Derry Diary

Dear County Derry, Can a place hold memories? John Carmichael was my 4th great-grandfather. Do you remember him? He was born within your borders just outside the town of Dungiven on 11 June 1774. It's thought his parents were Archibald and Isabella (Dunlap) Carmichael (although I haven't found definitive proof of them). John and his … Continue reading Derry Diary

The Name Game

Family names as middle names has been a tradition in my family for at least three generations: both my parents have their mother's maiden names as middle names, my sister and I share middle names with our grandmothers, and my children's middle names reflect names from our family trees. While not unique to our family, … Continue reading The Name Game

After Heart

Building on last week's post, The Edgefield Advertiser records many moments in the life of my Medlock-Carmichael ancestors. My search has, so far, been limited to Martha Carmichael and Henry Townes Medlock and mostly just for the span of Martha's life, 1889-1915. According to the articles over the years, Martha, known to many as Heart, was well-loved … Continue reading After Heart