North Carolina Remembered

This is Shirley and Howard Braxton, they are the couple who has the 'Bigg Bible' that belonged to William Braxton, Howard is my 4th Cousin once removed. They showed us all around the area and took us to all the 'Quaker" or Friends Meeting houses and to all the graveyards. Howard and his sister still own the home that his line of the family inherited.
This is John and Judy Braxton, they were the ones who knew all about the Braxton history. They were both born a Braxton, yep, a Braxton married a Braxton. They are 4th cousins 1 x removed just as I am to them. When you get Howard, Judy, John and I together, you are looking at all of us being related as 4th cousins 1 x removed. They don't have TV or a computer, so we just call each other, but I don't think anyone knows more of the family history than Judy knows!

This is me, standing in front of the Braxton Monument in the Friends Cemetery. When I went back there, it was amazing how much I felt apart of the family and the land. It was a really cool feeling of 'going home'. I wished my dad had it all together in his mind, because he would have loved to go and visit.

The aftermath of Traveling

OK, I'm excited to be home, but it's overwhelming! There is so much to do and sort and put away that I am totally discombobulated. I really don't know where to start. Since we got home early Sunday morning, I have been unpacking, fixing, refilling, organizing into piles, reading, errands, Thank you cards, pool parties, and I have already given two lectures since I got back. I'm quite sure I had more time when I had little kids running around the house. So, mothers, take heed, life only gets more hectic and your forget how to handle it when you get older.

On another note, for no apparent reason, I miss Shilo today. I miss him coming up to me, wagging his tail with his head down to get a pet. I miss his exuberance at the smallest of pleasures. I miss him 'bugging' me. I just plain miss MY doggie!

North Carolina Travel Log Day 5

Today was a great day! Why, because I spent it in the 'Old Buncombe' Genealogcial Society Library while Larry Golfed with people from NY. I researched the whole day and they had 'make your own sandwich' makings for lunch so I didn't have to leave their library. It was as big as the ORFHC! The ladies were very knowledgable and kind.

After Larry came to pick me up we came back to the room, and then decided we had to do some laundry. Well, the laundry mat is one freeway ramp away, so we loaded the clothes in the car and went to see a movie. We say "Angels and Demons" and it was very good! If you get the chance, go see it, just close your eyes at the murder scenes- the first one is awful.

After the show, we went to the Laundry mat and started our wash, then walked down the little walk to a pizza place and had some pizza (we have had some very nice meals out and just felt like somthing not quite so filling tonight), after eating, we went back to the Laundry Mat and changed our clothes to the dryer and went back down the mall walk to the liquor store and got ice cream bars. Back to the Laundry and folded clothes. Now we are home and I'm not doing any more genealogy on this trip!

North Carolina Travel Log day 4

Today we moved from Greensboro, NC to Asheville, NC. Home to the WARD genealogy (I hope) because this is for my client where I will try to prove once and for all, if the family came from Buncombe County, NC. Today I hit the Buncombe County Court House, and the Downtown Library.

Dad helped me a bit, and went to see the sights in the car. It's beautiful here because it's mountainous, it is right close to the Cumberland Gap. The weather was beautiful too, 75 degrees and no wind. We walked all over downtown. They still have a store with the Woolworth still intact, I at first thought they still had a working Woolworth store, but the just kept the facade and put tiny stores inside. This is really an artsy-fartsy kind of town.

Right outside of town is the "Biltmore" home, America's Largest Home. I hope Larry and I get to go tour it, it looks really beautiful in the photo's. Google it and you will see.

Tomorrow sounds like it will be a beautiful day too! I can't wait, I'm going to the Historical Society tomorrow.

North Carolina Travel Log Day 3

Well, did anyone ever say "Mom can't get enough of dead people"? If so, your wrong. I am now saturated. I have 4 books, hundreds of stories and videos to prove I have been 'home'. Today we went to Guilford College where I had a relative named Dr. Algie Newlin who was a History Professor there for many years and he used to write to me in the 1970's. I still have those letters in my file. While in the research room, I found another distant relative related to me through the Lindley line. If your Quaker, you just might be related to your own daddy!

Then we went and got my photo taken at at a street sign named BRAXTON Lane. We went back and met with Judy and John Braxton where John told stories and Judy and Larry played the Dulcimer's. That is a type of musical instament. It's so fun to find a relative on ever corner.

North Carolina Travel Log day 2

Today was a great day. Larry and I went to North Carolina University Chapel Hill where I did some research for Sara Ward, my client.

Then we went to Duke University and WOW what a compass. After that we went to visit with John and Judy Braxton. John Braxton married Judy Braxton. So they are double Braxtons. Sounds like my Taber's doesn't it??? Well, because they are from William Braxton also, they have TONS of stuff to share, I don't know if I will ever catch up! Anyway, it's late and I need to get to bed now, but look for an update tomorrow!

North Carolina Travel Log, day 1

Today, we got up and lookie looed through North Carolina University at Chapel Hill. Pretty impressive.

Then we drove out to meet and spend the day with my 4th cousin, 1x removed. I had never met him before, but it was really nice. For a 73 year old guy, his is pretty good looking and so is his wife. His name is Howard T. Braxton, born and raised in NC along with all the relatives of our Braxton Ancestors.

First of all, he has in his possession the first and original land grant issued to our William Braxton in 1756 from John of Carteret Lord Grandville. That was really cool. Then Howard and his wife (Shirly) took us around and showed us where everyone had lived, took us to 3 Quaker Churches that all had graveyards of our family and we could go into the churchs and look around because they don't lock up the Churchs around here!

He took us out to the home (that is no longer lived in), that he grew up in and as we went from room to room, I was flabbergasted at all the antiques they had in there that were worth a small fortune! OK, then to top it all off, he opened a trunk and pulled out a Bible that we at first though might have belonged to our earliest ancestor, William Braxton, b: abt 1721, m: 1744 d:1771. Well, it wasn't and had no date page in the front. It was in terrible shape, but really old, so we thought it could be a possibility. But then his wife pulled out a white trash bag from under the bed and said look at this. Well, it was a bible too, about 14" high and 8" wide. It had a cover on it and it looked and felt old. I said it was a special bible but no markings in that Bible either. So we kept poking around and then we took it home to their house, after we went out to dinner and I had a great dinner.

It turns out this IS the "Bigg Bible" as William refered to it in his will which I found in the NC Archives this week. In his will, he states "and I leave my Bigg Bible to my son Thomas. No one seemed to know where it was. But as we opened it up and started looking at it in the light, well, on the front cover, very, very faint it reads: ...son Wm Braxton 15 of June 1742! I squelled in delight when I read this date, because before this someone had said that they had a bible they thought belonged to William, but couldn't have because the date of publication was 1776. Then on the back cover it said: "Thomas Braxton, left to him by his father in the year 1772". So, we solved the proplem of "Where was the Bigg Bible?" I love the Holy Ghost.

North Carolina

Here I am at the Raleigh Convention center and loving it. I have an ancestor that I am researching and trying to find his parents; His name is William BRAXTON, the planter. He was born about 1721, married 1744 in Old Swedes Church, Wilmington, Deleware and died 1771 in Chatham, NC. I have already found his original Will and 3 more land grants that I didn't know about.

I miss my honey, but he is coming after the conference and joining me where we will go and see my long lost 4th Cousin, Howard BRAXTON, who is about 70, and still lives on the land originally obtained by William Braxton from Lord Granville in 1763.

I will also visit a possible relative for my client who still lives in Buncombe County, NC about her WARD line. This lady is named Doris Ward and she is 90. I sure hope she can tell me how this WARD line connects together because otherwise, I'm kinda stuck and my client really wants me to find out WHO her relatives are and put them in the correct order, well, I'm trying because I keep making connections. Between BRAXTON and WARD, I'm not lacking in anything to do.

Happy Mother's Day

This is for all the mothers, grandmothers, great grandmothers, and woman who will someday be a mother and every female on earth who has nurtured anybody at all anytime. God Bless You!

REMEMBER, OH REMEMBER,
The hand that rocks the cradle, rules the world!

"Mother"
To one who bears the sweetest name,
And adds a luster to the same,
Who shares my joys,
Who cheers when sad,
The greatest friend I ever had.

Long Life to her for there's no other
Can take the place of my dear Mother.

I'm grateful to have been a mother and now a grandmother. I'm grateful for my own mother and the grandmother who nurtured me into the kind of person I always wanted to be. I hope the legacy I leave will be as profound on my posterity as my grandmother's influence was on me.

My New Recorder & my pretty blog

Well, after the Priesthood Blessing, I haven't had a nightmare since. Anyone with nightmares or nigh terrors should get a Priesthood Blessing, it works!

Brian and Kate gave me an Ipod recording devise that works with my Ipod and it is truly amazing and wonderful! It was the easiest device I have ever used. I am having fun with it and I will soo learn how to add audio to my blog, then watch out! Thank you so much Brian and Kate for the wonderful little devise! I am thinking of a million ways to use it too! Now I have to go have some fun with it. It's a perfect little birthday and mother's day give. Thank you, Thank you. And while I'm at it, Thank you to Lisa for making my blog look descent and interesting. I don't think I would blog if she didn't get my hind end out of a few pickles. She truly saves my sanity when it comes to blog sense.

Nightmares

It's not funny. For the first time in my life I am having real, honest to goodness, body chilling nightmares! I have had nightmares for 3 nights in a row and this morning at 4:30 I woke up after a nightmare where Larry and I were stalked by some murderers! When I finally woke up every nerve in my body was on fire! I was so scared and messed up! When Larry work up this morning I told him about the nightmares and he gave me a priesthood blessing. Let's hope tonight will be better. I don't know how many more sleepless nights I can have without having a nervous breakdown!