What’s in a nickname… Why are they given… How are they chosen?
Most nicknames begin from a baby like my husband’s early nickname of “Beans“… given because he was thin like a beanpole as a young boy. He outgrew that name for the most part except when addressed by Uncles, Johnny and Frankie… until their last breath… they called him “Beans.” Me, the only nickname was one I had when I was small… “Poot” given to me by Granddaddy McKinley… you can only guess why. Thank Heavens, it didn’t follow me into adulthood. That nickname was probably why I stood up in church nursery school and recited this poem… coincidently that Granddaddy McKinley taught me; Mama wasn’t happy with him.
I had a little dog named Jack,
tied him to the railroad track…
Along came a train saying “Toot Toot”
little Jack went “Poot Poot.”
Granddaddy probably taught me that before I was even 5 years old… part of his dry humor… him thinking it extremely funny whenever I said it out loud.
Mama had the nickname of “Little ET” after her father “ET“… she would get so mad when teased with that name… but it was an honor… as she was feisty like him. She always talked of how she could outrun all the boys and beat up most of them when they called her “Little ET”. Later in life she was just called “Kinley” by many friends.
My father had the early nickname of “Fats”… because he was extremely thin in growing up… it was a nickname given to him by his best friend, Henry Sisson. His early Navy photos definitely showed his thinness… wonder what his Navy buddies called him? As a young girl, I always thought he was called “Fats” because of his growing beer belly… not because he had been very thin as a young boy… only learning the true reason for the name after I grew up; wish I asked more on that name.
It’s not only people who have nicknames… often places do and many around Mama’s hometown had a few… later to even have streets named after them. After viewing an older Greene County (Georgia) map, it reminded me of those names I often had heard from my mother… and wondering how they came to be.
Mosquito Crossing... an area not far from Granddaddy’s farm, but no one seems to know of how the name came to be known. I don’t ever remember mosquitos being around his farm… maybe they only gathered in that specific area… as I read there was a marsh nearby.
Syrup Mill Crossing… was a crossroad about a mile down from Granddaddy’s, and in one of the corners a syrup mill once stood; granddaddy always carried his sugar cane to be squeezed into sorghum syrup there. Mama often went with him as a young girl… the owner would sit her up on the horse who walked round and round to squeeze the canes; she always sips of syrup while riding.
Granddaddy would pile the canes in his wagon, along with cans and glass jars to bring the syrup home in; a portion of what was produced was given to the owner for payment. Often the owner would sit her up on one of the mules that walked ’round and ’round in squeezing the juice from the cane… and if she was lucky, he’d hand her a small can of syrup to enjoy on her ride.
My mother rode the bus daily to school… at least when she was on-time. Many mornings, the bus driver sat to wait on her if she was having a bad hair day. Mama was very fussy about her hair, and it had to be just right, or she wasn’t going to school. In being the first pickup of the morning, made her the last drop off in the afternoon… and sometimes the bus drive, Mr. Copeland, made her wait on him as he’d stop to visit at the syrup mill before dropping her off. Mama laughed in telling me this, as she knew it was punishment for making him wait in the morning… but she didn’t dare complain as she sat on the hot bus.
Slip Rock, located on Slip Rock Road, is one of the places I remember and whenever visiting my grandparents in Siloam, we often went to cool off for the afternoon. It was located on the property of Dr. Lewis and open for all at the time we went. At that time, it was well taken care of, with everyone picking up after themselves. I don’t remember the name of the waterway that fed through, but it was a clear sandy stream which ran down and over long rocks into a pool of water below. Through the years, the constant water flow created very slippery rocks… sliding you down into the water below.
Through the years, the nearby dirt road leading to “Slip Rock” became known as Slip Rock Road. I was lucky enough to have been able to enjoy it when I was young… but it’s no longer accessible due to people abusing it in breaking glass in the water area and leaving trash; the owners eventually let the area grow up in order to keep people out. I remember many humid afternoons of walking barefoot through the small stream that led to the large rocks where the water ran over… creating a very slippery slide down into a pool of water below. Besides the large sliding rock, there were several large flat rocks for sunbathing.
Me, (right) sitting alongside the stream on rock… on the left is the large sliding area down into a pool of water
As a young girl, I enjoyed walking through that stream of clear water that led to the rocks… the bottom was sandy and shallow… which felt good to your bare toes. Sadly, in later years in the late 70’s, the area was posted “no trespassing” dues to people going in and leaving their trash and broken bottles. What once was a local haunt for young people… became only known in stories.
Flat Rock… A place I never visited, but often heard stories of. It was what seemed like extremely large flat areas of all rock…where families enjoyed picnics and celebrated holidays. It was often said it was part of the roots of the larger Stone Mountain outside of Atlanta. I always thought it funny in how the large rocks in the nearby fields were said to be part of the roots of Stone Mountain. Greene County was known for having large rocks everywhere… especially in all the open fields. Mama talked of a really large one in her father’s back field… it was her favorite place to sit in solitude whenever she wanted to be alone.
Mama with her parents and sister-in-law, Katherine, at Flat Rock… and from what I’ve been told, it seemed to be the area of where the locals would picnic on Sunday afternoons… as usually the farmers didn’t work on that day, as it was the Sabbath… and there wasn’t supposed to be any work done on that day. Today it is now part of a working quarry there. (LtoR: Ola McKinley (grandmother), Katherine (daughter in law), Helen McKinley (mother), Edgar McKinley (grandfather)
Thanks for Reading, Jeanne
To read more 2024: 52 Ancestor Stories 52 Weeks, click HERE.
Another post on Nicknames I wrote in 2020 can be found Here.
Memorial Day is a time of remembering those who gave their lives for us… they gave their only life so we may live ours in freedom. I’ll never forget my uncle… of who I never had the privilege to meet… him dying seven years before I was born.
My mother, his only sibling, kept his memory alive to me through her stories… and he’s been kept alive in memory through his name… my middle name of “Lee” was given for him… I passed the middle name of “Lee” to my daughter… she in turn passed her middle name of “Lee” to her daughter plus adding Leroy’s surname of McKinley as her first name… in keeping Uncle Leroy alive through his name sharing. To family and friends at home… he was known often as “Lee”.
Uncle Leroy gave his life on Feb. 19, 1945… a life given for our freedom!
A letter written in telling his location… and of where his mind was wondering to… of happy times where he ached to return.
Uncle Leroy was an Infantryman… primarily a foot soldier – the heart of the Army… performing the grueling duties of attack, defense, guard, and police
In July of 1944 the 2nd Infantry Regiment along with the 5th Infantry Division landed in Normandy, France. They became part of General George Patton’s United States Third Army, capturing Rheims and seizing the city of Metz after a major battle at Fort Driant. I can only assume that Leroy was possibly there with his unit… deriving this from letters written home, with him mentioned being in France, as well as Luxembourg… placing him in the correct time frame and area of battles.
On a letter dated February 6th, Leroy wrote… “I am ok here at this time. Almost all the snow is gone in Luxembourg, but it is still very cold. Tonight, I am heading out to see a movie. Tell my sister I am thinking of her. His letters always ended the same… Your Loving Son Always, Leroy.”
It was this area of Luxembourg where Uncle Leroy wrote his final letter… a letter home to his mother, father, and sister – my mother… always trying to pretend he was ok… but he wasn’t ok… he was longing for home… and praying he would return to the home he sorely missed.
The brutally cold night of February 6th was the first night troops prepared to cross the River Sauer, but with the cold and snow, and the swollen river, only two boats and sixteen men managed to make land on the eastern bank. Those sixteen men were now on the enemy side and all alone. There had been several boats starting out, but they capsized almost immediately… dumping many soldiers into the icy water. Those sixteen, were under constant fire from German machine guns as they struggled to make land… and were now alone. I can’t even imagine what ran through their minds in looking for cover. His unit was nearby supporting these first guys… waiting to cross when the order was given.
The Ardennes, site of the Battle of the Bulge, was a forest of rough terrain and rolling hills that extended through France, Belgium, Luxembourg and down into Germany. It was where the soldiers first gained entrance into Germany in pushing the Germans back. This forest area was where Uncle Leroy was killed thirteen days later… in a woody area as he prepared to enter a village in clearing.
Uncle Leroy received the Purple Heart posthumously… it being awarded to his mother, who kept it safe through the years… before passed to my mother and now me… where it will later be passed down to granddaughter McKinley Lee who will keep it safe in remembering how strong her name is and the memories it holds.
While I never was awarded the chance of meeting Uncle Leroy McKinley… I will keep his memory alive… he will never be forgotten.
As you enjoy your Memorial Day parades, picnics and family… take a moment of silence to remember our heroes… the true heroes who gave their lives for us. They gave their chance to marry, have children and grow old so you may live in a free country.
Buy a Poppy whenever you see your local VFW members selling… and Thank them For Their Service! To read how the “Poppy” came to be a focal of Memorial Day… read HERE about the Poppy Lady… who lived in my mother’s hometown of Monroe, Georgia.
Many Gave Their All!
Thank You for Your Service… and Thank You for reading… JEANNE LEE
This is my 9th year of writing in the annual April A to Z… and I changed my topic a few times until settling on DNA. I’m also writing again in my 3rd year of 52 Weeks 52 Ancestors this year… so April is going to be quite tricky for me… two designated posts a week the month. In as I was going to write a few DNA posts on the 52 weeks challenge, but then decided I could spread out my writing to keep all the DNA information in one grouping on the April A to Z. I hope you find it interesting how the DNA is tested for unusual topics like bitter sensitivity or hangryness… it’s been interesting to see if I feel Ancestry has hit the mark… or missed it. If you’ve never heard of the annual A to Z, then head over HERE for more info. It’s quite interesting to write on a specific topic for the month… meeting and making new friends as they visit… and visiting their blogs. It’s always a fun learning curve.
Mama couldn’t resist posing with the limo drive at grandson’s wedding!
Preserving Mamas Memories…
The best thing I’ve preserved through the years are my mother’s memories. She was the source for my beginning into family research… and family stories.
In as I don’t live near my mother, I called her nightly and somehow an idea popped in my head one night… to write her stories/memories and daily activities that she talked about. Some good… Some funny… and some complaining nights… but I enjoyed them all… and today they are preserved treasures!
Often during those conversation she’d say…. “Are You writing down everything I say?” “Yes, I am Mama.” Once I realized that she had more stories than I’d ever heard before, I began asking questions just to see if she had answers. She remembered so much of her youth and life than I’ve ever remembered… not sure what happened to my memories? It still puzzles me today as why I don’t remember more of my life. I have very little memories of even high school… of simple things like… did I bring lunch to school… what was served in the lunchroom, or even, what did it look like inside? My husband remembers all the answers… why don’t I?
Mama waited for that nightly call… especially if something had happened at the senior center… as she wanted to vent.
Mama went to the senior center for over 40 years, and for most of those years, she volunteered in what was called the “clothes closet” … a room where they sold donations. Mama loved that job… but what she loved more… was being the first one who sorted through those donations. She’d often laugh about something she saw for sale on television, saying… “oh, it’ll show up at the clothes closet sooner or later.” She was content to wait and pay that quarter; everything was pretty much a quarter there. Mama was always very frugal, but once in a while she’d splurge on something that had me shaking my head… not believing she paid that price.
One of mama’s purchases, of what I thought was extremely crazy, was when we arrived on vacation to discover she’d bought a new (used) bed for $750! My son and I were shocked… it was so unlike her to spend that much… but there were times when she really wanted something… and She bought!
The bed was actually only the frame for a waterbed… and my first words were… “you’re not putting water in it I hope?” I didn’t even want to worry about it leaking with me a thousand miles away! She fell in love with the bed as it had drawers all around under the frame… more places for storage! The bed arrived on almost a 100-degree day… and after much frustration and sweat, my son and I managed to assemble! Mama was happy!
Throughout the years of working at the senior center, Mama brought home many of those “quarter” items, and we never arrived to not find several items just waiting for us to bring home. Believe me… our suitcases were a lot heavier going… than coming! In later years, hubby began coming with me on vacation to Mama’s and enjoyed rummaging around saying, “She had a keen eye for detail“… often squirrelling away a few things for himself from Mama’s.
If you dared to mention something you wanted or looking for… she’d hunt it down… making sure she, had it waiting for you. In telling her I was collecting back my Nancy Drew collection… you bet your buttons, I arrived to find several books waiting for me… and Mama laughed in how she’d been reading them again… remembering how she once read as a young girl and dreamed of being a detective just like Nancy Drew.
Mama seemed to be a preserver of stories… as well as things… adamant in how she only enjoyed telling the stories… hating to write… saying that the writing part was my job. We made a good team in preserving those family stories
Mama had several aunts and uncles and often remembered stories… of how Aunt Lena always put her shoes on the mantle at night as she didn’t want anyone stepping on them, or how Aunt Emma was never without her camera… Mama hated having to pose for photos when she visited. Thank you, Aunt Emma, for the many photos you left for me! Mama loved listening to Uncle Joe talk about how he and her father would stick matches in their grandfathers’ shoes… lighting them and running away like the wind… and how this same grandfather stuffed Confederate money in his old comfy chair; after hearing that story, Mama begged her father to take her to go search that chair… of which he sadly told her… that chair was long gone.
Mama had so many stories through the years… often remembered in bits and pieces when something I said sparked a memory. I soon learned to ask specific questions in hopes of retrieving those long-forgotten memories.
One night after thinking I’d heard it all… she came out with another remembrance… saying, “I flew in a plane once when I was young… it was in Siloam near our house.” I was floored as I’d never heard she had flown, or there was an airfield in her small hometown. Another story I couldn’t wait to preserve… read Here.
I had never eaten figs until marrying and moving to Connecticut… but one night I learned… “Daddy had a fig tree on the farm… I used to climb up and eat myself silly… but I think it died later on. Actually, there were two fig trees at the farm… one was up on the ridge by the barns and the other one was behind the car shelter.” Those trees must have died before I was born as I never saw a fig tree there in growing up. I surely would have discovered it, as I tramped all over granddaddy’s farm in keeping myself occupied when there.
A few unknowns and funnies remembered of Mama from our nightly phone calls…
Daffodils and Narcissus are my favorites, as they smell so good... but I also love to plant Sweet Williams every summer.
No matter how many times Mama told me this riddle, I always had to stop and “try” to remember the answer. “A man goes to jail to visit another man. He tells the jailer, “If you can answer this riddle, will you let the man go free? The riddle is… “Brothers and Sisters I have none, but this man’s father is my father’s son!” So, who is the man?”
“I don’t like Zinnia’s… I remember the old women calling them “old maid” flowers when I was young, but I do think they are one of the prettiest flowers. I love Zinnia’s and whenever I plant them, I always think of Mama saying that.
I called Mama tonight to wish her a “Happy Birthday” (April 6, 2009) and she began telling me how cold and windy it was there today. “I guess we’ll be having a “Blackberry Winter.” I quickly asked, what’s that? You never amaze me, but that’s a first.” “That is what the old folks called a cold spell that’s coming around Easter time. It’s something to do with the first beginning of blackberry season I guess – all I know is I’ve always heard it.”
“When I was a young girl on the farm, I enjoyed dressing up in my mother’s old clothes I found in her closet. She had a skinny polka dot flapper-style dress with a hat that she wore pulled down to the side. I loved those clothes! When I watch one of my favorite movies “Oh Brother Where Art Thou with George Clooney – the clothes the women wore always remind me of my mother’s dress-up clothes. I never saw her wear that dress or hat, but it always remained in the hallway closet. I loved playing dress-up and wearing the hat pulled down to the side… slicked down to my head just like she told me she wore it. She said they were hers from the 1920’s; I guess it was a flapper-style dress. Maybe it was the dress she even got married in, but she never said. I don’t know whatever happened to it, but I sure wish it had been saved.”
In telling mama tonight that my friend at work calls her, “Driving Miss Daisy” and that I’d told her the story of her and Clyde the Alligator. Laughing, Mama said, “Oh, it’s been a long time since I’ve thought about Clyde. I used to tell the men at work that story of what I would say to the men who tried asking to visit me at the farm… “Sure you can come visit me at the farm, we can walk down to the pond in the moonlight and stand by the pond looking up at the moon. Then as we’d turn to walk back to the house, I’d hear …slurp… and old Clyde would have come up behind us and “Whoosh”… another man gone! I remember the guys falling over in fits of laughter whenever I told that story to someone who never heard it before… as they knew what was coming.”
Mama often had funnies like… It’s not too cold outside today, but it’s “sneaky cold.” You stay outside long enough, and the cold sneaks up on you!”
Happy Mother’s Day Mama… and I know you’re fussing on this photo of you looking so mad when we made you pose with us at The Blue Willow.
Thanks for Reading,
Jeanne
To read more 2024: 52 Ancestor Stories 52 Weeks, click HERE.
This is my 9th year of writing in the annual April A to Z… and I changed my topic a few times until settling on DNA. I’m also writing again in my 3rd year of 52 Weeks 52 Ancestors this year… so April is going to be quite tricky for me… two designated posts a week the month. In as I was going to write a few DNA posts on the 52 weeks challenge, but then decided I could spread out my writing to keep all the DNA information in one grouping on the April A to Z. I hope you find it interesting how the DNA is tested for unusual topics like bitter sensitivity or hangryness… it’s been interesting to see if I feel Ancestry has hit the mark… or missed it. If you’ve never heard of the annual A to Z, then head over HERE for more info. It’s quite interesting to write on a specific topic for the month… meeting and making new friends as they visit… and visiting their blogs. It’s always a fun learning curve.
How ironic that our anniversary is this week May 5th…
I met my Fly-Boy over 53 years ago!
I walked into his “party” house he lived in… dressed in fringed, bell-bottomed jeans, an army field jacket, and very giggly… he tells me. I tripped and fell into his waiting arms… never leaving his side after that night. I still can’t walk a straight line today! He said when I walked in, he knew I was all he wanted in a girl… long dark hair, long legs and a southern drawl… he was a Yankee!
Love and marriage, love and marriage They go together like a horse and carriage This I tell you, brother You can’t have one without the other!
Some people spend years together before marrying… some are boyfriend/girlfriend all through school… while some only know each other a short time. We were that couple only knowing each other for a short time. We met on Halloween night at a club… me dressed in one of my prom dresses. While we didn’t really connect at the club… although he remembers watching me all dance all night… dancing all night long… every dance; I once enjoyed being out on the dance floor.
I was at the club under-age (19) that night and I so happened won best female costume… winning a case of beer. In as I couldn’t take possession of it, his friend claimed it for me to take back to their house of where my girlfriend and I were invited. I changed out of that dress into my regular attire of jeans, shirt and I still can’t remember of who I had snagged the army field jacket off of… but that’s what he remembers me wearing that night. Me, I hardly remember any of it, other than tripping in the dark house upon entering and he caught me… the rest is history!
But back to how long we actually knew each other…
By the middle of December, he was transferred to Loring AFB in Maine… over 1500 miles away. While we had been inseparable since the end of October… it had only been a short 6 weeks of spending time together when he wasn’t on duty at the base… Warner Robins AFB… Warner Robins, Georgia. Of course, he promised to call and write… but I worried he wouldn’t… and he probably then didn’t know what he would do. All he knew, was “that” he was required to arrive at Loring AFB on a designated day. He belonged to Uncle Sam… and went wherever he was told… like it or not!
In as his home state of Connecticut was enroute to Maine, he spent a couple weeks home before reporting for duty in early January. Hubby was used to snow… being from Connecticut… but when he arrived in snowy Maine… he was shocked in finding snow piled so high around the telephone poles… making them look only a few feet above ground. Upon arriving at the barracks, he found guys jumping out the second-floor windows into the snowbanks below… which were only a couple feet from the windows. His mind quickly wondered back to warm Georgia… and me… thinking of who he had left behind.
A short romance quickly progressed through letters and daily phone calls… making our hearts grow fonder and truly missing each other.
After learning from a roommate of how to bypass the base’s phone system to call off-base for free, he called me daily. We spent every night on the phone when he wasn’t on duty at the flight line; he worked on the B 52 bomber. I don’t remember too much of what we talked about, other than me telling him how much I missed him… and him doing the same… then about three months after enduring that 1971 cold, snowy winter, he called with more news.
The news… that he was soon heading to Thailand… way further than the 1500 miles of now. I had already planned to fly up in the summer as he knew I’d never survive winter there… and now plans had changed. I suddenly felt the rug pulled out from under me again… now what… I felt this was the end of us!
Within a day or so of that unbelievable news… Steve called and pretty much said that he was coming down to get me in a couple of weeks and we were going to get married before he left… and was bringing me to Connecticut to live with his parents. Had he even asked his parents… No! Did he even ask me to marry him… No! I don’t think I knew what to say… but I knew I wanted to marry him… was I even thinking about leaving home and going to Connecticut… No… we were in love and taking each day as it came.
While Steve never actually asked me directly to marry him… he did have to go to the base commander and ask him if he could marry me? I thought that funny! I still tell him today… I’m waiting to see him get down on his knee and ask… he laughs!
In as my parents had recently divorced the previous year… I stayed with my father to finish school… and had just graduated a few months before meeting Steve. I don’t remember who I told first, but I do remember telling my father and getting the look of “really.” He had never met Steve, and in knowing service guys… figured, he’s just telling her what she wants to hear. Daddy fussed at me when I quit my job two weeks before Steve was to arrive… but I kept telling him, “He will come.” Sometimes I did wonder to myself, as most would, but I knew he’d come back to Georgia… and me!
And one day late in April… Steve arrived at my door! Just like he said he would! In as we didn’t have cell phones at that time… you couldn’t stay in touch with people when they traveled… you just waited!
While I was beyond happy to see him… I suddenly felt nervous… apprehensive… and thinking, did I really know this guy… am I really going to get married… am I really going to Connecticut to live with strangers. Well yes, I was… and I did!
Daddies are all alike… protective over their little girls and my father definitely made Steve aware of that. I was sent to shower early that night, leaving them to talk… or rather Daddy to talk, and Steve to listen. They seemed to hit it off and… and 53 years later I can still say, “See Daddy, I told you it would work out.”
One thing my father told Steve was… “I’m sure glad I don’t have to feed you daily, as you sure eat a lot.” Ha… he was only used to feeding me, and I probably didn’t eat at home that often… spending most of my time over at my girlfriend’s house, where her parent’s fed me.
My mom immediately took to Steve, hugging him right away when we went to visit… calling him her son. She had moved home to care for my grandfather, while I stayed with daddy to finish school. I didn’t want to leave in my senior year and graduate at a different school, but I visited her often.
When I think back upon how I left my home… my parents and moved to another state… so far away… well, I now wonder how I did that. But I guess it’s one of those things… just young and in love! Today, it would petrify me in doing such a thing… and I could never do it, but this young 19-year-old packed up her possessions, said goodbye to her mother, father and best girlfriend and left with the love of her life.
Mama always had more control over me when she lived home… like most mothers do over teenagers, but I liked having more freedom with daddy. I’m not sure I would have ever met Steve if Mama had been home as she probably would have caught on more about the club I was going to or the spending the night at a friend’s house… and really not there; mama’s always have that insight, as they once were young girls. When I think back, I’m not sure how or why the “cop” at the door always let me and my girlfriend in, but he knew we didn’t and wouldn’t drink, so he let us come in. We just wanted to dance! Steve told me later, that he had seen me a few times there, but I always seemed busy on the dance floor… so he just watched me.
The hardest part was saying goodbye to everyone… especially daddy. I never realized until much later how hard it was for him. I wasn’t as close to my father in growing up… but once living only with him, we really became close. While I didn’t realize it… it was very hard on him in me leaving, so hard that he skipped out early that morning before we even woke… leaving me a note that he was called into work early and would call later. He did call to say goodbye, but I’ve never forgotten how I missed out on that last hug. I think that’s what gave me the many dreams of always trying to find him… calling him and he doesn’t answer… or going home to look for him, while never finding him. I think those dreams came because I never had that last hug, but recently I had a dream where I found him, and we hugged so hard… so maybe I won’t have those dreams again of searching and searching for him, only to never find…. maybe he came to me in my dream to give me that last hug. I woke up feeling so good… wanting to go back to sleep, only to dream it again.
It was exciting in traveling… being on our own… married… and spending our honeymoon on the road in heading to Connecticut. I don’t even remember being scared when we pulled into his driveway. Everything was all new to this Southern girl… I definitely wasn’t in Georgia anymore… I was now in the North where everything seemed so different… but I had Steve beside me.
I was young and very green in being on my own… Steve was four years older than me. I looked to him… he was my protector. He was already used to being on his own being in the Air Force… and I felt safe with him.
The food was the first of many different things I discovered… and they talked different than me (LOL) and used words I never heard of… but as he tells me now… “you fit right in. When I came back from Thailand, I couldn’t believe how well you fit in with the family, you went to my grandmother’s almost daily, like everyone else did… you knew your way around my hometown… you had gotten a job… and you were happy.“
I was too young and naive to even understand how his parents must have been feeling at that time… as he broke the news to them in stopping there on his way to Georgia. I’m not sure how I’d feel, knowing a strange girl was coming to live in my house. From what I learned later, it hadn’t set too well with his mother at the time, but we soon learned to get along pretty well after a period of adjustment. His father and I took to each other right away… so I knew I had an ally. I think he’d always wanted a daughter…. and he truly treated me as such.
Fifty-three years later, two children… one-daughter in-law, one son-in-law, five granddaughters… and we’re still together. All is Good!
Thanks for Reading,
Jeanne
To read more 2024: 52 Ancestor Stories 52 Weeks, click HERE.
This is my 9th year of writing in the annual April A to Z… and I changed my topic a few times until settling on DNA. I’m also writing again in my 3rd year of 52 Weeks 52 Ancestors this year… so April is going to be quite tricky for me… two designated posts a week the month. In as I was going to write a few DNA posts on the 52 weeks challenge, but then decided I could spread out my writing to keep all the DNA information in one grouping on the April A to Z. I hope you find it interesting how the DNA is tested for unusual topics like bitter sensitivity or hangryness… it’s been interesting to see if I feel Ancestry has hit the mark… or missed it. If you’ve never heard of the annual A to Z, then head over HERE for more info. It’s quite interesting to write on a specific topic for the month… meeting and making new friends as they visit… and visiting their blogs. It’s always a fun learning curve.
Zee GRANDDAUGHTERS’ RESULTS ARE FINALLY IN!!!
Earlier this year I sent DNA kits to my son and daughter for testing my granddaughters… and the results have arrived in time for me to compare and include here in my April A to Z challenge writing on DNA.
Our Shared DNA
Helen McKinley Bryan (my mother) 3,441 cM / 50% shared DNA to me
Son: 3,462 cM / 50% shared DNA from me
Daughter: 3,462 cM / 50% shared DNA from me
Nina: 2,103cM across 26 segments
Ana: 1,308 cM across 19 segments
Ella: 1,861 cM across 21 segments
McKinley: 1,544 cM across 32 segments
Grace: 1,154 cM across 31 segments
First results to arrive back was granddaughter Nina… No. 2 twin… next, Ella… the oldest, and Ana… twin No. 1.
Granddaughter Nina certainly has no outstanding Scottish characteristic like the traditional fair skin or red hair… clearly looking more Italian with the olive skin and very dark hair.
In viewing my daughter in law’s Ethnicity…. she shows 16% England & Northwestern Europe… 6% Wales… 4% Scotland… and 3% Sweden & Denmark. So, this shows me that not all of the countries in what I first thought of as my ethnicity to the granddaughters… are completely from me and my mother… their great grandmother, Helen McKinley… known as “Angel” to all the grandchildren.
Granddaughter’s results from Southern Italy show a higher percentage vs their father; their mother shows 54% Southern Italy. All three granddaughter’s show Northern Italy… but those results may have come from their mother at 9% Northern Italy; both her parents were born in Southern Italy, near Naples… emigrating here in the 1960’s. Somehow, through her parents, there is ancestry through them into Northern Italy. Possibly another “trace”… Northern Italy is through their great-great grandparents, Stefano & Giacinta (DiRosa) Insalaco, as their daughter “VI” shows Northern Italy on her ethnicity… so that proves there is Northern Italy ethnicity on either Insalaco or DiRosa. Even though it skipped hubby (their grandfather) and my son… it still might possibly be through their lines. Confused… Me to!
Percentages showing… Southern Italy/Northern Italy of Stephen D. (father/grandfather), Stephen (son/dad) to three daughters/granddaughters. Funny how the daughter’s inherited more than their father, but that’s because their mother is more full Italian… whereas my son is only half Italian.
Comparing my mother (Helen McKinley) me, and 3 granddaughters.
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I’m happy to see that the two red-headed granddaughters inherited some numbers from my Scottish side… which still boggles me with my Ireland/Scotland results. I previously had called myself Irish… but now I have to say I’m definitely more Scottish. With their high percentages… no wonder they both have red hair!
Me, my mother (Helen McKinley), my daughter, and granddaughters McKinley and Grace showing sizeable amounts of Irish… along with Scottish from their great-grandmother and myself. Their father is 92% Irish… which helped to give them their high percentages.
All my Scottish/Irish and England Ancestry comes through my mother (McKinley) and father (Bryan). I believe the Scottish line is more through my mother, with the English/Wales/Sweden/Ireland/Norway through my father. Funny how my Irish ancestry didn’t follow through to either my daughter son… but yet my husband has a 1% showing. My son’s daughters have inherited no Ireland ancestry, but they do have percentages of Scottish… with twin Ana the highest. Funny how Ella looks more Irish/Scottish and has the least numbers, with the twins, looking more Italian, and having the highest Scotland numbers.
My husband’s Italian ancestry shown here with our daughter and her daughters.
It’s been quite interesting in seeing how what my children and granddaughters inherited through the family lines. Some were surprises in as they looked to have more another ethnicity… which shows you that you can’t pinpoint someone’s ancestry by their looks alone.
Thanks for Reading
Jeanne
Thank You everyone who followed me along in my DNA ethnicity and traits this month. Most of my followers have also completed the A to Z and it’s been a fun ride in reading your posts daily and chatting with you. I’ll look forward to what you’ll come up with next year… and I’m already thinking of what I’ll write on.
To read more 2024: A to Z of DNA and more, click HERE.
This is my 9th year of writing in the annual April A to Z… and I changed my topic a few times until settling on DNA. I’m also writing again in my 3rd year of 52 Weeks 52 Ancestors this year… so April is going to be quite tricky for me… two designated posts a week the month. In as I was going to write a few DNA posts on the 52 weeks challenge, but then decided I could spread out my writing to keep all the DNA information in one grouping on the April A to Z. I hope you find it interesting how the DNA is tested for unusual topics like bitter sensitivity or hangryness… it’s been interesting to see if I feel Ancestry has hit the mark… or missed it. If you’ve never heard of the annual A to Z, then head over HERE for more info. It’s quite interesting to write on a specific topic for the month… meeting and making new friends in visiting their blogs. It’s always a fun learning curve.
Y (Why) did Ancestry miss traits such as Humor… Peculiarities… Height… Weight… Crafts… Cooking… Military genes… Gambling and Memory traits
Humor… Have you ever heard someone say, “You inherited your mother or father’s sense of humor,” or perhaps, “Where did you get your sense of humor?” As for me, I’ve been told, “You have the Bryan bossiness!”
There’s aways family members who have outlandish humor in the way they talk… or stories they tell. My grandfather McKinley was said to have a dry sense of humor… as Mama always called it. Even from a young age he seemed to have an unusual type of humor. He and his brother Joe would stick matches in their grandfather’s (Joseph T. Sharp) shoe as he slept on the porch… light them and run like the wind. Grandpa Sharp would wake suddenly, yelling “You two are the limb cats of the devil.” Now what the heck is a limb cat… possibly an extension somehow of the devil… which seemed to fit the both of them!
I remember how granddaddy loved to tease grandmamma… but always in the nicest way, as he loved her so very much… and never refused her anything she wanted. If she dared to walk by after he struck a match… he just couldn’t resist sticking her leg with the burnt end to see her jump… while he’d chuckle. I don’t remember him ever doing it to me… only grandmamma.
When granddaddy spent time at the VA Hospital… he often teased the nurses by grabbing their legs with the hook of his cane… lucky he never broke anyone’s leg. While he saw great humor in this… them, not so much.
Maybe granddaughter Nina inherited her sense of humor from her great-great grandpa McKinley! She’s quite the teaser… and knock-knock joke teller.
Peculiarities… well who hasn’t had an aunt… uncle… or family friend that as a child you thought… were peculiar?
Aunt Lena (McKinley) was that aunt to me… and we visited her often when I was young… Mama would tell me that Aunt Lena had always been her favorite aunt as a young girl. I never understood that, as from the moment I arrived, it seemed she appeared everywhere I went. She had no children… and in as we know how children like to snoop… so did Aunt Lena… in why she followed me around so closely. She had a beautiful home filled with antiques… sitting just across from Grant Park in Atlanta. Her front room was filled with things which intrigued me… and whenever her eyes weren’t on me, I’d tip toe in to look around. It wouldn’t be long before I was discovered and told, “didn’t I tell you that you weren’t to come in here“… but I wasn’t good in listening.
I also felt Aunt Lena ate peculiar… as she never had any white sliced bread, of which I was used to… she only ate wheat bread… which we never had in our house. She only served plain food at meals… nothing special that I remember. But I did like her bathroom as she had the first claw foot bathtub, I’d ever seen… and even though it seemed so high that I could just barely get my leg over, unless on my tip toes or a stool… I loved taking a bath in her tub… always the highlight of my trip.
Mama remembers how peculiar she was about her shoes… at bedtime she’d place her shoes on the mantel over the fireplace in her room… in saying she didn’t want anyone to step on her shoes. That was one thing I never did… step on her shoes!
In all Aunt Lena’s peculiarities… she was very smart and generous. Her mother died when she was just 15… leaving her the oldest daughter to raise her six siblings. My grandfather (E.T. McKinley) was only 5 years old when his mother died, and it was said she toted him on her hip most of the day with him saying “I want a sweet pot”… meaning a sweet potato; they remained the closest through the years. She and her sister Emma, left home to work and live in Atlanta… a very different city from the small community of Powelton, Georgia. They first began working as telephone operators at Southern Bell Telephone Company… of where she worked her way up through the company to become quite successful. After her death she left a monthly stipend to each sibling monthly until they passed; the rest was split between her nieces, nephews, great nieces and nephews… which included me. She was a very caring person to her family throughout her life… even if I felt she was peculiar as a young girl.
While I thought she had peculiarities to me as a young child… she was a strong-willed woman, and nothing ever stood in her way if she wanted to do something. On one of her yearly summer visits, she decided to cut a door into the dining room that my grandmother had wanted. When Lena set her head to doing something… there was no way it wasn’t going to get done. Once she cut the doorway, there was no turning back… as then granddaddy had no choice but to finish the job. Lena knew how to motivate him… just start the project… leaving him no choice but to make it happen! I can just imagine the muttering my grandfather did… as he finished that door frame!
I often wish I had been more than just an eight-year-old girl who saw Aunt Lena as merely that stern, intimidating figure. My mother revealed later to me that Aunt Lena had a keen interest in our McKinley family history, frequently recounting tales of the three McKinley brothers who emigrated from Ireland… one headed North, another South, and the third West. We are descendants of the one who ventured South. Although I’ve never confirmed the details, it’s possible that the brother who went West was related to President William McKinley. How I long to return to Aunt Lena’s front porch, armed with pencil and paper, ready to capture the wonderful stories she shared.
Height Traits…
Height… another trait missed by Ancestry… and why not as everyone in the family always says how you’re tall like… so and so.
I remember as a child always hearing how I was tall like my father… but my mother wasn’t short either. In as I can remember there was no specific family member that I remember being called short. Just the other week I went to renew my driver’s license and the girl asked my height… did I suddenly look shorter than the 5ft. 6″ listed on my old license… or was she thinking that as I’m turning 72, that I must have shrunk? So, I humored her and said 5ft. 5″… as two different doctors have given me both those measurements lately. Guess they either all have different rulers or whomever measured me doesn’t know how to read a ruler!
While we as adults grow shorter… or so they say… all the granddaughters are growing by leaps and bounds. McKinley has hit a growth spurt lately… growing like a weed as Granddaddy McKinley would say. Have you ever taken notice of how the weeds grow in your yard… you can almost watch them grow right before your eyes…. especially after a good rain. She’s proud to tell me she’s 5ft. 5″ now… but she’s still a wee under me… so one of my doctors were wrong on their measurements. While she and granddaughter Ella give big hugs now… I sure do miss the little kid hugs… but I’ll still be able to get them for a little longer from Grace, Ana and Nina.
The “dreaded” Weight Genes…
When I went for my new license, they didn’t ask weight… glad they skipped that one, as the girls asking were skinny mini’s. In as the doctors can’t seem to measure your height correctly, wish their scales were more off… although I do seem to weigh differently in each office… and why can’t I take my shoes off?
I remember a mirror at my grandma Bryan’s house… always made me look thinner. Did she buy that specifically by chance? Lol. I should have taken that mirror when the house was sold. Too bad there wasn’t one to make you look younger… wishful thinking on my part. As a kid, 72 seemed so very far away… like an age you would never reach… and suddenly you’re there… wondering how it happened so fast!
Crafting Traits… “crafts”… a word I’m sure they never knew!
My grandma McKinley crafted but never knew the word… she crocheted, sewed, knitted, made the best homemade broom-straw brooms! Yes… there’s a specific straw for brooms. Often when we were out mama would suddenly point out “broom straw” to me, growing on the side of the road. She’d say how her mama could tie the straw so tight… never coming apart. If only I’d realized what an heirloom they were, I might have squirreled one away years ago. Imagine today if you had to go out in the field to cut specific straw to make your broom… did people shyly compare their brooms in visiting?
Two quilts Grandmamma McKinley sewed… the double wedding ring and flower garden pattern. Grandmamma sewed the double wedding ring quilt for mama when she married.
Craft genes were nothing I showed interest in as a young girl even though my grandmother crocheted and quilted… although I never saw her do so. My mother was always handy in crafts… I saw her crochet, sew… making all my clothes and even Barbie was sewn for. If an idea came into her mind… she crafted it. I never crafted anything as a young girl other than potholders on a loom… and cutting out paper dolls.
In traveling back to my 3rd great grandfather (James Clark Bryan)… they crafted for daily things needed although crafting wasn’t a word used… it was always out of necessity. His daughter spun wool to create yarn and fabric for clothing. My grandmother sewed quilts for warmth… clothes and underwear for personal use and need. She reused every piece of fabric for something… from granddaddy’s Muslim tobacco bags for quilt backing to the now famous sugar and flour fabric printed bags for dresses and the dreaded scratchy underwear; they were just considered free fabric and highly treasured. My grandparents were the “use and reuse” generation… reusing things until no more. They were also the generation of the treasured junk pile somewhere… of where you first looked in repairing. I can still picture Granddaddy McKinley’s junk pile… sitting behind his smokehouse.
Cooking… and yes, Not everyone can cook!
Just like in cooking… I’m sure most women compared their food to others… and if the husband is smart… he always tells his wife that hers is the best. Mama never forgot how good her mamas cooking was… saying she made the best biscuits… best fried chicken and definitely the best blackberry pie. I guess that’s why when Grandmama cooked Sunday dinner… everyone showed up to put their feet under her table… so to speak. On one Sunday, Mama snuck a chicken breast off the table and hid in the kitchen cupboard… just for herself. In as the children all had to sit on the back stoop while the adults ate… Mama said she was tired of having nothing left but the backs or wings and she wanted a breast that day. While she enjoyed that chicken breast… her father later waited for her by the wood pile. But she told me… “it was worth the punishment. Mama was very strong-willed as a young girl… and most her life!
In as mama never hung in the kitchen, she never learned to make biscuits like her mother. She purposedly didn’t hang in mama’s kitchen as she didn’t want any part of helping… or sweeping… or pail carrying of water; Grandmamma liked to keep buckets filled with well water on the back porch. Mama learned after marriage… with much practice… but her first ones, she said, could have won the Civil War. I always remember Mama making the best homemade biscuits… never measuring… and always making the dough directly in her flour pail… on top of all the packed down flour. That’s an art! I never hung in the kitchen either… so I never learned to make biscuits till much later… but after much practice I learned… although I never mastered the art of directly making dough directly on top of packed down flour. I need to learn that!
In as I didn’t learn to cook in Mama’s kitchen… learning also after marrying… and more so in my mother-in-law’s kitchen. I must credit her for all the Italian foods I cook today… especially the Easter specialties of Ham, Rice and Wheat pies. They were nothing I ever ate, or even heard of while living in Georgia. Hubby never lets me forget my first “sandwich” making skills when we married… as they definitely weren’t what he was used to. In as I never liked more than one or two slices of meat on my bread… he liked it piled high with lettuce, tomatoes and mayo…. definitely nothing he received when I made his first work sandwiches! Hmmm… wonder who would have influenced my DNA on sandwich making skills… probably Mama, as she ate the same way; we never ate those big Italian style sandwiches on rolls… it was always sliced bread for us.
My son dabbled in cooking much more than his sister… and still laughs about the time she said to him… “Let’s make French toast”… then came… “So how do you make it?” He went in the kitchen and made breakfast.
While I wasn’t the best in letting anyone in my kitchen when I cooked… as I couldn’t concentrate unless I was alone… I do apologize to my kids! Well anyway, Stephen learned to cook, probably more over at his grandmothers, as she was happy to let him cook, and she was always cooking something. She would suddenly decide to whip up a plate of Anginettes, Pizzelles or even a cake… whereas me… I have to be in the mood to cook!
I went to work full-time after hubby retired… so I taught him our favorite recipes and he often had dinner waiting when I came home. I did have to give him lessons on my recipe notes such as what tsp., a pinch, extr, and many other of my odd abbreviations scribbled on the recipe cards. I also had to explain grocery lists, as when I wrote pot., or swt pot… he had no clue. No, I didn’t want a cooking pot or the smoking kind… I wanted potatoes or sweet potatoes. It was quite funny when he’d call to ask me to explain what I’d written.
Steve mastering the Pizza Oven… birthday gift!
I loved coming home from work… smelling the smells before I even hit the kitchen… nothing like arriving home to already cooked food. Steve’s turned out to be quite the cook… and does most of the family cooking… whether the kids like or not! Which is how it should be!
Even though my daughter wasn’t a cook at home… she’s become quite the accomplished cook herself… and yes, she allows her daughters in the kitchen. Both of them are interested in cooking, and McKinley is learning how to make the family “fudge” recipe… of where I learned from my mother-in-law. Grace hasn’t joined in the learning process of that as of yet, but she’s an excellent Hershey Kiss un-wrapper… one for her, one for the cookie.
McKinley baking biscuits… time to teach her my method of baking biscuits… the Southern way I learned from Mama.
Grace often helps in Mare Mare’s kitchen… helping to add the finishing touches on desserts and holiday dishes. I’m told she’s a great reorganizer for kitchen drawers… in throwing out unwanted or unneeded items… but in as I’m more a saver, I’ll pass on that help for now.
Granddaughter Ana enjoys cooking… but Nina is more the cookie taster. There’s always one who only likes to come in after the fact… and taste your products… and I think big sister Ella is probably right behind her.
Military genes… DNA or just wanting to be like Dad… or Mom as they do seem often to be passed down father to son… uncle to nephew… and now Mom to daughter or son. (My father in law – Steve Insalaco)
My 4th great grandfather, James Bryan was a Colonel in the War of 1812… also served in the Florida War. His son, my 3rd great grandfather, Berrien Clark Bryan, served in the Civil War… and then no more direct Bryan’s served until my father in WWII.
Military genes… Steve followed his dad in joining the Air Force… although first called the Army Air-Core when his father served. War (Vietnam War) was ongoing when hubby enlisted… just like when his dad joined during WWII. Hubby’s grandfather Joe Cambino joined during WWI… with his three sons joining during WWII. Funny how it’s more the boys who follow in jobs and military than the daughters.
My grandfathers were farmers as their fathers, but their sons, like many at that time, didn’t continue as farmers. Granddaddy Mckinley joined the Army during WWI, while his son was drafted in WWII… and sadly lost his life in the war. In as much as Uncle Leroy hated working on the farm and plowing in growing up… he often wrote home in how he missed it and couldn’t wait to come home and plow.
Granddaddy Paul Bryan joined, or attempted to join during WWI, but was refused due to foot issues… but his two sons followed in the military… both joining the Navy. All of my grandfather’s brothers served, one went in the Navy, while the others joined the Army. I did not follow my father in joining the military (Navy)… never gave a thought to join, but Daddy’s brother’s son followed his father in joining the Navy, and then the son’s daughter also joined the Navy… and the great granddaughter of my father’s brother joined the Navy.
Our son and daughter never gave a thought in joining the military… the draft had ended years ago in the 1970’s, but the boys are still subject to registering. I never thought about that until a card arrived after my son turned 18, informing him that he hadn’t registered for the selective service. Boy did that make me nervous when it arrived… as for a moment I thought they were drafting him! After all we’d been through the Vietnam War, I didn’t want him in the service. Hubby once felt that both men and women should go in the service… in learning to appreciate more what they have here in America and at home, but in today’s world… he’s since changed his mind on that thinking now.
Gambling traits… good or bad?
My father gambled from a young boy… it seemed the cards were in his blood, but from whom? I don’t think either of his parents gambled, but daddy often skipped school to go play poker with the men at the local mill where his father worked. He must have been quite the poker player as he often beat them… but who taught him to play; wish I’d asked him that! He gambled all his life… but I didn’t inherit that gene as I’m not easy to part with my money to gamble on anything.
His older brother didn’t seem to play cards, but he enjoyed playing pool and it’s been told that he was quite the pool shark. Another hushed story that wasn’t told. I remember my father hanging out at the pool place in town… and I was always intrigued to go in… especially in being told how I couldn’t and shouldn’t go in… Men Only! I often tried to sneak in to see what was going on but was always shooed right out.
Several of Daddy’s uncles gambled… especially while serving in the Navy/Army. I guess there wasn’t much else to do in off time. I’m sure Daddy never lost his shirt! Guess it was one of those uncles who taught him… and taught him well!
Memories… Some remember… Some don’t!
Is there a “Memory” gene?
If there is a DNA gene for memories… then I was totally left out! I have absolutely no memories of ever living in our first house… and I lived there for five years. And it’s not because it’s been a long time, as hubby remember his first home and he was there for only four years. I have no memories of any of the inside… or my room… or any toys there. I only know the outside of the house, but that’s probably because it was only two houses away from my grandparents… and drove by it all the time.
We moved to Perry from that house and lived in our first house there until I was around 12. I remember my bedroom there, but I can’t really see in my mind, as to how it was set up and what was there. Where were my Nancy Books sitting… and what titles sat on that bookshelf, I’ve only been told of? While I have some memories from there… I just don’t have the memories that hubby has of his home and early years. Why have I blocked out so much from my childhood?
Hubby remembers much of his school years… clothes worn, lunches served, games played, inside setup of all schools, teachers, subjects taken… and then there’s my memories… not much. I vaguely remember the inside of my elementary and junior high and only a few teachers, but I don’t have the detailed memories such as he does. Did I not pay close attention… or has the memories faded, but I honestly don’t feel they were ever there. I do have some memories… but I’ve always wondered if I truly remember them or only because my mother has told me over and over through the years. Mama had the memory of an elephant… but sadly her memory and mind began to fail her the last couple years of her life… something I thought I’d never see.
Mama remembers… Hubby remembers… Why don’t I?
Thanks for Reading… What’s your favorite childhood memory?
Jeanne
To read more 2024: A to Z of DNA and more, click HERE.
This is my 9th year of writing in the annual April A to Z… and I changed my topic a few times until settling on DNA. I’m also writing again in my 3rd year of 52 Weeks 52 Ancestors this year… so April is going to be quite tricky for me… two designated posts a week the month. In as I was going to write a few DNA posts on the 52 weeks challenge, but then decided I could spread out my writing to keep all the DNA information in one grouping on the April A to Z. I hope you find it interesting how the DNA is tested for unusual topics like bitter sensitivity or hangryness… it’s been interesting to see if I feel Ancestry has hit the mark… or missed it. If you’ve never heard of the annual A to Z, then head over HERE for more info. It’s quite interesting to write on a specific topic for the month… meeting and making new friends as they visit… and visiting their blogs. It’s always a fun learning curve.
Many of my Bryan and McKinley family lines have fought in wars from early times… I’ll be listing many with links to the posts dedicated to them.
John Bryan (5th great grandfather) was born about 1753 in Rowan Co., N.C. and died 1837 (using wills and deeds) in Franklin Co. Georgia. He was married to a Nancy (last name unknown), possibly in Franklin County, Georgia. John enlisted in the Revolutionary War while living in Franklin County, and mentioned in The Roster of the Revolution by Knight in section titled “Certified List of Revolutionary Soldiers Compiled by Capt. B.F. Johnson from Lottery Lists of 1827–p.346: “Bryan, John, lottery 1827, Franklin Co., Ga. (John Bryan is high on my Brickwall lists as in having a John Bryan marrying a Nancy “unknown” is a tough nut to crack… as there were many. If only there were a military file… marriage license found… family bible… diaries. While a will was found… only the name of Nancy was listed. If only our ancestor’s had had the insight to list maiden names on census… what a lifeline that would be for us struggling researchers.
For service in the war, John Bryan received a land grant in Lee County, now Sumter County, Georgia. John was the father of eight children by reading his will and land deeds. Illar (Ilia, Illac, Ilias?) and Thomas Bryan were the only names listed in John Bryan’s will of October 20th, 1825, in Franklin County. children of John Bryan. There were other documents found where my James, Tarrance, Elizabeth relinquished rights to the land (from land grand) to their brother John Bryan Jr… with a father of John Bryan listed.
James Bryan enlisted as a volunteer in the War of 1812 with Great Britain and the Creek Indians (1813) in the Florida War. He served as a sergeant… commanded by Captain Benjamin Cleveland, Jr., in the 1st regiment of the Georgia Militia, commanded by Colonel Samuel Groves. He volunteered and was mustered into service at Carnesville, Franklin County, Georgia on August 24, 1813, and originally signed up for a term of 6 months.
My third great grandfather, Berrien Clark Bryan (No. 15), fought in the Civil War with the 1st Regiment of Dahlonega’s “Blue Ridge Rangers”. They were mostly small farmers, but the roll also contained names of… gold miners, two gold mine owners, an attorney, a minister, the Lumpkin County tax receiver, a stagecoach driver, a Justice of the Inferior Court, State Assemblyman and an artist.
Berrien joined as a private to fight for his homeland alongside his three sons, Calloway (Marion Calvin Calloway Bryan), Josiah and Ransom. His pension record shows he enlisted in the Georgia State Line in December of 1862 in Dahlonega at the age of thirty-seven… and served a “little over one year”.
My father enlisted on September 4, 1945, (1945-1949) in the United States Navy, but that wasn’t the first time he joined… how he originally joined is quite the interesting story! Daddy ran away from home at the age of fifteen and joined the Navy! How you ask? Somehow, he managed to acquire a fake ID and it seemed to have gotten him quite far, as he ended up joining and onto boot camp… even receiving a real navy ID! What I’d like to know is how was he caught? Boy he really pulled the wool over their eyes! The biggest event during my father’s service was of time spent at the historical Bikini Atoll bomb blasts… see link above to read.
The USS Blue Ridge (my father’s ship) arrived at Bikini Atoll on the 29th of June 1946 and took its place as one of the command and observation ships off Bikini for “Able” on July 1st. The island of Bikini is in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, which is the furthermost point from Union Point, Georgia he’d ever been… this would be my father’s first glimpse of life across the ocean. There were 100-degree days and higher, which encouraged the sailors to enjoy time in the water. I do know he jumped overboard and swam in the contaminated water afterward… against orders… causing him to permanently lose all his teeth soon after.
The 1810 Census lists a Capt. Wm. McKinley is listed as a Revolutionary Soldier in the history of Steele Creek Presbyterian Church (pg. 180)… buried in Steele Creek Cem., Charlotte, N.C.
Edgar McKinley was inducted on Aug. 8, 1918, at MD Camp Greenleaf, Georgia. He never served overseas… it was told he worked in a hospital… and honorably discharged on note of demobilization on Dec. 10, 1918. He was listed as medium height, dark brown hair and brown eyes. Soldiers can be released early due to a victory in war, or a crisis has been peacefully resolved and military force no longer needed. WWI ended Nov. 11, 1918.
Leroy entered the Army on November 6, 1943, and soon headed to Ft. PcPherson in Atlanta, Georgia as a new recruit, arriving for enlistment on October 16th, 1943.
From several records, and with the help of other genealogists, I’ve pinpointed his actual unit to be Company B, 1st Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment, 5th Infantry Division, serving in the Third Army. He was a replacement soldier who joined the 5th division after it originally formed in Ft. Custer, Michigan; more than 300,000 troops trained there. This 2nd Infantry Regiment was in reserve after much brutal fighting when the Sauer River was first crossed. He most likely crossed it, but not under fire as the 1st Infantry did.
In July of 1944 the 2nd Infantry Regiment along with the 5th Infantry Division landed in Normandy, France. It became part of General George Patton’s United States Third Army, capturing Rheims and seizing the city of Metz after a major battle at Fort Driant; located 5 miles Southwest of Metz. I can only guess that Leroy was possibly there with his unit… as letters written home mentioned being in France, as well as Luxembourg, and this would be the correct time frame.
The U. S. Army Register of Enlistments list John P. Wilson as enlisting on August 29, 1857, in Charlotte, N.C. by Scout Jones. His birth was listed as March 11, 1836… born in Alexander Co., N.C. – age of enlistment – 21 – enlisting for 5 years – occupation as tanner. This record also gives me insight to what he looked like, in giving a description of hazel eyes, dark hair, fair complexion and a height of 5 ft. 9 3/4 inches. It’s also written he deserted on 16 Jan. 1859. Could that be the reason he wasn’t found anywhere on the 1860 census count? Engagements at which present were Wilderness, Spotsylvania, Petersburg and “others.”
1861: U.S., Civil War Soldier Records and Profiles Record: 1861-1865
Name
John P Wilson
Residence
Alamance County, North Carolina
Age at enlistment
24
Enlistment Date
22 Aug 1861
Rank at enlistment
Sergeant
Enlistment Place
Alamance County, North Carolina
State Served
North Carolina
Service Record
Promoted to Full Private on 16 Dec 1861.Enlisted in Company A, North Carolina 7th Infantry Regiment on 22 Aug 1861.
Birth Date
abt 1837
Sources
North Carolina Troops 1861-65, A Roster
Did John really desert and enlist again? Is that even possible? Wouldn’t they have arrested him when he tried to re-enlist? Why was his rank at enlistment listed as “sergeant”? His expiration of service was listed as April 9, 1865… and listed as paroled. Col. Campbell and Col. Davidson were present at discharge; also noted he was a private at discharge.
John P. Wilson was found as a widower on the 1910 census of Fulton Co., GA. and listed as an inmate in the Confederate Soldiers Home of Georgia at 410 E. Confederate Ave. The home was located in Edgewood… just outside of Atlanta. I immediately questioned the word “inmate” and thought he possibly was there for treason or desertion, but further reading told me that is what they called all veterans who lived in these homes.
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HUGH L. MCKINLEY 2nd Great-Grandfather (1826-1902)
Hugh L. and twin brother, Joseph Lee McKinley were born on Nov. 16, 1823, in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. He enlisted as a private and served 1863-1865… serving with the 9th Reg. GA Infantry State Guards… a volunteer in the Confederate Army; also served in the 27th Georgia Battalion.
Joseph T. Sharp enlisted Aug. 1861 at Crawfordville, Hancock Co, GA in the Confederate 7th Calvary, Co. R., NS, and the 10th GA Calvary. He was discharged from duty in 1865… serving 3 years.
CONFEDERATE CALVARY:
The calvary was comprised of soldiers mounted on horseback… some calvary units were referred to as “mounted rifles.” Toward the end of the war many of the cavalry units had very few horses due to death and being worn out because of lack of feed and extreme hard work. The men then fought “dismounted.” (NS meant “no state designation; they came from many states.)
William enlisted and mustered in Cleveland, Tennessee on October 20, 1864, which was almost at the end of the war. He served in Co. F, 5 Tenn. Mtd. Inf. in the Mounted Infantry unit. He is the only ancestor I have found, in my lines, that fought for the North!
I probably would have never given a thought to check Civil War “Union” records if someone hadn’t mentioned to me… in my frustration of not finding him. At least half of Lumpkin County was pulled in different directions on their allegiance to the South during the Civil War… pitting father against son and brother against brother; many even moved away because of those reasons to never return; one of my third great grandfather’s (Berrien C. Bryan) sons left to fight for the North… never to return home.
William did return to Lumpkin County after the war. How did it affect his loved ones when he left… maybe no one knew… maybe that’s why he joined in Tennessee. But he did return… married… and raised his family in Lumpkin County, Georgia.
The “Union” Civil War records stated he signed as a volunteer on Oct. 20, 1864, in Cleveland, Tenn. and was discharged on July 17, 1865, in Nashville, Tenn. By that recruit record, he listed he was born in Franklin County, Georgia and at age eighteen already a farmer; was he on his own at an early age? His description of himself was written as having blue eyes, sandy hair, light complexion and average height of 5 ft. 6″. His time of enlistment was noted as one year of service. William could not write… making an “x” on his declaration of recruit as a volunteer. He was eighteen years and three months of age… old enough to sign on his own as he was born in July of 1846. (His gravestone states born April 6, 1846)
Tillman D. Gooch served in the US Army Indian Campaign-Florida War.
Tillman was widely known for his gold panning ability… later to leave Georgia and head toward California to join in on the big gold rush. Sadly, he left a wife and children home on this adventure… seemingly to never return home… remarry, while never divorcing the first wife; with no internet, who kept tract!
Before leaving for California… Tillman joined up as a captain of a militia troop and was in charge of moving the Cherokee Indians from the Southeastern States to the new Indian Territory… never to return to Georgia and his family.
6th Great Grandfather: William W. Gooch (1725-1802) Revolutionary War
5th Great Grandfather: John Bryan (1753-1835) Revolutionary War
5th Great Grandfather: Martin Free (1787-1870) War of 1812
4th Great Grandfather: Tillman D. Gooch: (1815-1858) Florida War
4th Great Grandfather: James Bryan (1791-1885) Florida War, War of 1812
3rd Great Grandfather: Berrian Clark Bryan (1823-1923) Civil War
2nd Great Grandfather: John P. Wilson (1836-1914) Civil War
Father: Clayton Bryan (1928-1983) Navy
4th Great Uncle: Tarrence Bryan (1792-1885) War of 1812 – Brother to James Bryan
3rd Great Uncle: George W. Bruce (1826-1907) Civil War
3rd Great Uncle: Aquilla Bruce (1837-1822) Civil War (George and Aquilla – brothers)
3rd Great Uncle: Josiah Askew Woody (1823-1899) Civil War
2nd Great Uncle: Marion Calvin Calloway Bryan (1844-1925) Civil War – Son of Berrian C. Bryan
2nd Great Uncle: Josiah Bryan (1845-1870) Civil War – Son of Berrian C. Bryan
2nd Great Uncle: James Ransom Bryan (1847-1922) Civil War – Son of Berrian C. Bryan
Great Uncle: Charlie W Bryan (WWII-Navy)
Great Uncle: John William Gossett (WWII – Army)
Great Uncle: Jewell H. Bryan (WWII-Army)
Uncle: Floyd Bryan (WWII-Navy) my father’s brother… and probably why my father joined the Navy.
Cousin: Douglas Bryan (WWII-Army)
Cousin: Robert Bryan (Navy)
Cousin: Regina Bryan: (Navy) daughter of Robert Bryan
Cousin: Chloe Bryan (Navy) great-granddaughter of Floyd Bryan
Military presence on my mother’s side: (McKinley)
4th Great Grandfather: William McKinley Sr. (1743-1815) Revolutionary War
2nd Great Grandfather: Hugh Lawson McKinley (1823-1902) Civil War
2nd Great Grandfather: Joseph T. Sharp (1835-1910) Civil War
Grandfather: Edgar T. McKinley (WWI-Army)
Uncle: Leroy Edgar Mckinley (WWII-Army) Purple Heart. I was given the middle name of Lee, after Uncle Leroy, and I passed down this middle name to my daughter… she to her first born along with a first name of McKinley (McKinley Lee) in honoring him… continuing his remembrance.
Great Uncle: Richard E. McKinley, Jr. (USAF)
Cousin: Javan Smallwood Jr. (Navy)
Cousin: Raymond Gene McKinley (Navy)
Cousin: Stephen McKinley (Navy)
My husband’s family also has a strong Military family presence.
In as my mother was born in April… and in 1930… and introduced me into reading Nancy Drew, I associate her always as my Nancy Drew hero! Nancy Drew was ideally born on April 28, 1930… the very day her first book, The Secret of the Old Clock was born. Mama was that determined, bold, and unafraid to speak her mind girl… just like Nancy Drew.
Nancy Drew was unlike what the young girls of 1930 were… she was bold and determined… never afraid to speak her mind. Adults listened to her, as she solved cases by her own strong determination and will to right the wrong done by criminals such as…. El Gato, Snorky, Swahili Joe, Stumpy Dowd, Nathan Bombet, Fleetfoot Joe, Hector Keep, Cobb Hooker, Tom Tozzle, One Caputti, Zany Shaw, Sid Zikes, Biggs the chauffeur, Harry Tyrox, Ferdinand Slocum, Sniggs, Grumper Franz, Bushy Trott, Horace Dight, John “Bullseye” Bellows, and even Spike Doty, which makes me think of the old cartoon… Spike the bulldog! In 2018 I wrote the April: A to Z of All About Nancy Drew… and it was such a fun write. I dreamed and lived Nancy Drew the entire month of April. Read HERE.
The “villains” in the Nancy Drew mysteries are who Nancy escapes from while chasing… they were the suspicious characters whom you knew would be the villains… often who first chased her in trying to scare her away! If you’ve only read one Nancy Drew mystery, you know that nothing scares Nancy, it only intrigues her even more!
Our so-loved Nancy Drew books were ghostwritten under the pen name of Carolyn Keene and published by the famous book publisher, Grosset & Dunlap… of which I never paid attention to as a young girl… I just wanted to read. In actuality, it was Edward Stratemeyer who first perceived the idea of the book… passing the outlines to Mildred Wirt, who wrote the very first book, The Secret of the Old Clock. Through the years, there were several authors who penned under the name Carolyon Keene… and until later in life, I never knew that she wasn’t a real person.
Nancy Drew quickly becoming the inspiration and role model for young girls!
How was Nancy Drew perceived by young girls in 1930? In as there was no television or Facebook… how did those young readers discover their new heroine… Nancy Drew? Possibly their teachers introduced her… or the local library-mobile that rolled through the farms… or if they lived in large towns… they might have first glimpsed Nancy appearing in bookstore windows.
My mother never owned any Nancy Drew books, but she had the next best thing… a best friend who owned them all… always sharing with her. Her friend lived in town, where all the wealthier families lived… and had a grandmother who bought all the newest issues. Mama would read every new book, cover to cover, before closing her eyes for the night… not putting it down until the very end. She would always tell me… “I could never sleep until I knew Nancy solved the crime and how.” Was she really that inquisitive to know the outcome… or had the want for a second book in returning one? Well, that secret will never be known… as I never asked.
As a young girl with a vivid imagination, who wouldn’t want to be like “Nancy Drew”… someone who painted artistically, danced like a true ballerina, drove a motorboat, skilled at driving at age 16, a sure shot, an excellent swimmer, a seamstress, knew her way around the kitchen, played tennis, golf and rode horses as if she grew up on a farm, while dancing like a movie star. Did my mother daydream she was Nancy Drew? While Mama could ride a horse, shoot a varmint and sew her own clothes… she never had any opportunities for ballet or tennis lessons while living on a farm, but she could live her imaginary life through those books… if only for a short time. I never had the imagination my mother had… especially when she went to school and told her teachers that she was adopted… found in a spaceship on the farm, discovered by her then father. Talk about a way-out imagination!
Mama’s love of reading Nancy Drew was soon brought to me when I learned to read… where I soon learned of her detective skills and enjoyed the trips she took with best friends, Bess and George. Nancy was one of my first reads, and I soon built a bookcase filled with Nancy Drew’s. I was never refused a new book when Mama took me shopping at the big box store in Macon… K-Mart. That is of where my bookcase was filled from… as I always made a fast dash to the book department, buried in the corner of the store. It was always where Mama knew she could find me… perusing the many books in trying to decide which one would come home with me. Decisions… Decisions… and I still haven’t wavered in having a hard time in making a decision when buying. Never give me choices… unless you want to be there all day! But eventually, I’d pick a cover to bring home for afternoon reading on grandmamma’s quilt… under the Georgia sky of blues and clouds. Nothing better than an afternoon of cloud watching… of which I remember in searching out shapes. Even today, I still enjoy looking at clouds and discovering a shape… before it goes poof and turns into something undistinguishable to all! And how often have you said… “That cloud looks like a dragon or a ship”… amidst others saying, “I don’t see that.”
Our Nancy Drew is only a fictional amateur detective… solving mysteries with shrewd intuition of which she strongly possessed.
Nancy was originally depicted as a blonde-haired… blue-eyed 16-year-old, but later editions rewrote her as a titian-haired… blue-eyed 18-year-old graduate and detective. Of which never changed was where Nancy lived…River Heights. A town that has been the center of everyone’s mind… of which state it actually was located in. There have been arguments of it being within Iowa… as it was the home state of the ghostwriter, Mildred Wirt Benson. It seemed most likely she fashioned the Drew family from living in that area… an area she knew best, and we all write more easily on what we know. While today there are still many disputes on the home state of River Hights… and reasons why within the Nancy Drew community of fans… but unfortunately nothing has ever surfaced in being the factual truth.
Nancy Drew has lived through many ages of times and changes… and has now advanced into the cell phone, internet and sporty car era. I’m sure crimes are solved much more differently than 1930… but in all our hearts she’s still our own specific Nancy Drew.
Thanks for reading along in my birthday wishes for my book heroine!
This is my 9th year of writing in the annual April A to Z… and I changed my topic a few times until settling on DNA. I’m also writing again in my 3rd year of 52 Weeks 52 Ancestors this year… so April is going to be quite tricky for me… two designated posts a week the month. In as I was going to write a few DNA posts on the 52 weeks challenge, but then decided I could spread out my writing to keep all the DNA information in one grouping on the April A to Z. I hope you find it interesting how the DNA is tested for unusual topics like bitter sensitivity or hangryness… it’s been interesting to see if I feel Ancestry has hit the mark… or missed it. If you’ve never heard of the annual A to Z, then head over HERE for more info. It’s quite interesting to write on a specific topic for the month… meeting and making new friends as they visit… and visiting their blogs. It’s always a fun learning curve.
This was another trait… that somehow changed over to my paternal side after first showing in being more influenced by my mother. It was very confusing in finding a week later, with post written… but I’d say that being more influenced by my maternal side would have been more correct. Ancestry you have this wrong!
Mama’s DNA suggests that she likes spicey foods… well, that is definitely wrong… as my mother only eats “good old Southern foods” like fried chicken, grits, turnip greens, cornbread, and creamed style corn. She turns up her nose at the thought of being served pizza or pasta… saying “I don’t want any of that warm tomato sauce.” She’d rather starve… and will say right quick… as she never held back in telling you anything! But you have to remember, she grew up in a different era and place… born in the South. Yes, while now you can find pizza and Italian restaurants all over the South, but when I grew up… they weren’t there. When I moved to Connecticut in 1971, I experienced many foods I had never even heard of… and didn’t like for a long time… turning my nose up at them.
Spicey Foods… Wrong again… as I’d say Daddy ate more spicey foods than Mama for sure… and I’ve never been one to specifically eat spicey foods like Mexican foods. It’s always amazed me how people love foods so hot and spicy that they actually sweat, and their face turns red. It doesn’t seem healthy to me…. I’ll take a dessert any day! Daddy went to Mexico one year, so I’m sure he at spicy food while there… and guess what he brought me back… one of those huge Mexican sombreros like the Mariachi band members play. I have kept that hat all these years… and if my back wasn’t sidelining me on the couch today, I’d go upstairs to take a photo of that “heavy” felt designed hat from 1970. Funny how I left so much of my things in Georgia when I left home, but I brought that silly, heavy hat with me.
Quite the decorative Mexican Mariachi sombrero Daddy brought me from Mexico… sure wish I had a picture of him wearing it, as I can just imagine him walking around wearing it… definitely not carrying it.
The word mariachi often refers to those strolling musicians commonly seen strolling through restaurants in the movies. Their songs sing of love, death… even politics as they strum a variety of instruments while singing. Those broad-brimmed, high-crowned hat made of felt are quite heavy… and I don’t know how they make it look so easy. It makes me laugh to think of Daddy walking around holding… or possibly wearing that hat… and What made him think to bring this home to his 18-year-old daughter? Well, if I’m ever invited to a Cinco de Mayo party… my hat is awaiting! Ironically, we married on May 5th… but never heard of this holiday until many years later. (Celebrating 53 years wedded bliss this year)
Both of my children are listed as unlikely to enjoy spicy foods… which I feel is definitely not true. I would say my son eats more spicier foods than I do… while my daughter probably eats more than both of us.
Thanks for stopping by… now go enjoy a Cinco de Mayo drink and listen to some Mariachi music!
To read more 2024: A to Z of DNA and more, click HERE.
This is my 9th year of writing in the annual April A to Z… and I changed my topic a few times until settling on DNA. I’m also writing again in my 3rd year of 52 Weeks 52 Ancestors this year… so April is going to be quite tricky for me… two designated posts a week the month. In as I was going to write a few DNA posts on the 52 weeks challenge, but then decided I could spread out my writing to keep all the DNA information in one grouping on the April A to Z. I hope you find it interesting how the DNA is tested for unusual topics like bitter sensitivity or hangryness… it’s been interesting to see if I feel Ancestry has hit the mark… or missed it. If you’ve never heard of the annual A to Z, then head over HERE for more info. It’s quite interesting to write on a specific topic for the month… meeting and making new friends as they visit… and visiting their blogs. It’s always a fun learning curve.
Around a third of people are missing at least one of their wisdom teeth (the molars furthest back in the mouth). My DNA suggest I was unlikely to develop all four of my wisdom teeth… being more influenced by my paternal side. Mama’s DNA suggests she developed all four of hers. Hubby developed all four as it suggested… as well as both kids.
Decoding your DNA
Four genetic markers, or locations in my DNA, was used to estimate whether or not I would develop all four wisdom teeth. But there’s likely more to the genetic story here. I never had to have any wisdom teeth pulled… and think I still have all four. Wonder why Ancestry focused on wisdom teeth as a trait… I would be interested in comparing the quantity of cavities we have… but I’m sure that would be more environmental… due to not brushing and too much candy! Both are probably why I always had cavities after each visit as a child… not as many as an adult.
Did you know?
Here’s one wacky reason why people might be missing wisdom teeth. Scientists have found a link between having the numbing shots of Novocain in the gums as a young child, in not getting wisdom teeth later in life. I’m not sure I believe that one… as I always was in the dentist chair as a child. I never went to the dentist without having several cavities… partially my fault as I was one of those kids who often “wet” their toothbrush… saying they brushed! I’m not a fan of going to the dentist… but I go.
Although formally known as third molars, the common name is wisdom teeth because they appear so late – much later than the other teeth, at an age where people are presumably “wiser” than as a child.
20 baby teeth first appear, then erupt and falls out… replaced by 32 permanent teeth.
Some wisdom teeth never erupt and never become visible.
Your wisdom teeth are your last set of adult teeth to grow in.
Wisdom teeth usually erupt between the ages of 17 and 25.
Flossing really helps… and once I began, cleaning became faster and pain free. Before I began daily flossing… cleanings were the worst… painful digging! Now I seem to be in and out!
Thanks for reading the oddest of posts… So, Have you Flossed Today?
Jeanne
To read more 2024: A to Z of DNA and more, click HERE.
Just a Wisconsin woman with a passion for books and bargains. As an affiliate with several websites, I earn from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you.
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