Who's your daddy?

 

                                                 Giving life

 After spending/wasting a good part of the afternoon, the truth has emerged.  All sorts of sites where my sacred bloodline has wandered through the years of my mother’s grandmother, Sarah Ann.  Twisting and turning, I followed only the male line for ease of surnames, there it was:

I am related to God Almighty!  God Almighty is my 93rd Great-Grandmother!

Sarah Ann introduced some great genes into the humble family line, while her husband Elish’s information dead ended when he was orphaned with his brother in Ohio. 

Her ancestors came from Scotland = England = from Wales= from being the King of the Druids Wales = from Italy = from land of the Hebrews.  The researcher(s) made some phenomenal leaps to some conclusions that announced Adam had a daughter (!) who started the whole march of lineage.

While I could be rejoicing here, there are few things I know already.

I am a Child of God, the bloodline is Christ’s blood. And I also know that the jump from Sarah Ann involves some crazy speculation: God Almighty is not my 93^rd grandmother.

I will take/claim this part about brutal leaders because they are just plain cool:

Brân “Fendigaid” (the Blessed) ap Llur Lieddiarth, Saint, Brenin of Silures

 

 

Or,

King Llŷr [Llediath'[Half -Speech] "Lleddiarth,Llediath,Lediath,Lediarth,Llediarth,Lyr Lear,Leir,Lir,Llyr,Lear,Half-Speech, King od Silurius Llyr Llediath King of the Silures,Llyr of Siluria, KING LEAR,Llyr, Lleddiarthap Bladud" ap Caswallon of the Silures 62gN 

Or,  

Tros, King of Troy.

Let's face it.  So much becomes legend or even mythology. Tribes spread their DNA from one end of the world to the other.

 

P.S. My mother always told me that “Grammy” Sarah Ann had been  "kidnapped" and raised by Gypsies and had the gift of second sight. Mom believed this, and I believe her.

Actually there is some truth to this one. Her family came from Europe to Kentucky as part of the immigration of Romanians, also called Gypsies. People came to her to read tea leaves and receive natural herbal healing.  

I wonder what tracing through the matriarchal lines would show me?

  

This is a re-post from 2014 w hen I was researching my mother's side of the family. I left off from that to do other writing.  My brother did some researching, sent me the info.

Heck of a thing, DNA. It showed me that I have Viking blood. Makes sense.

 

 

 In case you were wondering about the different Houses of the Royal Families? What do you think about their Royalty? There are a wealth of family trees on the Net. Back in 1985, we went to Hatfield Manor (whatever), where Queen Elizabeth was sequestered by Queen Mary. In the museum, a very detailed Tree for the First Queen was framed and hung. The parchment was lengthy. 

 

 

I-J post: part 1--Icons of Just Living

Memorial Day Parade

The musty album lay open on Granny’s lap, as Lucy snuggled closely.  Who is that lady, Granny?  That man looks funny…why does he wear that hat… questions poured from Lucy as she examined the grainy gray and white photographs.

“Well, then…” Granny began explaining who these still figures were, what they were doing, and what wonderful human beings they had been.  Pillars of the community, hard-working mothers, and God-fearing leaders of the church…They worked hard, paid their bills, spoke quietly with authority, and died with dignity.

My Great-Grandmother

Granny spoke with a quiet pride about her ancestors. 

Lucy nodded as if she understood. 

My Great-Grandfather

Decades later, Lucy held the same album open on her lap, now possessing greater knowledge and understanding about these silent pillars.  Her grown daughter Ellen listened quietly, with an occasional smirk and laugh.

Icons of Just living.  Yes, some were.

Read tomorrow about the next generations and what was thought of them by their descendants!

Death Washes the Past

This was Janie C.--she traveled to Oregon in a covered wagon, hated it, came home. So I have been told.

It is said that death bestows gifts upon all.  I won’t try to name them, but the one I like is: Death washes the past and gives sanctity to the dead.

Julia, Nora, Bessie, and ?

At least, so I thought.  Recently I visited my favorite and remaining Aunt Vada in Macon, Missouri.  It was the first week of October, with all the beauty of fall giving glimpses of what colors were to come.  We visited non-stop, words filling the air.  Aunt Vada is a gifted writer, with a way of placing words exactly where they need to be. 

James W. Shive, died at age 3 years, 3 months, and 16 days.

One of our days involved traveling to my mother’s hometown, across the Mississippi River into Pike County, Illinois. 

We visited Crescent Heights Cemetery high on the bluffs in Pleasant Hill, IL, where Mom’s parents and relatives were buried.  Each time I have been there, I vowed that this place has the most incredible view of any cemetery.  

It is also the only place I can get cell phone coverage in the whole of Pike County.

We stood silently over Grandma and Grandpa’s graves, and then examined a family pillar on which Grandma’s side of the family were recorded.  I have seen that thing hundreds of times over my life there, but I never knew.  I never knew the stories that Aunt Vada shared with me.

My grandparents

Oh. Really?  No, not back then…  Those were my words and reactions as she touched each name and told the highlights of some very rowdy, randy, and raunchy ancestors. 

Martin Van Buren Shive, patriarch with the names of his children carved on all sides of the monument.  Lots of children.

Moonshiners, fornicators, adulterers, underhanded politicians, swindlers—they broke every sin listed in the Bible. 

I tell you, check out your ancestors while you still have relatives who know the whole story about them.  And, it might be a good idea to look at your own life, since someday you’ll be the ancestor about whom stories will be told.