tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-67597236502062067672024-02-20T05:55:02.343-05:00From Aberdeen to AlabamaA beginning genealogist explores Leslie family history. Just how did my ancestors get from Aberdeenshire, Scotland to Alabama anyway?Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger33125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6759723650206206767.post-61372541829530945412013-07-27T16:43:00.000-04:002013-07-31T19:46:40.165-04:00"Who Do You Think You Are?" Returns<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDTaBFjWCl4Uu152RiYzCT_iqhWMuaqto53su0AWdW0-y2JPAehdA_v56VKe4w7ktMHOPq256pzWMY2KZQ43h8B2bhYRvphu8L7WB4RuEKcxR6P9IjCNZdzPy6Br4PC3UyJAVwlEOBNhk/s1600/who-do-you-think-you-are.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDTaBFjWCl4Uu152RiYzCT_iqhWMuaqto53su0AWdW0-y2JPAehdA_v56VKe4w7ktMHOPq256pzWMY2KZQ43h8B2bhYRvphu8L7WB4RuEKcxR6P9IjCNZdzPy6Br4PC3UyJAVwlEOBNhk/s1600/who-do-you-think-you-are.jpg" /></a></div>
Note: A slightly different version of this post originally appeared <a href="http://allstraw.blogspot.com/2012/05/who-do-you-think-you-are.html">here</a>.<br />
<br />
A few days ago, I watched the somewhat triumphant return of <a href="http://www.tlc.com/tv-shows/who-do-you-think-you-are">"Who Do You Think You Are?"</a> to cable television. The season premiere featured pop singer Kelly Clarkson researching her great-great-great grandfather Isaiah Rose, a Union soldier who was captured at the battle of Decatur, Georgia and sent to the infamous Confederate prison camp at Andersonville, only to escape and eventually become a county sheriff and an Ohio state senator. You can watch the full episode on the show's website by clicking on the above link. The show, which features celebrities discovering their genealogies and family histories, is a big hit on British TV, but the American version was saddled with low ratings and disappeared from NBC's summer schedule after last season. Apparently, however, the show has enough of a fan base in the U. S. to justify a relaunch on the cable channel TLC.<br />
<br />
On the plus side, the show is interesting and thought provoking. It's motivated me to begin researching my own family history again, something I have tried to do, off and on, with varying degrees of success, for many years now. On the minus side, I do have several beefs with the show:<br />
<br />
First, it's built on a formula. Every episode begins with Big Famous Celebrity who has a lingering question about his or her family history. What really happened to cousin Fred when he disappeared for six months in World War II? Was Great Aunt Ida really a show girl? Was Great Great Great Grandpa Leroy an escaped slave? So, Big Famous Celebrity traipses off across the country (and often around the world) to meet with historians, archivists, librarians, and genealogists who seemingly by magic and on command produce documents that provide another piece to the puzzle. There are twists and turns. There are dead ends. At the end, however, the mystery is solved by a Stunning Revelation that leaves Big Famous Celebrity choked up or teary eyed on camera. A sadder but wiser man or woman, he or she returns home to the bosom of his or her family to reflect on What We Have All Learned From This. Fade to black, roll credits, cue commercial.<br />
<br />
Second, it focuses on celebrities. Why are the family histories of actors or pop singers necessarily more interesting than those of truck drivers, nurses, or teachers, for example? I 'm just a newbie genealogist and family historian, but I'll bet nearly everybody has someone interesting in their family tree if they go back far enough. My father flew fighter planes in World War II. His mother, my grandmother, had chronic, crippling arthritis that left her bedridden much of the time, but she still raised two children and helped support her family during the Great Depression by writing poetry, short stories, and advertising jingles for contests and promotions. One of my ancestors signed Scotland's declaration of independence—some 400 years before the American one. I think the show would gain, not lose, emotional impact if it focused on ordinary people rather than on celebrities. What if each week Joe or Josephine Average from Des Moines or Tampa or Buffalo found out that they were related to a scientist or a millionaire or a baseball player? Or that they were related to other ordinary good, decent, compassionate, quietly heroic people? Wouldn't that motivate other people across America to find out more about their families?<br />
<br />
Third, it presents a distorted picture of genealogical research. At the beginning of the hour, the celebrity has a problem. At the end of the hour (less, if you deduct time for commercials), the celebrity has a solution. He or she jets around the country and around the world to meet with the experts who have just the information our protagonist needs.. At least once per episode, someone suggests that the celebrity consult <a href="http://www.ancestry.com/">Ancestry.com</a>, the show's sponsor, and our hero always finds at least one useful nugget of information there. Again, I'm just a beginner at this, but I do have sense and experience enough to know that it can't be that easy for us mere mortals. I've just started using <a href="http://www.ancestry.com/">Ancestry.com</a> and its Family Tree Maker software myself, and they are indeed wonderful tools, but they are not the whole story.<br />
<br />
I 'd guess that each episode of this show took months of planning and preparation. Someone would have to research the historical and genealogical problems involved and figure out who had the documents, information, and expertise to solve them. I'm not a pop star with the resources and budget of a production company and a major TV network behind me. I can't fly all around the world to research documents and meet with experts. I expect that in my search there will be dead ends and disappointments. There will be documents I need that aren't at the county courthouse, the state bureau of vital statistics, or digitized in an online database somewhere. If they are, I might have to spend my own money and wait weeks for copies. Yet I'm willing to take those risks because I want to know more about my family. I'll just have to do genealogy the old-fashioned way.<br />
<br />
Will I keep watching the TLC reboot? Probably. A flawed show about genealogy on TV is better than no show about genealogy on TV. However, after watching the pilot episode of the reboot, I can tell that none of the flaws from the original American version have been corrected. It's still structured far too much like a patently unreal "reality show" that relies on contrived situations and cheap, transparent emotional manipulation of the celebrity protagonist and the audience. I wish the American version were more like the British version, which feels more like a serious documentary and less like an episode of "Real Genealogists of Beverly Hills" or something. Here for example, is a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6399QxJiPM">link to the British version of WDYTYA and its episode featuring J. K. Rowling</a>. To me, the storytelling style seems more restrained, and the filmmakers seem more willing to step back and let events speak for themselves rather than manipulating the star and the audience to a predetermined conclusion. As a result, I think the show gains significant emotional impact. Real life can be exciting if we just experience it for what it is rather than trying to make it into something it isn't.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6759723650206206767.post-78532301258803371512013-06-22T16:58:00.000-04:002013-07-31T19:42:59.589-04:00Back to the Drawing Board<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6IBOtdd4LoNvPJG8hvGtuAl70fRGoabsmmjUi3jKSN7BoF7_llvoZIUam-p2UhvInhit7pKc9HW2iFPITR5bOz4JQgyjBN-h5aAkITs-xkMVNBG5S6qvqZ_7Abz1N7Jym3LWDu3l2AYI/s1600/Fotolia_41173980_M.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6IBOtdd4LoNvPJG8hvGtuAl70fRGoabsmmjUi3jKSN7BoF7_llvoZIUam-p2UhvInhit7pKc9HW2iFPITR5bOz4JQgyjBN-h5aAkITs-xkMVNBG5S6qvqZ_7Abz1N7Jym3LWDu3l2AYI/s320/Fotolia_41173980_M.jpg" width="294" /></a>If anyone besides me is still reading this blog, you may wonder why it went silent for about six months. What happened? The short answer: real life.<br />
<br />
You'll recall that in my last post in early December of 2012, I had just ordered a Y-DNA test kit from <a href="http://www.familytreedna.com/">Family Tree DNA</a> with the goal of finding out whether or not Sharon Leslie Morgan and I shared a common ancestorspecifically my great-great grandfather, James E. Leslie (1823-1875) of Lowndes County Alabama, whom Sharon believed had fathered a child with one of his African-American slaves. That child, Sharon believed, was her great grandfather, Tom Leslie.<br />
<br />
I received the test kit a few days later, mailed off a sample, and eagerly awaited results via e-mail. December went by. No results. The first weeks of January went by. No results. Then on the evening of 12 January 2013, I became the victim of a violent crime<a href="http://allstraw.blogspot.com/2013/02/invasion.html">a home invasion</a> that turned my life upside down. It was hard to think about genealogy after that, but once things began to settle down a bit, I e-mailed Family Tree DNA to ask about results. They replied that they had never received my sample! They sent another test kit, but after the home invasion, my family and I were very concerned about my safety, so with the full support of my family and <a href="http://allstraw.blogspot.com/2013/03/relocation.html">the incredible generosity of my brother Allen</a>, I began making plans to relocate to Charlotte, NC. At first I promised myself I would send off another sample before I left South Carolina. Then things got busy and complicated, and I ran out of time before leaving. I promised myself I would send off a sample the minute I got to Charlotte. When a few weeks went by and I received an e-mail from Sharon asking about results, I realized that in all the ruckus of moving and relocating I had completely forgotten about the sample.<br />
<br />
I promptly sent off another sample and this time I arranged to track the package from the post office to the testing lab. A few more weeks of waiting went by, and when I was finally notified of the results, they were . . .<br />
<br />
Inconclusive.<br />
<br />
My DNA was compared with the DNA of other people who had submitted samples to the same lab, in order to identify people with whom I shared significant portions of DNA and to whom I might be related. Only one person on the list of names I was given had the last name Leslie, and he was <b>NOT</b> Sharon's cousin Frank Leslie. Sharon and I both had difficulty interpreting the results, so Sharon submitted the data to one of her contacts who knows about DNA testing. He e-mailed her to say that it looked to him as if there was no relationship. Sharon was incredibly disappointed because she was sure she had solved a longstanding riddle in her family history, only to find that she was mistaken. I was disappointed for her sake, but to be honest, I was also relieved. It was bad enough that my great-great grandfather enslaved other human beings and fought for a government that defended that enslavement as a soldier in the Confederate army. At least, I thought, he didn't heap additional disgrace on himself by fathering a child with one of the women he enslaved and then denying paternity, as the social code of the time, place, and race demanded.<br />
<br />
In the last few days, however, Sharon has e-mailed me to say that she has been in contact with others who are knowledgeable about DNA test results, and they say <b>IT IS POSSIBLE</b> that we are related; perhaps not as directly as having the same great-great grandfather, but perhaps still related. Or it could be that our two family histories are bound up together, even if the relationship was not biological. We <b>STILL</b> do not have a definitive answer to this question. What I think we need is to find someone who is knowledgeable about this area, submit the data to them, and accept their decision as a final arbiter.<br />
<br />
In the meantime, however, there is still much to do. I am not certain who James E. Leslie's parents were, and the trail appears to go cold after him. Charlotte, however, is only about an hour's drive from Statesville, the county seat of Iredell County, NC where my great-great grandfather was born. Who were his parents? When and why did he come to Alabama from North Carolina? I think it is time I reached out to <a href="http://iredellcogs.com/">The Genealogical Society of Iredell County</a> and visited the Iredell County courthouse to see if I can find the answers to these questions.<br />
<br />
The search is on. The game is afoot.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6759723650206206767.post-50087414489621558302012-12-07T16:33:00.001-05:002012-12-07T16:46:04.102-05:00Follow Friday: Family Tree DNA<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy6y-qxy3NJ18bXftQV84qTNdicFV0ViGCHgzlM_XIZ49LxoxtuTJbHQkANujhUAT-a8g3AMA82u7l-kmuU32SL_j83IjfCma0r4jsW6MolK55KunvuTPYeUSqBiOOnGUS8Nq_fin9UQg/s1600/DNA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy6y-qxy3NJ18bXftQV84qTNdicFV0ViGCHgzlM_XIZ49LxoxtuTJbHQkANujhUAT-a8g3AMA82u7l-kmuU32SL_j83IjfCma0r4jsW6MolK55KunvuTPYeUSqBiOOnGUS8Nq_fin9UQg/s320/DNA.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<a href="http://geneabloggers.com/daily-blogging-prompts/follow-friday/">Follow Friday</a> is another <a href="http://geneabloggers.com/daily-blogging-prompts/">Daily Blogging Prompt</a> from <a href="http://geneabloggers.com/">GeneaBloggers</a> in which genealogy bloggers write about websites, blogs, or other internet resources they are following or using in their research and why other genealogy bloggers should consider using these resources. Today I'd like to write about <a href="http://www.familytreedna.com/">Family Tree DNA</a> and what I hope they will reveal for me.<br />
<br />
I've blogged before about <a href="http://aberdeentoalabama.blogspot.com/2012/07/tombstone-tuesday-twofer-william-w.html">Sharon Leslie Morgan</a>, the African-American author, speaker, and researcher who believes that we are related through a common connection to my great-great grandfather, James E. Leslie. She believes that James E. Leslie, a slaveholder, blacksmith, and Confederate veteran, had a relationship with one of his female slaves (or perhaps a slave belonging to another local slaveholder) and fathered a child who was her great-grandfather, Tom Leslie. Since we began corresponding and exchanging information earlier this summer, Sharon has encouraged me to submit a sample of my DNA for testing in hopes of proving or disproving our relationship. She persuaded her cousin Frank Leslie to submit a sample of his DNA for testing and there is no doubt that he shares DNA with white people who bear the Leslie surname, both in the United States and in Scotland. If I submit a sample of my DNA, and we compare the two, we can establish conclusively whether or not we share a common ancestor.<br />
<br />
In November, Sharon e-mailed me to let me know that <a href="http://www.familytreedna.com/">Family Tree DNA</a>, the testing service that her family uses and prefers, is having a sale on their <a href="http://www.familytreedna.com/faq/answers.aspx?id=8#511">37-marker Y-DNA test</a> that can establish the male line of descent in a family. From now until 31 December, Family Tree DNA is offering their 37-marker Y-DNA test, normally $169, for just $119. Last night I took the plunge and ordered the test kit, which should be here in a few days. I've also joined the Leslie surname project, a pool of people with the Leslie surname who have submitted samples of their DNA for comparison. I'm excited and eager to find out what this test may reveal, but also a little nervous. This is a venture into unknown, unfamiliar territory. With just a little swab on my cheek and a few weeks of waiting for the analysis, I may reveal a long hidden family secret.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6759723650206206767.post-92158157386390311852012-12-07T15:07:00.000-05:002012-12-07T15:07:06.460-05:00Thankful Thursday: Thankful for My Brother Allen<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQROGLU8pK1dLENFtGLRnRTg5QrB7sxVY6NbmJ01hzVWihmiwwdcLmi3OxkJKaymVmhiKI2rvt0igVhowU1vdG7ujLWRT865SNfFCQ_GT1JI10FGD6TIADmAkAgnqbrFeJwUkmTn-3AAI/s1600/Allen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQROGLU8pK1dLENFtGLRnRTg5QrB7sxVY6NbmJ01hzVWihmiwwdcLmi3OxkJKaymVmhiKI2rvt0igVhowU1vdG7ujLWRT865SNfFCQ_GT1JI10FGD6TIADmAkAgnqbrFeJwUkmTn-3AAI/s1600/Allen.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Allen Leslie<br />One of the best big brothers a genealogist<br />could have!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
OK, OK, so I'm a day late with a <a href="http://geneabloggers.com/daily-blogging-prompts/thankful-thursday/">Thankful Thursday</a> <a href="http://geneabloggers.com/daily-blogging-prompts/">Daily Blogging Prompt</a> from <a href="http://geneabloggers.com/">GeneaBloggers</a>.I've been away from the blog for awhile, but that doesn't mean I haven't been busy.Thanksgiving, which we celebrated a few weeks ago, is of course a time to be thankful for all the good things we've received in life, but this year I had special reason to be thankful. While I was visiting with my brother Allen and his family over the holiday, I asked him for copies of my parents' death certificates, in hopes of clearing up some conflicting information over their birth and death dates. As I was leaving, he presented me with a fat manilla folder stuffed with not only my parents' death certificates, but also their birth certificates, their <i>original</i> (civil) marriage license, a certificate documenting their marriage in the Catholic Church, and baptismal certificates for my mother and maternal grandmother, among other things. "I put in a few extras," he said nonchalantly.<br />
<br />
The biggest surprise of all however, was a large white envelope containing a generous selection of my paternal grandmother's poetry. I knew that Grace Moffatt Leslie, or "Mother Grace," as my Dad called her, wrote poetry, but I didn't know that such a large quantity of it survived. Most of the sheets are typewritten and many are dated, so we know exactly when they were composed.There are also a couple of notepads worth of handwritten notes and drafts, but the handwriting looks like a painful crabbed scrawl. My grandmother suffered from chronic, debilitating arthritis for much of her adult life, and I think as the disease progressed, it must have been increasingly difficult for her to write by hand. I plan to read the poems, scan them, and post digital images of the best ones on the blog in the very near future.<br />
<br />
By now, it should be obvious that I am very thankful for my brother Allen and his willingness to preserve these priceless family documents and make them available to me. Thank you, Allen!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6759723650206206767.post-78480822524643292372012-11-14T21:06:00.000-05:002012-11-14T21:06:43.637-05:00Wordless Wednesday: Cecilia Allen Roberts, 1899-1984<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2KHtH3bcDh7bSwGEUaWjKvGPKfpmyXk9va2A6pRN5Rzi6c3zEY8OlybNQKZT5ZLNhJEJ9f3wUHAbQ2385zEcBwYeNlmfiKcZuz_e77u6SYFeiDjeYNn9e4U3fk83odsdwlv-BrNUO4Ms/s1600/Nana.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2KHtH3bcDh7bSwGEUaWjKvGPKfpmyXk9va2A6pRN5Rzi6c3zEY8OlybNQKZT5ZLNhJEJ9f3wUHAbQ2385zEcBwYeNlmfiKcZuz_e77u6SYFeiDjeYNn9e4U3fk83odsdwlv-BrNUO4Ms/s320/Nana.jpg" width="231" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My maternal grandmother<br />Cecilia Allen Roberts 1899-1984<br />"Nana"</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6759723650206206767.post-65391094014828723472012-10-05T17:29:00.001-04:002012-11-14T10:36:07.487-05:00Follow Friday: The Civil War Diary of Charles F. Nelson<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://cfnelson.everythingesteban.com/" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinCFqyOz9KloNm9FS-kdep_KgeYHMYAtDjMjOWf1nAi5Q3xgecBfcn_4Di9Xe_RNOAywcU8tLIVu6X7y01nMNifY_cPAwyzFD2PFBMYkdizDjqG4WKuSd8_y9oY0FHT2WupZM6-efeUnU/s320/CFN_WAR.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://cfnelson.everythingesteban.com/">Charles F. Nelson</a><br />
<a href="http://cfnelson.everythingesteban.com/">12th Indiana Volunteer Infantry Regiment</a><br />
<a href="http://cfnelson.everythingesteban.com/">ca. 1862</a></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://cfnelson.everythingesteban.com/"><br /></a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
OK, so I've been away from genealogy research and this blog for a few weeks due to other time-wasting activities (Darn you, Netflix, and your <i>Battlestar Galactica</i> reruns!) but I'm going to attempt to resume regular genealogy blogging with today's entry. <a href="http://www.geneabloggers.com/daily-blogging-prompts/follow-friday/">Follow Friday</a> is another<a href="http://www.geneabloggers.com/daily-blogging-prompts/"> Daily Blogging Prompt</a> from <a href="http://www.geneabloggers.com/">GeneaBloggers</a>.<br />
<br />
It's curious sometimes how my interests come together and intersect. I'm Catholic, and when I'm not doing genealogy research or geeking out on fantasy or science fiction, I frequently visit Catholic websites and listen to Catholic podcasts trying to learn more about my faith. <a href="http://www.everythingesteban.com/">Steve Nelson</a> is the director of the <a href="http://sqpn.com/about/">Star Quest Production Network (SQPN)</a>, a network of Catholic blogs, websites, and podcasts dedicated to encouraging Catholics to live their faith more fully and reaching out to non-Catholics by talking about things that both Catholics and non-Catholics enjoy: movies, TV shows, music, comics, food, and health and fitness, among other topics. Recently, through a Facebook post and through one of the SQPN podcasts on which he's a frequent guest, Steve announced that he'd created <a href="http://cfnelson.everythingesteban.com/">a new blog that reproduces the Civil War diary of his great-great grandfather, Charles F. Nelson</a>. Charles F. Nelson was a soldier in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/12th_Regiment_Indiana_Infantry_%283_years%29">12th Indiana Volunteer Infantry Regiment</a> and a fifer in the regimental color guard.The diary describes his movements and activities throughout his wartime service. According to Steve:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Although he doesn’t write in great detail, Charles was witness to some
of the most important events of the war, including the Siege of
Vicksburg, the Battle of Missionary Ridge, Sherman’s Atlanta Campaign,
Sherman’s March to the Sea, and even the Grand Review of the Armies in
Washington, DC.</blockquote>
<br />
The diary was privately printed almost 100 years after the war by Franklin Vance Nelson, Charles F. Nelson's grandson. Steve received his copy from his grandfather, Franklin Jesse Nelson, a first cousin of Franklin Vance Nelson.<br />
<br />
As Steve points out, the entries themselves are often terse and lacking in detail, but they do hint at some of the hardships and privations Charles F. Nelson and his comrades had to endure while in service, and the religious faith that helped Charles endure those hardships. This isn't really a surprise. As I noticed while asking my own father about his World War II experiences, veterans of war are often extremely reluctant to talk in great detail about their service. Perhaps there are extremely painful memories they would rather not recall; perhaps they have endured things that only a fellow veteran, someone who had been through similar experiences, could fully understand; perhaps they felt they were only doing their duty and didn't do anything really interesting or exciting; or perhaps they feel that experiences long past are best left in the past and forgotten.<br />
<br />
Whatever the reasons for Charles F. Nelson's reticence, the diary does yield interesting details to the careful reader. Students of Civil War history, Indiana history, or Indiana genealogy may find useful information here. If nothing else it is an intriguing glimpse into a long vanished era and the daily life of an average soldier. It's obvious that Steve has lavished a great deal of time and effort on this project, using a very attractive website design and illustrating it with rare period artwork, including an absolutely priceless photograph of Charles F. Nelson holding his fife and surrounded by his comrades in the color guard. I would love to have a similar photograph of my own great-great grandfather, James E. Leslie, who was a blacksmith in a Mississippi cavalry regiment. This is a priceless piece of Steve's family history that he has graciously shared with the whole internet. Please visit it soon.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6759723650206206767.post-21353070820794335512012-09-14T18:37:00.000-04:002013-07-27T18:33:46.988-04:00All in the FamilyIt looks as if other members of my family might have caught the genealogy/family history bug. My brother Allen may be the next victim.<br />
<br />
I've previously blogged about the search for information about my <a href="http://aberdeentoalabama.blogspot.com/2012/06/i-found-my-dad.html">Dad's World War II military service</a>. When I received copies of reports of two accidents my Dad was involved in during his pilot training, I shared them with my brother Allen, who is both a licensed pilot himself and an artist of no small skill. Allen called me a few days ago to say that he had decided to create a painting of a P-51, the airplane Dad flew for most of his service. This led him to do research on the P-51, which in turn led him to do research on the structure and organization of the Air Force (or Army Air Forces, as it was known during World War II). During our phone conversation, Allen and I compared our memories of Dad's recollections of his wartime service. I recalled Dad mentioning that he had flown with the U. S. 9th Air Force in England for a time, but I didn't know anything more specific. Using the data in the accident reports and my recollection as starting points, Allen did some internet sleuthing and now thinks he knows where and when our Dad may have been stationed in England. I went back to the website where I first found out about the accidents and reports,the wonderful <a href="http://www.armyairforces.com/">U. S. Army Air Forces in World War II</a> site and posted a query in their forums.<br />
<br />
Remarkably, this query has already produced results. A user pointed me to <a href="http://newspaperarchive.com/wisconsin-state-journal/1943-02-25/page-3/">The Newspaper Archive website</a> with a brief article about my father:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS7nECAkVzovs440-qgTpwD2l4_M0vz4eY_RgHvn5e5zt5VWEM8jm3tReCf2vm_8V0luahhyphenhyphenJ15TFXGwgdz6cTYg0r6Ukv7KgnkL64vLfEmN5VPKsv_pGRN5O3P77GjmWsQBev4tsi6_U/s1600/99952675_836bad81-ce03-44fa-8fb6-ad4a8fd6bcdb.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS7nECAkVzovs440-qgTpwD2l4_M0vz4eY_RgHvn5e5zt5VWEM8jm3tReCf2vm_8V0luahhyphenhyphenJ15TFXGwgdz6cTYg0r6Ukv7KgnkL64vLfEmN5VPKsv_pGRN5O3P77GjmWsQBev4tsi6_U/s1600/99952675_836bad81-ce03-44fa-8fb6-ad4a8fd6bcdb.png" /></a></div>
<br />
The caption reads: "Big responsibility is in the capable hands of 19-year-old Second Lieut. William S. Leslie, above, Birmingham, Ala., who may soon pilot a B-24 Liberator over Axis targets. Believed to be the youngest four-engine pilot ever to graduate from an army air forces school, lieutenant Leslie completed his course at the Fort Worth, Tex., bomber base."<br />
<br />
The clipping is from the (Madison) <i>Wisconsin State Journal</i>, Thursday, 25 February 1943, p. 3. Apparently, the story about Dad being the youngest pilot ever to complete four-engine training was run by newspapers across the country. We still don't know how or why Dad made the transition from four-engine bombers to single-engine fighters, and we still don't know for sure where or when Dad was in England, but we are searching for clues. As Sherlock Holmes would say, "The game is afoot!"Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6759723650206206767.post-44142489773876355032012-09-12T16:47:00.000-04:002012-09-12T16:50:49.469-04:00Eleven Years and One Day Ago . . .<div style="text-align: right;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNbF1CEvVOnlm-pDAJuJpV2ltnktRUyS89vkoCEOAV7uWVwN8SAL9Zpw0lcPVHMIcPk5ezWLl59U-E-Hl6s0Cf63VyGSP8M4WOGb3VqhfY2MgvVQEMmDtMkgKD_5q7dx2dIGfG5lQpmIk/s1600/TVScreenCNNBreakingNews.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNbF1CEvVOnlm-pDAJuJpV2ltnktRUyS89vkoCEOAV7uWVwN8SAL9Zpw0lcPVHMIcPk5ezWLl59U-E-Hl6s0Cf63VyGSP8M4WOGb3VqhfY2MgvVQEMmDtMkgKD_5q7dx2dIGfG5lQpmIk/s320/TVScreenCNNBreakingNews.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Yes, I know I'm a day late commemorating 9/11. But I didn't know if I could bring myself to remember that horrible day. I thought about commemorating the anniversary over on my other general interest blog <a href="http://allstraw.blogspot.com/">It's All Straw</a>, but somehow I just couldn't . <a href="http://www.geneabloggers.com/remembering-911-september-11-2012/">Then Thomas McEntee, the host of GeneaBloggers, suggested that we should all write a commemorative post</a>. Perhaps it will do me good. Here goes mine:<br />
<br />
As genealogists, we all know that history is important; but so often we tend to focus on history on a small scale. What happened in our family? Our town? Our county? The doings of the great and powerful, events on the world stage that get written up in history books, sometimes seem to be of interest only insofar as they affect our ancestors. There are other times, however, when history in the largest sense reaches out and affects everyone of us. We can recall exactly where we were and exactly what we were doing when we heard that some great and terrible event had occurred. For people of my parents' generation, it was the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941; for my older brothers and sisters, it's probably the assassinations of John and Robert Kennedy in the 1960s; for me, it's 9/11.<br />
<br />
On September 11, 2001, I had just gotten to work at my still new job as the Technical Services Librarian (cataloger) for a small county-run public library system in rural South Carolina. The weather was sunny and mild, much like it is today. At first, there was absolutely no hint that anything was wrong.<br />
<br />
I had just stepped into our tiny break room to pour myself a cup of coffee before beginning the day's cataloging when the phone rang. My boss Salley, the library director, was calling from her home in the nearest city, about 45 minutes away, to tell Margaret, her administrative assistant, that a plane had just crashed into the World Trade Center in New York. It was only later that I learned that Salley had a daughter who was living and working in New York and trying to make it as an actress. No wonder it was so personal to her.<br />
<br />
At first I thought this was perhaps just a tragic accident; perhaps the pilot of a small plane had become lost or disoriented or had suffered some catastrophic instrument failure. As Margaret rushed into the break room to turn on the TV and details of the crash began to emerge, it became clear that this was no accident. This was a large commercial jetliner. Minutes later came the second crash. As I watched in horror and disbelief, my mind reeling from the implications of the first two collisions, there came the news that a third plane had crashed into the Pentagon.<br />
<br />
I tried to stay calm and go about my daily routine, but it didn't do much good. My concentration was gone. I think I managed to catalog only two books that day. Every few minutes I would stop and sneak back into the break room trying to get more news. When I heard that the authorities had grounded all air traffic and effectively sealed off New York and Washington, D. C., I e-mailed two dear friends of mine who live in the greater Washington area to make sure they were all right. One of them, a professor at Gallaudet University, a school that serves the deaf, wrote back, "Please pray for our students. Many of them are scared and don't understand what's happening." They were not alone in that feeling. I e-mailed my nephew who is a federal employee. Suddenly I couldn't remember if he was still an Army reservist, and I was afraid for him. He was no longer in the Army reserves, but much later he was eventually deployed to Iraq for several months without incident.<br />
<br />
I also e-mailed my immediate predecessor in the cataloger's job, who had moved on to another library. I still felt like a rookie cataloger at the time, and I would frequently ask Melissa's advice on how to catalog a troublesome item. Our e-mail conversation naturally came around to the events of the day. "It's so horrible you can scarcely believe it's real," I wrote.<br />
<br />
At lunchtime everyone piled into the break room, still glued to the TV. The library director, my boss, had asked me to dress professionally for work and wear a dress shirt and tie each day. That day I wore a light blue shirt and what I thought was a handsome copper-colored tie. I made the mistake of bringing a small tin of ravioli for lunch that day, and I was so preoccupied by the events on TV as I ate that I paid no attention as the ravioli spilled onto my tie. Every time I wore the tie after that, I managed to spill something on it.The tie eventually became so stained and discolored from repeated spills and dry cleanings that I eventually threw it away. Cursed, it seems, by a bad beginning, the tie came to a bad end.<br />
<br />
I can remember pacing up and down in the staff room and murmuring, "This is war," when I should have been cataloging. Yes, you can pace, even in an electric wheelchair. That night I called my parents. "I just wanted to hear your voices and tell you that I love you," I said.<br />
<br />
In the days after I can remember feeling the urge to sing patriotic songs such as the national anthem, "America the Beautiful," and "God Bless America," while fighting back tears as I sang. My country, my home, had been attacked as it never had before in my lifetime.<br />
<br />
We are still living with the results and the aftermath of these attacks. What their ultimate results will be, no one can say. But we should never forget what happened that day.<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6759723650206206767.post-55142514529900201772012-09-06T22:35:00.001-04:002012-09-07T14:42:57.717-04:00Lawyer Needed<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikEF2ULn_WS1yHmGo1_AIv9wY_eZ2a7w-Yy-2mrwG9NeOwQuXrfLzygnjAubM5W-5Wzw50DKVtP4P2dTKzc91yHdVl0KIUvbohLimjqp1GvEZP4XYee0ijWrb9LSdnGzU3V-0EJX6LGCs/s1600/lawyer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikEF2ULn_WS1yHmGo1_AIv9wY_eZ2a7w-Yy-2mrwG9NeOwQuXrfLzygnjAubM5W-5Wzw50DKVtP4P2dTKzc91yHdVl0KIUvbohLimjqp1GvEZP4XYee0ijWrb9LSdnGzU3V-0EJX6LGCs/s320/lawyer.jpg" width="199" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some legal research is needed.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Anybody know where I can find a good lawyer?<br />
<br />
No, it isn't for me. I'm not in any legal trouble (I hope). But my great-great grandfather may have been. It seems my great-great grandfather, James E. Leslie (1823-1875) was involved in a legal matter that was ultimately adjudicated by the Alabama Supreme Court during their January 1860 term. The court rendered a decision in the case of <i>Purcell's Adm'r [Administrator?] vs. Mather</i> which can be found in <i>Reports of Cases Argued and Determined in the Supreme Court of Alabama</i>, vol. XXXV, pp. 570-574. I found the text of the ruling via <a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=Dr4KAAAAYAAJ&q=James+E.+Leslie#v=snippet&q=James%20E.%20Leslie&f=false">Google Books</a> in a link supplied by <a href="http://aberdeentoalabama.blogspot.com/2012/07/tombstone-tuesday-twofer-william-w.html">Sharon Leslie Morgan</a>. The ruling is brief but rather complicated and technical, concerning a contract my great-great grandfather made to hire a slave from another man, and the arrangements to pay for that hire. If the first link to Google Books I provided doesn't work, please go to the <a href="http://books.google.com/">Google Books homepage</a>, search for <i>Reports of Cases Argued and Determined in the Supreme Court of Alabama</i> v. 35 and search inside the book for James E. Leslie.<br />
<br />
I took one introductory law course in college years ago, but the legal issues in play in this case are way beyond my scant knowledge and ability to comprehend. What I'd like is for a lawyer to read the ruling and explain it to me in plain English (or in something as close to it as possible) so I know what's going on here. What are the issues involved? Was my great-great grandfather directly involved in this case or only peripherally involved in a dispute between other people? Was my great-great grandfather accused of or guilty of some kind of misconduct? I'd like to know in order to get some sense of the kind of person he was. Was he a saint or a scoundrel, or, like most of us, somewhere in between? Any help my fellow genealogists and family historians could give me in answering these questions would be a great help.<br />
<i style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 27px; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: nowrap; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"></i><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #333333; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 27px; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: nowrap; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6759723650206206767.post-17175490797783424292012-09-06T21:07:00.000-04:002012-09-07T14:43:43.809-04:00Thankful Thursday: Happy To Be Here<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy-NhwXiFRKCEcb0KqRbPz809TcV3jbG2SZrEhdMmuTzFGnl6P1mH5m2JHFD9qy9tq1k3VSrYIS54lJirUM8VfOF5kgc9rQi_PCw-iKiuzC21oqnQ1rPsC4pGRiQEBnxRhQvsKvwZtiNM/s1600/Just+Happy+to+Be+Here.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy-NhwXiFRKCEcb0KqRbPz809TcV3jbG2SZrEhdMmuTzFGnl6P1mH5m2JHFD9qy9tq1k3VSrYIS54lJirUM8VfOF5kgc9rQi_PCw-iKiuzC21oqnQ1rPsC4pGRiQEBnxRhQvsKvwZtiNM/s320/Just+Happy+to+Be+Here.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<a href="http://www.geneabloggers.com/daily-blogging-prompts/thankful-thursday/">Thankful Thursday</a> is another <a href="http://www.geneabloggers.com/daily-blogging-prompts/">daily blogging prompt</a> from <a href="http://www.geneabloggers.com/">GeneaBloggers</a>. I'm back after a long, unintended hiatus, and that's what I'm <a href="http://www.geneabloggers.com/daily-blogging-prompts/thankful-thursday/">thankful</a> for today.<br />
<br />
My
genealogy research seemed to be cracking along in June and July, and
then in August some things came up that brought everything to a more or
less screeching halt: work for my church that had to be completed on a
deadline and remodeling and renovation to my apartment: new siding on
the building, new kitchen cabinets, new sinks, a new coat of paint, and
new flooring. Oh, and by the way, I'm also thankful that a minor medical
problem that I was concerned about turned out to be only a minor
medical problem.<br />
<br />
With all that going on, it was hard to
concentrate, and then I had to remember where I left off and get back
into the swing of things but it's all coming back to me now. I'm unofficially collaborating with Sharon Leslie Morgan, author of the <a href="http://ourblackancestry.wordpress.com/">Our Black Ancestry</a> blog to research <a href="http://aberdeentoalabama.blogspot.com/2012/07/tombstone-tuesday-twofer-william-w.html">James E. Leslie</a>, my great-great grandfather, and the man she believes to be our common ancestor. Earlier this week at her request, I wrote letters to the church James E. belonged to and to the Lowndes County Alabama tax assessor's office requesting information about the man. Next, I'll write to the county courthouse in Hayneville to see what legal records I can find. Earlier today Sharon pointed me to James E. Leslie's Confederate military record on the <a href="http://www.fold3.com/">Fold3</a> website. The record confirmed her belief that James E. came to Alabama from Iredell County, North Carolina, so we have a new place to hunt for records. I'm back on the trail of my ancestors, and it feels good!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6759723650206206767.post-52983302450604044162012-08-21T12:19:00.001-04:002012-08-21T13:24:09.256-04:00Things Have Been a Bit Disorganized<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPlgwCeG5xyYlfDxRvvjvQsjk0SfhmcdUbterd9rXh8JeYMw4w9Kp4u74BZ0Vz-TNpqrlWD5_N2LqPgVtNYCuM-xTzyS1GvnCv_WdMLuk6wJjqs91QVOg0GJFmBsRAnrFIMk9EFikU8xo/s1600/cluttered+desk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPlgwCeG5xyYlfDxRvvjvQsjk0SfhmcdUbterd9rXh8JeYMw4w9Kp4u74BZ0Vz-TNpqrlWD5_N2LqPgVtNYCuM-xTzyS1GvnCv_WdMLuk6wJjqs91QVOg0GJFmBsRAnrFIMk9EFikU8xo/s1600/cluttered+desk.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I may need to do a bit of tidying up.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
OK, so you may have noticed a lack of posts on this blog in recent weeks. My apologies for that. Some things came up: church work that had to be completed by a deadline and ongoing remodeling and renovation in my apartment. The church work is completed and in the rear view mirror, and I hope the renovation project will be done by the end of this week or some time next week at the latest. There may be one more period of "radio silence" yet to come when my carpeting gets torn up and replaced with tile. After that I hope everything will be back to what passes for normal around here and I can get on with the rest of my life. Until then, please bear with us.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6759723650206206767.post-10510935424854133412012-07-24T15:54:00.001-04:002012-07-24T16:22:54.549-04:00Tombstone Tuesday Twofer: William W., James E., and the Big Surprise<a href="http://www.geneabloggers.com/daily-blogging-prompts/tombstone-tuesday/">Tombstone Tuesday</a> is another <a href="http://www.geneabloggers.com/daily-blogging-prompts/">daily blogging prompt</a> from <a href="http://www.geneabloggers.com/">Geneabloggers</a> that turned out to be especially appropriate for me this week. <br />
<br />
I've been away from the blog for a few days, but that doesn't mean I haven't been busy with genealogical research. In fact this past week may have been my biggest yet so far in terms of discoveries and their emotional impact. What I found this week has changed my life. I found that I may have African-American ancestors and relations that I knew nothing about.<br />
<br />
It all began innocently enough. I have a copy of my paternal grandfather's death certificate, which lists his father's name as William W. Leslie. I searched for William W. Leslie of Braggs, Lowndes County, Alabama on <a href="http://ancestry.com/">Ancestry.com</a> and the following picture came up:<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj4VIeR9KMxEnTgkTbJkTonq-sO5QxWBA_5YFfJJHYyqMnNg6jAKKaxjRSoApQF-l5jrIMamSbzYN7PVpcQV2uOVD1xjPqarl3zZc_sKFxS5eqS725eue97qqQMng-9Awk6VIDAGHHZQA/s1600/William+W.+Leslie%27s+Tombstone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj4VIeR9KMxEnTgkTbJkTonq-sO5QxWBA_5YFfJJHYyqMnNg6jAKKaxjRSoApQF-l5jrIMamSbzYN7PVpcQV2uOVD1xjPqarl3zZc_sKFxS5eqS725eue97qqQMng-9Awk6VIDAGHHZQA/s320/William+W.+Leslie%27s+Tombstone.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">William W. Leslie, Oct. 3, 1851-Dec. 18, 1899.<br />
New Bethel Braggs Cemetery, Lowndes County Alabama</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
(I have added the caption in case the inscription is difficult to read). I left an excited comment asking the person who posted the picture to contact me and share information. An African-American woman named Sharon Leslie Morgan replied, and invited me to continue the conversation further via e-mail. You can find <a href="http://trees.ancestry.com/tree/21130132/person/1033619121/photo/d9e273f7-1c68-482d-bfcf-279cc581249b?src=search">the original photo and exchange of comments here</a>. We began trading e-mails and documents, and the William W. Leslie she had found sounded like the William W. Leslie I was searching for. She is especially interested in the father of William W. Leslie, James E. Leslie, because in blog posts <a href="http://ourblackancestry.wordpress.com/2010/06/26/the-three-a-we/">here</a>, <a href="http://ourblackancestry.wordpress.com/2010/08/24/raising-the-dead/">here</a>, and <a href="http://ourblackancestry.wordpress.com/2010/08/26/the-first-time/">here</a>, she reflects on being a Leslie and discusses her conviction (or at least her supposition) that James E. Leslie (1823-1875) fathered a child with one of his black female slaves. That child was, or may have been, her great-grandfather, Tom Leslie. This is a photo of James E. Leslie's tombstone which she sent me:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNOGg8x7xBkcL_0pOTnMW9FniczcFLnxCERw4kuFBhkpHPv-MeQR60dhvhbDdI3V0CUZYDRDkawSWN9rtPQpz_1iSR7RmFBbgWgEeIAAZgmbNjR814CIvYE_cV6iDbnbap_e_RCAG47y4/s1600/James+E.+Leslie%27s+Tombstone.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNOGg8x7xBkcL_0pOTnMW9FniczcFLnxCERw4kuFBhkpHPv-MeQR60dhvhbDdI3V0CUZYDRDkawSWN9rtPQpz_1iSR7RmFBbgWgEeIAAZgmbNjR814CIvYE_cV6iDbnbap_e_RCAG47y4/s640/James+E.+Leslie%27s+Tombstone.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">James E. Leslie<br />
Born Feb. 22, 1823<br />
Died Mar. 1, 1875<br />
"He left a Wife and three Children"<br />
New Bethel Braggs Cemetery, Lowndes County, Alabama.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
(Again, I added the caption in case the original inscription is hard to read).<br />
<br />
The upshot of all of this, at least for me, is that I may have African-American ancestors and relations I knew nothing about, a possibility that I (perhaps naively) had never considered. For much of the South's history, clandestine and unacknowledged interracial sexual unions (whether consensual or forced) and children resulting from those unions were far more common than many people, white or black, were willing to admit. I knew this in an abstract, intellectual way from taking college courses in race relations and the history of the South, but there is a huge difference between understanding something as an abstract concept and seeing how it could affect the history of your own family.<br />
<br />
I am still trying to process both my emotional reaction to this possibility and the evidence for it that Sharon Leslie Morgan has shared with me thus far. We both want to continue the conversation and gather and interpret more evidence, if it can be found. We agree that the evidence is not conclusive, but it is suggestive. There is much we both need to know before we can say with any certainty whether or not we are related through a common connection to James E. Leslie. We may not be able to resolve the question except through DNA testing.<br />
<br />
If you'd like to know more about Sharon Leslie Morgan, she is the coauthor of a forthcoming book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Gather-Table-Healing-Journey-Daughter/dp/0807014419/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1343157588&sr=1-1&keywords=gather+at+the+table"><i>Gather at the Table</i></a>, due out in October. In the book, Ms. Morgan, a descendant of slaves, and Thomas DeWolf, a descendant of slave owners, discuss their experiences traveling across the country together doing research into their respective family histories and grappling with how the legacies of slavery and racism still affect them. Thomas DeWolf is a member of the Board of Directors of <a href="http://www.comingtothetable.org/">Coming to the Table</a>, an organization that helps descendants of slaves and descendants of slave owners understand their common heritage and promote racial healing and reconciliation.<br />
<br />
As for me, whatever happens, this experience has made me re-examine my concept of myself, my identity as a white Southerner, and my own attitudes on race and racism, and that can only be a good thing. It's good to take a good hard look at yourself every so often, and ask yourself what you really believe and why. As more than one philosopher has said, the unexamined life is not worth living.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6759723650206206767.post-20073963368894153082012-07-24T00:23:00.002-04:002012-07-24T00:25:42.528-04:00Amanuensis Monday: Who Is George Neubauer, Part 2<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; font-family: inherit; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFwY8KefIqbCrvP_IbkG2jtne50zkquaG_ViwHTwAkIYEJMJkxIU5esHMmzGPAG8kAoGbE6x3hmd1CYy-et9S4la3NM0I8t2LEqDxnc0ktrh4nV6-lldjfig8ZcX2RfkulzUQ-IQHZIR0/s1600/amanuensis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFwY8KefIqbCrvP_IbkG2jtne50zkquaG_ViwHTwAkIYEJMJkxIU5esHMmzGPAG8kAoGbE6x3hmd1CYy-et9S4la3NM0I8t2LEqDxnc0ktrh4nV6-lldjfig8ZcX2RfkulzUQ-IQHZIR0/s1600/amanuensis.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Amanuensis Monday again?<br />
A woman's work is never done.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
I think I have just enough time to get this post in while it's still Monday.</div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
In <a href="http://aberdeentoalabama.blogspot.com/2012/07/amanuensis-monday-who-is-george.html">last week's Amanuensis Monday</a> post, I introduced you to George Neubauer and explained his family's relationship to mine. Annie Neubauer was my maternal great-grandmother, but I'm not sure of Annie's relationship to George. Nevertheless, I have copies of two letters of his, written to his parents on successive New Year's Days, of 1873 and 1874 respectively. In the second of the two letters, he writes:</div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">J. M. J.</span><br />
<div>
<span style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">[Jesus, Mary Joseph]</span></div>
<div>
<span style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Dear Parents,</span><br />
<div>
<span style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Another year has gone by and it is one year closer to death. In the past year I was not very obedient and caused you much sorrow. I thank you from my heart for the many favors extended to me and I wouldn't be able to count them even if I tried to. I am very sorry that I caused all that grief and trouble.</span></div>
</div>
<div>
<span style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">I promise you that I will become a good boy and will not cause so much worry as I have done in the past.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">I wish you a Happy New Year, good health, long life, a blessed hour of dying and eternal life in heaven thereafter.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">I close my letter in the name of J. M. J.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Your grateful G. Neubauer</span></div>
<div>
<span style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">George</span></div>
</blockquote>
<div>
<span style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<span style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Balto. 1 Jan. 1874</span></div>
</blockquote>
<div>
<span style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">I notice that this letter is quite a bit shorter than the first one. Young George seems a bit rushed, and his emotions don't seem to be quite as heartfelt as he claimed they were in his first letter. Nevertheless, the two letters have much in common. The fact that they are written on successive New Year's Days suggests to me that this was some sort of annual ritual, one step beyond a New Year's Resolution. The language is very formal and very pious, very Victorian, very German, and very Catholic. The letters are addressed to "Dear Parents," not even "Dear Mama and Papa," or some other term of endearment. In both letters he apologizes for being a poorly behaved son during the previous year, and promises to be much better behaved in the year to come. He apologizes for causing his parents trouble and worry during the past year, but doesn't mention anything specific that he's sorry for. I wonder whether he'd really been doing anything that warranted such profuse apologies or whether this was to be expected as part of the ritual. I suspect he was a fairly young boy when these letters were written, and I wonder how much mischief he really could have gotten into.</span><br />
<span style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Whatever the reasons and the circumstances behind these letters, I've always thought they were an intriguing glimpse into a vanished world.</span></div>
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6759723650206206767.post-20243979143781964732012-07-18T16:23:00.001-04:002012-07-18T16:23:41.154-04:00Wisdom Wednesday: My Mother's Definition of Heaven<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY7lORH376HTMVIopBGeaBNT1LJzPnfYCXpimOvKYv66HS2aHUKSibllAJRfUv6yTvwNL_gQXN3qN4NxwbKj7S59Jtn_RZqCj6cqslnVLrHClRGCy0iVtx9MvGkThPU-97Iv9bWQjAbqg/s1600/Mom,+Christmas+2005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY7lORH376HTMVIopBGeaBNT1LJzPnfYCXpimOvKYv66HS2aHUKSibllAJRfUv6yTvwNL_gQXN3qN4NxwbKj7S59Jtn_RZqCj6cqslnVLrHClRGCy0iVtx9MvGkThPU-97Iv9bWQjAbqg/s1600/Mom,+Christmas+2005.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mom, Christmas 2005</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a href="http://www.geneabloggers.com/daily-blogging-prompts/wisdom-wednesday/">Wisdom Wednesday</a> is another <a href="http://www.geneabloggers.com/daily-blogging-prompts/">daily blogging prompt</a> from <a href="http://geneabloggers.com/">GeneaBloggers.com</a> in which bloggers recall life lessons, observations, and aphorisms passed on to them from preceding generations.<br />
<br />
My mother, Cecilia Roberts Leslie (1924-2006), was one of the wisest people I ever knew, and towards the end of her life I heard her define heaven as, "the place where all the people you love know each other."<br />
<br />
I think this is one of the most profound and beautiful things I ever heard, because with a little reflection, I can see how true it is. We are always going through stages of growth and change in our lives. We are born, we grow up, we go to school, we leave home to go to college, we travel in search of a job, we make a home, we have a family of our own, and we grow older. As one stage ends, another begins, and we have to leave the previous stage behind. Yet at each stage we meet people, friends and family, that we come to know, to like, to care for, to cherish, and to love. Wouldn't it be cool if all those people knew each other? Haven't you ever met someone really extraordinary in your life, remembered someone else remarkable you have known, and thought, "I'll bet So-and-So would really like Such-and-Such. I wish they could meet!" If my mother's definition of heaven turns out to be anything close to the truth, all the people we love <i>just might</i> meet one day.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6759723650206206767.post-34093939893404941722012-07-16T17:56:00.002-04:002012-07-16T18:03:43.636-04:00Amanuensis Monday: Who Is George Neubauer?<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeC5nj1h7Mx98eaMLHW1wO_TMSE3VVy6BsgrIkagyeRq94L4Y2y7-gLdfD6ANQw8WqvXjSUONaENV19mtKhVXUBrHxLiDi6h9Axju6NizYBhLfjrSG_paVtJM89b2t3fNQDCj6itDnEUY/s1600/amanuensis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeC5nj1h7Mx98eaMLHW1wO_TMSE3VVy6BsgrIkagyeRq94L4Y2y7-gLdfD6ANQw8WqvXjSUONaENV19mtKhVXUBrHxLiDi6h9Axju6NizYBhLfjrSG_paVtJM89b2t3fNQDCj6itDnEUY/s320/amanuensis.jpg" width="280" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Amanuensis Monday: You want me to do <i>what?</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a href="http://www.geneabloggers.com/daily-blogging-prompts/amanuensis-monday/">Amanuensis Monday</a> is another <a href="http://www.geneabloggers.com/daily-blogging-prompts/">daily blogging prompt </a>suggested by<a href="http://www.geneabloggers.com/"> GeneaBloggers</a>. When I first saw this prompt, my immediate reaction was "Amanu-what?" but when I read the description I was intrigued. The prompt is described this way:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
An Amanuensis is a person employed to write what another dictates or to
copy what has been written by another. Amanuensis Monday is a daily
blogging theme which encourages the family historian to transcribe
family letters, journals, audiotapes, and other historical artifacts.
Not only do the documents contain genealogical information, the words
breathe life into kin – some we never met – others we see a time in
their life before we knew them.</blockquote>
<br />
Now that I know what an amanuensis is and what Amanuensis Monday is, I realize I have some documents that will fill the bill quite nicely for this prompt. They involve my mother's side of the family, however, rather than my father's, and they'll take a little bit of explaining.<br />
<br />
Annie Neubauer was my mother's grandmother, my maternal great-grandmother. She grew up in a German-American Catholic family in Baltimore, Maryland in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The family spoke German at home, had German language prayer books, and wrote letters to each other in German in an elegant, formal hand. I have photocopies of two letters from George Neubauer to his parents dated 1 Jan 1873 and 1874 respectively, in German, with English, translations attached. The original letters were handwritten, but the translations were typed on an old manual typewriter. I believe my uncle Eddie Roberts provided me with the photocopies of the letters, but I have no idea who translated them. I also have no idea of the relationship between Annie Neubauer and George Neubauer. I suspect (but do not know for sure) that George Neubauer was one of Annie Neubauer's brothers. In the first letter he writes:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Dear Parents,<br />
<br />
I can not let this day go by without telling you my heartfelt feelings.<br />
<br />
For the New Year I wish you the best of luck, the blessing of the Lord, a long life, and after a peaceful death eternal life in heaven.I particularly feel strong about these wishes thinking about the past years when you worked so hard to make a good child out of me. For the many favors which you extended on my body and soul I express my thanks deep from my heart and the dear Lord will reward you for it in heaven with an extraordinary blessing. In order to show you my gratefulness I promise to make you happy with a good and pious behavior. I will not let a day go by without having prayed for you. I know that in the last year I have worried you with my bad behavior. I am sorry and I ask you for forgiveness and in the New Year I will be a very different son.<br />
<br />
In the hope that you will continue to take care of me in the same way I remain with love and devotion your thankful son George.<br />
<br />
George<br />
<br />
Balto. 1 Jan. 1873</blockquote>
<br />
Next week, I'll post the second of the two letters with my thoughts about both. In the meantime, if any of my GeneaBloggers colleagues who are researching the Neubauer family or German-American families, especially in the Baltimore area, could provide me with some guidance on how to identify George Neubauer and establish the relationship between George and Annie Neubauer, I would be most grateful. <i>Danke schön!</i><br />
<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6759723650206206767.post-55672077770235345182012-07-15T18:29:00.000-04:002012-07-15T18:56:16.753-04:00Sunday's Obituary: Cecilia Roberts Leslie (1924-2006)<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ9CZcwIFb_iNaSakBAA1FVMrogFFvmFHxjSsHzY_xQ-M1BzqVzDSdhE8mfM6EidBYnzy-qpY15laedMrL3vPoxLbE5IPJ0b2UdgUtEyRDglGYfrZgiG9Mxefp5C4kHVlcxTEVUlmyXyQ/s1600/Mom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ9CZcwIFb_iNaSakBAA1FVMrogFFvmFHxjSsHzY_xQ-M1BzqVzDSdhE8mfM6EidBYnzy-qpY15laedMrL3vPoxLbE5IPJ0b2UdgUtEyRDglGYfrZgiG9Mxefp5C4kHVlcxTEVUlmyXyQ/s1600/Mom.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mom</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a href="http://www.geneabloggers.com/daily-blogging-prompts/sundays-obituary/">Sunday's Obituary</a> is another <a href="http://www.geneabloggers.com/daily-blogging-prompts/">daily blogging prompt</a> from <a href="http://geneabloggers.com/">GeneaBloggers.com</a>. This is an obituary that I wrote for my mother, Cecilia Roberts Leslie after her passing in 2006:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Cecilia Allen Roberts Leslie of Indian Trail, N.C., was called home to God on Thursday June 29, 2006.<br />
<br />
She died at home after an illness.<br />
<br />
She
was born October 19, 1924, in Columbia, SC, the daughter of the late
John Cornelius Roberts of Columbia and the late Agnes Cecilia Allen Roberts, also
of Columbia. She graduated from the University of South Carolina with a
bachelor's degree in journalism. After a brief career in radio and
newspaper journalism, she married the late William Stewart Leslie of
Birmingham, Alabama, and largely devoted herself to providing a loving
and secure home for their six children. They were married for 55 years.
For nearly 20 years, Mr. and Mrs. Leslie operated a retail business,
Clocks & Crafts, in Murrells Inlet and Pawleys Island, SC.<br />
<br />
Mrs.
Leslie is survived by her six children: Susan Leslie of Charlotte, NC;
John Stewart "Jay" Leslie of Dallas, Texas; William Farley Leslie of
Chapel Hill, NC; Edward Allen Leslie of Indian Trail, NC; Mary Grace
Leslie Davis of Little River, SC; and Neil Roberts Leslie of Marion, SC;
five grandchildren; and two great grandchildren, She will be remembered
for her unfailing wisdom, compassion, sense of humor, and strength of
character, and will be sorely missed by all who knew her.<br />
<br />
A
memorial service for Mrs. Leslie is scheduled for Monday July 3 at 11 AM
at St. Luke Catholic Church in Mint Hill, NC. The Rev. James F. Hawker
will officiate.</blockquote>
I still miss her. Love you, Mom!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6759723650206206767.post-52945246169524794962012-07-14T19:59:00.000-04:002012-07-14T20:10:06.801-04:00Shopping Saturday: Braggs or Bragg's?<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL5wZYL0O57MVvYzP9YJ5thqDrzS0KWxp-h77bnDYs33MK9s-H8EDWTo8rj3sBgXb_kL0PYh_36fkQdF5-Gjc922j7EXZrUETm8MhBbCFmkoT8iS_R_eeBTFe-Bg-HJhyphenhyphen8sWQ2WWTncL4/s1600/LowndesCo.+1895.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL5wZYL0O57MVvYzP9YJ5thqDrzS0KWxp-h77bnDYs33MK9s-H8EDWTo8rj3sBgXb_kL0PYh_36fkQdF5-Gjc922j7EXZrUETm8MhBbCFmkoT8iS_R_eeBTFe-Bg-HJhyphenhyphen8sWQ2WWTncL4/s320/LowndesCo.+1895.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Braggs, Lowndes County, Alabama, as it appeared in<br />
<i>The New 11 x14 Atlas of the World,</i> Rand McNally, 1895</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
. . . and the difference one little apostrophe can make. What does an apostrophe have to do with shopping, you ask? I'll explain.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.geneabloggers.com/daily-blogging-prompts/shopping-saturday/">Shopping Saturday</a> is another <a href="http://www.geneabloggers.com/daily-blogging-prompts/">daily blogging prompt</a> from <a href="http://www.geneabloggers.com/">GeneaBloggers</a> in which bloggers write about stores or shops that played important roles in their lives or the lives of their ancestors. I believe my paternal grandfather, Stewart Farley Leslie, came from a community that was <i>named</i> for a local store.<br />
<br />
My grandfather was born in a tiny rural community (I don't know if t it was even formally incorporated as a town) in Lowndes County in south central Alabama called Braggs. In an old <a href="http://www.livgenmi.com/1895/AL/County/lowndes.htm">U. S. Atlas, circa 1895</a>, it appears approximately halfway between Fort Deposit and Letohatchee. My father, who spent at least one boyhood summer there with my grandfather's relatives, used to laugh and say that it was the kind of place "you had to <i>want</i> to get to." Meaning, I suppose, that it was so small and out of the way that one didn't just blunder across it by accident. In some sources I've seen, the name of the place is written as Braggs, and in others it's written as Bragg's.<br />
<br />
Why quibble over one little apostrophe? Because it can give you a clue to the origin of the place. I was searching <a href="http://familysearch.org/">FamilySearch.org</a> one night in June, looking for information about my grandfather, when I found a <a href="https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/M9DW-K6V">1900 census record</a> listing his residence as "Precincts 5-6 Farmersville, Bragg's Store, Lowndes, Alabama." The apostrophe was there, perhaps, because the name of the place was originally Bragg's Store. I'm just theorizing here, but possibly it could have been a trading post or a way station along the route to somewhere else. A cluster of houses grew up around it. A community was born. Over time, for the sake of convenience, (or perhaps the store went out of business), the name was shortened to Braggs and the apostrophe was dropped.<br />
<br />
Interestingly, in that same census record, there is no mention of my great-grandfather (my grandfather's father) and my great-grandmother (my grandfather's mother) is listed as head of household. I believe my great-grandfather (whose name, I believe, was William Wright Leslie) must have died before 1900. Perhaps my great-grandmother, Janie Cora Peake (She appears on the record as Janie C. Leslie), wanted to be near the store in hopes of making a living and supporting her young children. I estimate that my grandfather would have been about 13 in 1900. His older sister Mabel would have been about 14, and his three younger brothers, William W., James B., and Henry E. would have been about 10, 6, and 4 years old respectively. If anyone can help me verify this, I'd be most grateful.<br />
<br />
THAT'S the difference one little apostrophe can make, and THAT'S the connection between a little apostrophe and shopping.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6759723650206206767.post-83735060804687531022012-07-14T17:11:00.003-04:002012-07-14T17:23:35.238-04:00Follow Friday: Alabama Blogs<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeYSDoUEerxX8nnxwgCxRTZ6YX0kamIta0zJ0lEjiaW_phmPm3y2qUfQhYZ-FROpeGcjAOj6qwG8ZKx0Oxl4ch0pe0O-U56_DRO2pxYL1ud7n8t9-jsHShnezhbleS5qKP7zzrGNVnbO4/s1600/270px-Alabama_in_United_States.svg.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeYSDoUEerxX8nnxwgCxRTZ6YX0kamIta0zJ0lEjiaW_phmPm3y2qUfQhYZ-FROpeGcjAOj6qwG8ZKx0Oxl4ch0pe0O-U56_DRO2pxYL1ud7n8t9-jsHShnezhbleS5qKP7zzrGNVnbO4/s1600/270px-Alabama_in_United_States.svg.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alabama is the red one.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
One of the <a href="http://www.geneabloggers.com/daily-blogging-prompts/">daily blogging prompts</a> at <a href="http://www.geneabloggers.com/">GeneaBloggers</a> is "<a href="http://www.geneabloggers.com/daily-blogging-prompts/follow-friday/">Follow Friday</a>" in which bloggers write about blogs, blog posts, or websites they are following in their research and why they find them useful. I'm only getting around to this prompt today (Saturday) but that doesn't mean I haven't been busy. Beginning last night and continuing today, I've added all the blogs currently available in the <a href="http://www.geneabloggers.com/genealogy-blogs-type/alabama-genealogy-blogs/">Alabama Genealogy</a> category of GeneaBloggers to my blogroll. That may seem like overdoing it a little, but I figure that since I'm really just getting started with my research, I have no idea where clues to my paternal Alabama ancestors might turn up. I'd like to meet bloggers with connections to the same state I'm researching in the hopes that they can point me in the right directions and share what they've learned with me. As my research into my mother's side of the family expands, I want to make similar connections with South Carolina and Virginia genealogy bloggers.<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6759723650206206767.post-64070686055509052822012-07-12T19:08:00.000-04:002012-07-12T19:08:00.842-04:00Thankful Thursday: Thankful for The Internet<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFS-flmAvFb4T9A-jrmw7FRy_xRjDR7VRyi076HOyYDjPkb6ZM-vxwsyZJ5h3q9-LfoZXMHvcd2xVc5HbxJOL0O5HOACAtKRrxMJ1xXBVqgY_0QZ2mFv9KJk3HnR80As7tuqnC5cVlhQo/s1600/internet.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFS-flmAvFb4T9A-jrmw7FRy_xRjDR7VRyi076HOyYDjPkb6ZM-vxwsyZJ5h3q9-LfoZXMHvcd2xVc5HbxJOL0O5HOACAtKRrxMJ1xXBVqgY_0QZ2mFv9KJk3HnR80As7tuqnC5cVlhQo/s1600/internet.gif" /></a></div>
This is my first post using the series of <a href="http://www.geneabloggers.com/daily-blogging-prompts/">daily blogging prompts</a> available at <a href="http://geneabloggers.com/">GeneaBloggers.com</a>. When I saw that one of the prompts for today was "<a href="http://www.geneabloggers.com/daily-blogging-prompts/thankful-thursday/">Thankful Thursday,</a>" I just had to write this one because it's so easy.<br />
<br />
I'm thankful for the Internet.<br />
<br />
I have a disability and some related health problems that make working and even getting out of the house occasionally quite a bit more challenging than they would otherwise be. Going to genealogy conferences, the state archives, the local genealogical society, or even the county courthouse to do research would all require some careful planning and forethought. With a computer and an internet connection, however, many of the challenges of logistics and transportation: "How am I gonna get from here to there?" are substantially reduced, if not completely eliminated.<br />
<br />
On sites such as <a href="http://ancestry.com/">Ancestry.com</a> and <a href="https://familysearch.org/">FamilySearch.org</a> I can surf through millions of records and discover surprising things about my family from the comfort and privacy of my own home and easily integrate my findings into my genealogy database software. I can upload my family tree, complete with notes and documentation, to the Web so that family, friends, and other researchers can see what I've found no matter where I am and no matter where they are. Via e-mail I can communicate with genealogists across the country or around the world. If I listen to genealogy podcasts, I can get tips and advice from experts in the field, almost as if I were fortunate enough to hear them speak in person. Barriers of time and distance seem to shrink when I use the 'net. While I know that nothing can take the place of a face-to-face meeting with another human flesh and blood human being, and that not every record I might need will be in an online database somewhere, I also know that the internet and its resources give me powerful tools I've never had before. For that I am profoundly grateful.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6759723650206206767.post-62363409943670748432012-07-12T17:41:00.000-04:002012-07-12T19:10:49.162-04:00Now a Member of GeneaBloggersI'm pleased to announce that this blog is now a member of <a href="http://www.geneabloggers.com/about/">GeneaBloggers</a>, an association of over 2,500 blogs on genealogy and family history, according to founder Thomas McEntee. (Check out the snazzy logo over there on the top right). I've been listed among the Alabama and Scottish-related genealogy blogs, naturally enough, and I will ask for a cross-listing among South Carolina genealogy blogs in the near future.<br />
<br />
I'm delighted to join such a large community of like-minded bloggers and genealogists from whom I can learn and with whom I can share what I learn along the way. The sole requirement for membership in GeneaBloggers is that "you must either author a blog related to genealogy and family history or you are a reader of these types of blogs." I'd say I meet both of these conditions. I'm writing a genealogy blog now, and have been and will be reading genealogy blogs in the future. I'm sure the GeneaBloggers blogs I find most interesting and useful will wind up on my blogroll soon.<br />
<br />
The GeneaBloggers site includes a <a href="http://www.geneabloggers.com/blog-resources/">Blog Resources</a> section with links to sites offering advice on topics such as customizing the look of your genealogy blog and finding free blog templates. There are also <a href="http://www.geneabloggers.com/daily-blogging-prompts/">daily blogging prompts</a> to stimulate thought and creativity and generate posts. I'll be posting articles based on these prompts very soon.<br />
<br />
In short, I'm happy to be a member of GeneaBloggers!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6759723650206206767.post-47580937413994883942012-07-10T21:46:00.000-04:002012-07-11T10:25:23.477-04:00Getting Organized, Digitally A few days ago I received a comment on <a href="http://aberdeentoalabama.blogspot.com/2012/06/making-progress-in-getting-organized.html">this post about getting organized</a> from Shack, the Ancestry Ace, host of the <a href="https://plus.google.com/105688581198411250704/posts">Ancestry Aces</a> page on Google+. He had some very kind and encouraging words to say about this blog and my family history research, and he asked a question that made me think and experiment with new ways of doing things. I decided his question deserved its own post and response rather than just a simple reply in the comments box. He writes:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Hi Niall, <br />
<br />
I found your blog today and enjoyed reading about your
organizing efforts. I've been working with my mom to collaborate in
doing some genealogy research. She has a lot of her research documented
in paper form which lends itself well to the process you described with
labels and binders. I have taken an approach slanted more towards
digitizing my research documentation. I prefer to save copies as .jpgs
or image files so that I can tag them for easy retrieval. I still find
and keep paper versions but prefer to keep my main copy as a digital
one. Do you have thoughts/plans about how you may integrate digital
copies into your documentation system? </blockquote>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU8_2r-mT-pDa9NjKMD9HZDTBEBr8J8l4DpKlv19G0dMqC-5lS1BUCE0bxp2mxtUnM-49dYud49jNwjlk-tfj25Nn-up-e3_laMZZIGnn5vaSIxRgVAHSGdKRy0fLZmZYHVRQ70FCW5Go/s1600/hp3680__51666_zoom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU8_2r-mT-pDa9NjKMD9HZDTBEBr8J8l4DpKlv19G0dMqC-5lS1BUCE0bxp2mxtUnM-49dYud49jNwjlk-tfj25Nn-up-e3_laMZZIGnn5vaSIxRgVAHSGdKRy0fLZmZYHVRQ70FCW5Go/s320/hp3680__51666_zoom.jpg" width="310" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My HP OfficeJet J3680 printer/copier/scanner/fax</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Best of luck,<br />
<br />
Shack - The Ancestry Ace</blockquote>
<br />
Hi Shack! Thanks for your kind words, and best of luck to you too in your own research.<br />
<br />
The short answer to your question is I'm just beginning to think about the possibilities for digital filing and archiving of information. I have an "all-in-one" printer/copier/scanner/fax machine, but until now I've rarely used the scanner, so believe it or not, this is still relatively new technology and unexplored territory for me. I had an "Ah hah!" moment the other day when I decided I wanted to transcribe some information I had about some Scottish Leslies. The information is interesting, but I'm not sure where it came from, or even if the Leslies mentioned in the document are direct ancestors of mine. I wanted to record this information and have fast electronic access to it, but how? It finally dawned on me that by scanning the document, I could save myself hours of tedious re-typing.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNk-oAju-Ke7KUUdwWMrssNWfNME4riZP5Msz3MS3aJ6mujjJEvq64ejK7QwXC2NFZrsyKdZmfLzJW9B8ZfGaHPYD1S_QW3PNGO2t6OR9gLnw4wBGHETemHtoHoHHWUzn35dCnYoaI1yk/s1600/evernote_logo2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNk-oAju-Ke7KUUdwWMrssNWfNME4riZP5Msz3MS3aJ6mujjJEvq64ejK7QwXC2NFZrsyKdZmfLzJW9B8ZfGaHPYD1S_QW3PNGO2t6OR9gLnw4wBGHETemHtoHoHHWUzn35dCnYoaI1yk/s320/evernote_logo2.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Evernote can be a powerful tool for genealogists</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I had another "Ah hah! moment when I read an article by Dick Eastman, author and host of <a href="http://blog.eogn.com/">Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter</a> about how the free note-taking application <a href="http://evernote.com/">Evernote</a> could be a really <a href="http://blog.eogn.com/eastmans_online_genealogy/2012/07/-how-to-use-evernote-to-be-a-better-genealogist.html">powerful tool for genealogists</a>. (Unfortunately, the full article is available only to paid subscribers to EOGN, but you can get a three-month subscription for a mere $5.95. Try it and see if you like it. Such a deal!)<br />
<br />
In the article Dick compares Evernote to the electronic version of a pad of Post-It notes that could record and store data in a huge variety of formats: free-form text, jpegs, PDFs, audio and video, and even entire web pages; the perfect place to store potentially useful stuff you're not quite sure what to do with. If you add tags or keywords or type a few letters of the keyword, notes with those keywords can be instantly retrieved. Evernote also creates copies of your notes and stores them in the cloud, so that if something catastrophic happens to your computer, your notes aren't lost.<br />
<br />
Using my scanner and Evernote, I came up with a solution to the problem of the document about the Scottish Leslies. I scanned each page of the document (I'm still trying to figure out how to scan multi-page documents) and converted each page to a PDF and a note using Evernote. The pages are quickly and easily readable any time I want them, without having to dig through my paper files.<br />
<br />
The implications of this are huge. There are many documents I could scan and turn into notes using Evernote. The trick will be figuring out how to make the best use of these new resources. <br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6759723650206206767.post-52577944802207622942012-06-21T16:03:00.002-04:002012-06-21T16:14:52.529-04:00And Now a Little Family History Humor . . .<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis9H2YIZJXf7r9gbVhzUrVdQFtXho3NzJX4mtEglOuyH-CdHqtdbzzh2FlpFMAPPOJx6wFEUCV5OLH4b44sHQCaVjhs2GL5p5mU8QqlXOJpo0pfD_ZJgkG5peCmme3YmmBAPPkIHRDnQM/s1600/165963_458634000815035_1031204485_n.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis9H2YIZJXf7r9gbVhzUrVdQFtXho3NzJX4mtEglOuyH-CdHqtdbzzh2FlpFMAPPOJx6wFEUCV5OLH4b44sHQCaVjhs2GL5p5mU8QqlXOJpo0pfD_ZJgkG5peCmme3YmmBAPPkIHRDnQM/s320/165963_458634000815035_1031204485_n.jpg" width="299" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Via my Facebook Friend <a href="http://www.facebook.com/anjelicakitty">Anjelica Timms-Bush</a>.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Click on the thumbnail to see a larger version of the image.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6759723650206206767.post-58671752256495455232012-06-18T23:01:00.001-04:002012-07-12T17:55:28.521-04:00"The Longest Wait"I saw this on <a href="http://www.patheos.com/blogs/markshea/2012/06/two-points.html#comments">another blog I read</a> and was extraordinarily moved by it, having just been through a similar experience of finding out more about my own father's World War II military service. Peggy Harris never got a straight answer when she asked about what happened to her her husband Billie, a fighter pilot who disappeared in France in 1944. Nevertheless, she remained faithful, constant, and persistent until she finally discovered the truth:<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/-LWwEg_uQnU" width="420"></iframe><br />
<br />
Now, after all these years, she finally knows what really happened to her beloved husband, and she knows he is a man she can be proud of. This is a story about the value of patience, persistence, tenacity, and family history research. In this case, knowing the truth about her family history didn't just satisfy Peggy Harris's abstract intellectual curiosity—it helped heal her aching heart.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6759723650206206767.post-16511617023578484142012-06-16T15:45:00.000-04:002012-06-16T17:12:39.205-04:00More About My Dad<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguQeIG3YcPchVIa7krXhEcmvWElqSOJNuN8xfjPWvPn7-G3HQQwjhY7h2M07xxW_xRoNZF-rBN2ubHtKu9KB2sV4SND8SOF7x3v3md97t9iqxyn57x7O0-oPCmgWw-NXfHXoxep-aZf8g/s1600/WSLeslie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguQeIG3YcPchVIa7krXhEcmvWElqSOJNuN8xfjPWvPn7-G3HQQwjhY7h2M07xxW_xRoNZF-rBN2ubHtKu9KB2sV4SND8SOF7x3v3md97t9iqxyn57x7O0-oPCmgWw-NXfHXoxep-aZf8g/s320/WSLeslie.jpg" width="256" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2nd Lieutenant William S. Leslie<br />
9 Oct 1943, Age 20<br />
So young!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Friday morning I got a long-awaited letter from the <a href="http://www.archives.gov/st-louis/">National Personnel Records Center </a>in St. Louis in response to my latest requests for my father's World War II service records. My search was partially successful. It confirmed that I had indeed found his wartime serial number (0-668096) and it also confirmed my long-held suspicion that his complete service records, if they were ever held there, were destroyed in a fire in July 1973. However, the letter also stated that, "[w]e used alternate sources to reconstruct some record data lost in the fire," and included two copies of a Certification of Military Service that includes his complete dates of service, including a short period as an enlisted man that I did not know about. I am so very proud.<br />
<br />
The date of his enlistment conflicts slightly with some other
information that I have (ironically, also supplied by the National
Archives and Records Administration which oversees the National
Personnel Records Center), so I may have to look into this further to
make sure the details are correct. Also, although the caption on the
original photo of my Dad identifies him as a 1st Lieutenant as of
October 1943, I believe he was actually a 2nd Lieutenant at the time.
The accident reports I mentioned in a previous entry bear this out. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimldNa5eWOSZFhORyq-gN7G6yrprKMC4jHBaEOr45R05FOmWP0KXrbmYlKm0N8kunRkIHn9H5IMytpXFyZsnO-UDDpvCYKRpzq2mppFEWRGZbBR6tbEucZyWgF888xU8ONh9fywn-GcV8/s1600/Certification0001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimldNa5eWOSZFhORyq-gN7G6yrprKMC4jHBaEOr45R05FOmWP0KXrbmYlKm0N8kunRkIHn9H5IMytpXFyZsnO-UDDpvCYKRpzq2mppFEWRGZbBR6tbEucZyWgF888xU8ONh9fywn-GcV8/s640/Certification0001.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6759723650206206767.post-43842760998244764382012-06-11T15:46:00.000-04:002012-06-14T12:16:00.825-04:00I Found My Dad!<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZWCLWLiQmRP8cPF73lDd61j2O737xSTM-nyrFMjDIfJzg9VE9QdqmTQ4dCHBb0t2sOgTCpvBkIAAbvQqO_6EjoZol-o0xB88UYXyaDit_PfHUNzXB6QWABBhtqRVyWIY_voXZ4Zf6wcs/s1600/WSLeslie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZWCLWLiQmRP8cPF73lDd61j2O737xSTM-nyrFMjDIfJzg9VE9QdqmTQ4dCHBb0t2sOgTCpvBkIAAbvQqO_6EjoZol-o0xB88UYXyaDit_PfHUNzXB6QWABBhtqRVyWIY_voXZ4Zf6wcs/s320/WSLeslie.jpg" width="256" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Caption on the back of the original photo reads:<br />
"1st Lt. William S. Leslie, 20 years old, Oct. 9 1943"<br />
(Scanned image supplied by William F. Leslie)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
This was a big weekend for me. I found my Dad.<br />
<br />
Early Saturday morning I received a long-awaited e-mail from Craig Fuller of the <a href="http://aviationarchaeology.com/">Aviation Archaeological Investigation and Research</a> (AAIR) website that maintains a database of accident reports involving World War II aircraft. The e-mail contained a link to a page where I could download copies of two reports of two accidents involving my father, William Stewart Leslie, during his pilot training in World War II. The serial number of the "Leslie, William S." in these reports matches exactly the serial number on a set of dog tags in my family's possession, so I know this is my Dad. Now that I know for certain his rank and serial number and the group and squadron he was attached to at the time of the accidents, I can use these pieces of information to try and locate more details about his military service.<br />
<br />
In the first accident, he was returning to Camp Campbell (now Fort Campbell), Kentucky after a routine cross-country training flight early on the morning of 15 August 1943. He landed about ten feet short of the end of the runway because the sun was in his eyes, and when he landed, the spindle supporting the left landing gear on his <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P-39">Bell P-39F AirCobra</a> broke, causing the landing gear on that side to collapse. The board investigating the accident concluded:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGBoUeY_IGVa_TrU9TTSdOzbL36fNpdp23JW7oPUWdb7ABBPWKLZbKDZKo-e_cF8zAHHeqFB5Hi1JA-abaBVZoCQzs63qp2-02PXloerzQ9xPwAyQF_HzqT3rBxsRQCbSslrGVZdK2aPs/s1600/Bell_P-39_Airacobra.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGBoUeY_IGVa_TrU9TTSdOzbL36fNpdp23JW7oPUWdb7ABBPWKLZbKDZKo-e_cF8zAHHeqFB5Hi1JA-abaBVZoCQzs63qp2-02PXloerzQ9xPwAyQF_HzqT3rBxsRQCbSslrGVZdK2aPs/s320/Bell_P-39_Airacobra.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bell P-39F AirCobra with U. S. Army Air Forces Markings</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Although pilot did land a few feet short of hard surfaced runway due to the fact that his visual judgment was hindered because he was landing into the sun at 0830 o'clock, it is not the opinion of the board that this fact would have been a factor in causing the landing gear to fail. It is a known fact that landing gear spindles on P-39 Airplanes are light and delicate. It is believed that spindle had Crystallized and cracked.</blockquote>
<br />
In the second accident, he was leaving Camp Campbell for another routine cross country training flight on the afternoon of 25 October 1943 when ice formed in the carburetor of his <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P-51">North American P-51 Mustang</a>, causing a sudden and and complete engine failure. The official report reads:<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFPRyvbLGfMtw5XSrffFcPGmKYMbRp3z5mT0Y41dhFQDKkTIa2VAgI3yaYiEzhG4SyekFDczpeY8swJ2QW2sypsDCaL7QimhFAlWE5WxCIuxZJvB6P-OUiLhUmmvYQ5VGAxewmgXa8PdI/s1600/North+American+P-51.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFPRyvbLGfMtw5XSrffFcPGmKYMbRp3z5mT0Y41dhFQDKkTIa2VAgI3yaYiEzhG4SyekFDczpeY8swJ2QW2sypsDCaL7QimhFAlWE5WxCIuxZJvB6P-OUiLhUmmvYQ5VGAxewmgXa8PdI/s320/North+American+P-51.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">North American P-51 Mustang</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
"After about 50 minutes of flying there was a tremendous backfire and engine failed. Pilot made crash landing, wheels up" in a farmer's cornfield near Scottsville, Kentucky.<br />
<br />
The board investigating the accident recommended "that pilots be directed to use full carburetor heat when atmospheric conditions indicate that moderate to severe icing conditions exist," and "That WILLIAM S. LESLIE, 2nd Lt. Air Corps, Res., be relieved of all responsibility in this accident."<br />
<br />
I'm relieved to know that in both cases, the investigating boards concluded that Dad did not cause or was not directly responsible for the accident. A pilot is always ultimately responsible for everything that happens on board his aircraft, but apparently in these cases there were mitigating circumstances. A severe enough accident might have caused Dad to wash out of pilot training, which I think might have broken his heart. Dad loved flying.<br />
<br />
I admire his persistence, too. One accident is one thing, but after the second one, I would have considered the Quartermaster Corps or the Navy!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0