Posts

Showing posts from November, 2016

Genealogy Blog Party: Celebrating Traditions --My Grandma's Rolls

Image
If you are not familiar with the Genealogy Blog Party, be sure to stop over to host Elizabeth O'Neal's blog Little Bytes of Life   to learn more. November Theme:  Celebrating Tradition Share a favorite holiday tradition. Examples:   A favorite family recipe or complete meal; A display of treasured ornaments and decorations; Watching special movies or TV shows together; Attending parties and other gatherings. One day, I will be able to recreate them. At least that is my hope. What am I talking about? I'm talking about being able to make my Grandma Murrell's rolls. Those rolls were only one of many culinary feats my grandmother was able to accomplish in her tiny kitchen. It's the smell and taste of those rolls I long for when the holiday season comes around. Here's me with my grandma back when I was in high school, posing in her kitchen.  You know anyone who owns an apron like that one means business in the kitchen. When I was a kid, the aro

Mappy Monday: Aerial View of Bridgeton

Image
Image courtesy of Google Maps. I learned today that I was just slightly off on my estimation of where Fort Anderson was located in New Bern, thanks to the a map I found on WikiMedia Commons.  In my post, Bristow Harris and The Barrington Estate , I used Google Maps to plot out points in Bridgeton, a town that's considered part of the New Bern metropolitan area. That map I created I am featuring here again and is shown above. The points noted on the map were areas mentioned in documents that described the location of the Barrington/Lincoln Estate, an area that my 3rd great grandfather had obtained a land lease for after the Civil War. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. Fort Anderson Battlefield Map This is a map of the area involved in The Battle of Fort Anderson during the Civil War. The area noted with the red circle features the approximate location of the actual fort. Now, I don't know exactly when I might be able to make a trip to New Bern but

Thanksgiving 2016

Image
I know I am a bit late posting this, but this is the first time today I've been able to sit down at the computer for a period of time. I hope that everyone has had a wonderful day spending time with friends and family. My kids had me cracking up earlier in the day with ideas of what Thanksgiving could be renamed. This was my favorite, Butter-giving . My daughter couldn't believe how much butter I needed to buy to make the meal. Well, butter does make it taste better :) 

Binghamton Fall Open 3: His First Fencing Meet :)

Image
What a great day! My little man participated in his first fencing meet yesterday. In a post from earlier in the year, I shared how my son had decided to follow in his mother's footsteps and take up the sport of fencing. If you missed that post, here's the link:  Something About Me Saturday: Another Generation Takes A Stab At Fencing I warned him before the meet that the point of attending was to try to score touches and to observe other more experienced fencers. Also, it was great practice for him getting hooked and unhooked to equipment more quickly. This was going to be a learning experience. He was the youngest participant (he's only 11) and he was competing against college aged and older folks. He was a winner for being there. I have to say thank you to several of the Binghamton University fencers who were there yesterday and gave my son advice and words of encouragement just as he was knocked out of the tournament. It meant a lot to him and to me to have that suppo

Fall Festival 2016

Image
Her papa and I are so proud! This girl is driven. She loves to practice and she just loves gymnastics. So glad she found something that she loves doing. This is a picture of her from Sunday. It was the first meet of the season at her gymnastics academy.  Beam: 8.0  Floor:  8.55 Bars:  8.3 Vault: 8.8 All Around --2nd Place 

Bristow Harris and The Barrington Estate

Image
Cooper - n. - a person whose work is making or repairing barrels and casks. (Definition courtesy of Merriam-Webster Dictionary. ) Bristow Harris was my 3rd great grandfather on my maternal line. On my post, Amanuensis Monday: Brister/Bristow Harris Found In Freedmen's Bureau, Land and Property Records , I made a short list of questions regarding his motivation to lease a particular piece of land at the end of the Civil War. Here are the questions I came up with on from that post: 1) Why this piece of land?  2)What was Bristow's connection to it? Was there a connection to the man who originally owned it--Stephen Barrington? 3) Was his choice to lease this particular piece of land linked to his occupation as a cooper. 4)Could I pinpoint where the land he leased was located? My 3rd great grandfather had at least two families. One of these families resided in Wilmington, NC while the other (the one I am descended from) lived in New Bern. From the evidence I've f