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
Recently my husband, for his genealogy research, was studying up on the different names that the countries of England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland have used as they have united and divorced over the centuries. For me, a chart is helpful in understanding and remembering the timeline of these changes. This one from a Wikipedia user … Continue reading Timing is Everything
On a wooded section of road, an iron gate stands at the entrance of a driveway that climbs to the right, up a small hill. Peeking out behind trees and bushes stands Chequer Hall, a house built during the Plantation of Ulster during the 17th century and the home of my 7th great-grandfather, John Adams, … Continue reading Chequer Hall
My husband and I took a trip to Ireland and Northern Ireland last year. We enjoyed lots of beautiful scenes of rolling green hills dotted with sheep, weather changing hourly, and dramatic coastal views. In between all these delights, we made our way though out-of-the-way villages and towns and to cemeteries and houses that are … Continue reading Walking in Randalstown
I have a sister. My mom and dad each have two. Lots of my ancestors had sisters, lots of them were sisters. Two of my 4th great-grandmothers were sisters to each other and they had eight more sisters. As I thought about this theme, I thought about my relationship with my sister and how much … Continue reading Sisters, Sisters
Family legends go with family history like oreos go with milk. While often not provable, there can be nuggets of truth to many of our families' legends. James Bones was born about 1766 near Randalstown, County Antrim, Ireland, the first child of John and Elizabeth (Scott) Adams. James had four brothers and one sister. As … Continue reading A Rebel with a Cause(way)
I knew exactly where the headstone would be. We got out of our car at the gate, greeted by a blue Church of Ireland sign, and walked the gravel driveway to the churchyard. It seemed an unlikely place for a church, almost nothing around, except the modern house next to the road, perhaps belonging to … Continue reading With Feelings of Undiminished Regret
