Chasing Dead Ancestors

Mary Ellen Moss' (my great-grandmother's) bedroom furniture -- vanity with stool, chest of drawers and cedar chest -- was in a house fire in the 1920s at the family's home in Crews, Texas. The family was able to save the furniture before the house burned down, although the shellac finish on the furniture was damaged and “bubbled” from the heat.* The furniture was kept in the family throughout the years, with the pieces shuffled around to various family members in various combinations. When my husband and I bought our first home, we needed furniture so we were more then happy to accept my mother's gift of the chest of drawers and vanity. Truth be told, I'd always loved this furniture so I was thrilled to have it in my home. It wasn't in the greatest of shape due to wear and tear over the years (not to mention the fire damage), but we pressed it into service in the guest room and planned on refinishing it one day. But days turned into weeks, weeks into months,

Luck -- and DNA -- played a role in discovering the identity of one of my husband's great-grandfathers. Since we were married and I started learning about his family, I was surprised that he knew so little about his lineage. He knew a few of his grandparents, but beyond that information was sketchy or non-existent. As I spent more time with my in-laws asking questions, I was particularly taken with the fact that my father-in-law couldn't name his father's father. For years, I asked questions in every way possible in an attempt to elicit information that I thought might yield clues to this man's identity. For years, I was met with no information at all. My last conversation with my father-in-law about his grandfather finally elicited what I believe to be the only information he had. Paraphrasing: "My grandfather was NEVER discussed around me. I'm not sure my father ever knew his father. If he did, he never spoke about it and I never asked him." Now wh

When I think of a "strong woman," I think of all the women in my family who lived their lives without "all mod cons." [1] Florence Ellen Johnson (maternal grandmother; b. 1901, d. 1992) worked as a short order cook in small town cafes most of her life, and even ran a boarding house back in the 1930s. She became the sole income earner for the family after my grandfather was permanently disabled by the Spanish influenza he contracted during WWI. Amanda Biddy (center) and Gertrude Elizabeth Wallace (right) I've heard many stories about my paternal grandmother Gertrude Elizabeth Wallace (b. 1893, d. 1969) washing clothes in a kettle over a fire with lye soap she made herself. When her father died in 1911, she purchased a Singer sewing machine to sew for a living and provide for the family. (She was 17 and the oldest daughter.) Her mother, Amanda Biddy (paternal great-grandmother; b. 1862, d. 1941), was seven years old when her father was murdered in Ma

So again with this prompt, nothing immediately related to "Will" pops to mind. So how about a partial survey of my ancestors with "Will in their names? I was surprised to find so many people buried off in my family tree software who don't seem familiar at all... William Beard William Andrew Johnson William Biddy (my 3x great uncle) William Eugene Caruthers William Givans William Henry "Doc" Shockey Willard Hobson Jones, my great uncle Gen. William Lee Davidson* William McFee William Moss (I counted 23 men named "William Moss.") William Shehorn (my 3x great-grandfather) William Wallace (I wish!) William Wilson Willie May Brevard Willis Monroe Johnson (my 2x great-grandfather) *While not a direct descendant, Gen. William Lee Davidson married one of my Brevard aunts. He was an officer in the Continental Army, serving with Gen. George Washington, “Light Horse Harry” Lee and Daniel Morgan, among others. He was killed at the Battle of