Family History

You can’t avoid it. Good or bad or indifferent, we all have family histories – histories that extend beyond our parents or grandparents, siblings or aunts, uncles and cousins. I was blessed with a family of story tellers. Some of my favorite memories are linked to family sitting around an outdoor firepit at my grandparent’s house on warm summer nights, telling stories about family members they may have remembered, but I had never known in person. The great grandfather who met Jesse James while riding the range. The same great grandfather who later became a friend to Sam Houston. Or the great-great grandfather who came from Denmark and fought in the American Civil War. I cherish the stories I’ve heard from those who are no longer on this mortal plain. And I enjoy finding out more as I dig into each life. Newspapers have been invaluable for providing snippets of life. Wills and military records have added to them.