52 Ancestors this week is Work. This week I wrote down the occupations of many of my ancestors. Some interesting patterns emerged, with occupations often being passed down for generations. There is a cluster of doctors over several generations in my Eve/Carmichael line; there are ancestors that have occupations involving ships from … Continue reading A Woman at Work
