maternal history
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When Mother and Daughter Became Sisters-in-Law
Sometimes my genealogy research requires a pencil, a piece of paper, and a second cup of coffee to untangle. This is one of those stories. My 3X great grandmother, Sarah (Gross) Carter (1836-1912), and her daughter, Nancy Carter were, of course, mother and daughter. But after the death of Sarah’s first husband during the Civil… Continue reading
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No Crying Over Swiped Chickens
One of the things I love most about genealogy is discovering that our ancestors weren’t simply names and dates neatly recorded on census pages. They were actual people – and occasionally, they did really stupid things. About fifteen years ago, I stumbled across a newspaper article about my paternal great grandfather, John Percy Nelson Luttrell… Continue reading
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She Answered His Matrimonial Ad – And Married His Brother
Around the turn of the 20th century, courtship and marriage in rural communities were primarily dictated by geographic proximity and localized social circles. The experience of my maternal great-grandmother aligns precisely with this historical pattern. Mary ‘Mollie’ Glenn (Powers, Luttrell) Ryan was born May 9, 1885 in Ossian, Wells County, Indiana. When she was 21… Continue reading
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Meat, Vegetable and a Stack of White Bread: Dinner 1979
There was a formula for dinner in the 1970s and 1980s and apparently no one questioned it. There would be meat, at least one vegetable, perhaps a potato dish or rice or noodles, and then there would be a stack of white bread sitting on a plate in the middle of the table. Not rolls.… Continue reading
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The Mystery of Kelso’s Sticking Salve
While sorting through several boxes of genealogy items this weekend, I came across this artifact in my collection that was given to me by my great aunt Dorris (Sickels) Smith (1926-2019) who was married to my great grand uncle DeBurl Smith (1922-2013) (brother of my maternal grandmother, Audra). DeBurl Smith’s mother was Ola (Kelso) Smith.… Continue reading
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Chloe Ann (Headley) Kelso (1857-1956): A Life Across Four Generations
Of all the treasures in my genealogy collection, these original tintypes are among the most precious. They are two of only a few early photographs I have of my 2X great grandparents, Chloe Ann (Headley) Kelso and Oliver Hazard Perry Kelso, and every time I look at them I’m reminded how remarkable it is that… Continue reading
Tiny Acorns & Mighty Oaks 