Wordless Wednesday :: Easter 1986

1152 :: Aquitaine Sundial Ring

Aquitaine's Ring
Originally uploaded by
Prestidigitizer

In our family history . . . in the spring of the year 1152 . . . the 15-year marriage of Eleanor of Aquitaine to King Louis of France is annulled at Beaugency . . . famous for her beauty and wit, this Eleanor is believed to be a multiple great-grandma to our Josephine . . .

And in the spring of the year 1152, it is said that the 30-year-old Eleanor gave to a 20-year-old Henry Plantagenet (King Henry II) of England, a special "portable" sundial . . . known as an Aquitaine Sundial or Aquitaine Ring . . . supposedly because when he was out hunting (which he frequently did) he tended to forget about scheduled appointments, and was frequently late for their "dates." Apparently the "pocket watch" helped, because negotiations continued between Eleanor and Henry of Anjou . . . and soon Eleanor marries Henry II at Poitiers . . . the story told in "A Lion in Winter" is a part of the tale of this Eleanor and Henry . . .

ELEANOR OF AQUITAINE, queen of France and afterward of England: b. 1122; d. Fontevrault, France, 1 April 1204 . . . married to Louis VII. She was gay, frivolous, a lover of poetry and art . . . accompanied him on the second crusade to the Holy Land in 1147 . . . they were divorced 18 March 1152. A short time afterward she bestowed her hand upon Henry Plantagenet, the future Henry II of England. . . . She bore him many children, but his infidelities and neglect changed her love into hatred. She incited her sons Geoffrey and Richard Cœur de Lion to rebel against their father, was imprisoned in 1174, and remained in confinement until after Henry's death in 1189, when she was released by his successor, Richard I, who placed her at the head of the government on his departure for the Holy Land. She negotiated his marriage with the daughter of the king of Navarre, and went to Germany with his ransom from captivity. She afterward retired to the abbey of Fontevrault and surviving Richard, lived to see him succeeded by one of her other sons, John Lackland, the signer of Magna Charta. She was a favorite personage with the troubadour poets of the day and appears in a very different light in their works from that in which she is represented by French and Norman chroniclers. Consult Adams, "History of England, 1066-1216" (London 1905). Google Books. The Encyclopedia Americana: a library of universal knowledge, Published by Encyclopedia Americana Corp., 1918

• Josephine > Eleanor
  
• Famous Descendants
  
• Katherine Hepburn as Eleanor
  
• Not-so-famous Descendants
  
• Great Englishwomen, by the author of "Great Englishmen", By Englishwomen. Published 1884.
  
• The Dictionary of National Biography By Leslie Stephen, Sidney Lee, Robert Blake, Christine Stephanie Nicholls
  
• Eleanor of Aquitaine, Courtly Love, and the Troubadours By Ffiona Swabey

1775 :: Lucy Fenderson and Thomas Thurston

On this date in our family history . . . the 7th day of April . . . in the year 1775 . . . Lucy Fenderson becomes the bride of Thomas Thurston . . . this Lucy and Thomas are maternal grandparents of William Thurston Merrill (1816-1898) . . . who is a 3rd great-grandpa to the Keeper of this family history blog . . .

THOMAS THURSTON (Abner, Abner, James, Daniel), son of Abner and Martha (Piper) Thurston of Exeter, N.H.; born there Jan. 19, 1752; married, April 7, 1775, LUCY FENDERSON, born Dec. 17, 1751. He died in 1830, and was buried on his farm; she died in 1832. Mr. Thurston purchased a tract of land in Parsonsfield, Me., improved it a little, sold and went to Scarboro, Me., and bought land, on which he lived and died. He built a little house on what is called the "ash swamp road," about two miles from Dunstan Corner, in which his wife lived while he was in the revolutionary war. The wolves were numerous then, and used to make night hideous with their howling. After the war he built the old homestead on the "broad turn road," about the same distance from Dunstan. This house was replaced by another, and within a few years a more modern one still has been built in its place. He was also an itinerant shoemaker, as was the custom in newly settled places in those days. . . . Thurston genealogies By Brown Thurston

1927 :: Peter Brackett

On this date in our family history . . . the 7th day of April . . . in the year 1927 . . . Peter Brackett is laid to rest at Laurel Hill Cemetery in Saco, Maine . . . his wife, Lizzie, is also listed on their double tombstone . . . and just to the right of the large double marker one can see a smaller marker, commemorating the short life of a Helen Brackett (1896-1906) who is enumerated on the 1900 Census as the 3-year-old "daughter" of a 59-year-old Lizzie and a 62-year-old Peter . . .





Father - Mother
Peter Brackett
Co. B 5 ME Regt. & Co. B 1 ME Vets
Mar. 4, 1833 - Apr. 4, 1927
Lizzie J. his wife
Mar. 20, 1841 - July 25, 1911
Asleep in Jesus, blessed sleep
BRACKETT

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Helen F.
Dau. of Peter &
Lizzie J. Brackett
Nov 18, 1896
May 31, 1906
Darling, we miss you


Both of the above photos . . . one with snow . . . one without snow . . . were actually taken on the same day . . . in March of 1998 . . .

Whales of August

On this date in our extended family history . . . the 5th day of April . . . in the year 1908 . . . future actress, Bette Davis, is born in Lowell, Massachusetts . . . Bette is said to be a 23rd great-granddaughter of Eleanor of Aquitaine . . . who is thought to be a 22nd great-grandma of our Josephine (1842-1899) . . . who is definitely a 2nd great-grandma to the Keeper of this family history blog . . .


My favorite Bette Davis movie happens to be one of the last ones she was in -- The Whales of August -- which was filmed on location in Casco Bay off the shore of Portland, Maine . . . the film was shot a few miles down Casco Bay from the site of David Berry's family cottage on Peaks Island, from where, in fact, the characters and story were drawn when Berry wrote the original play that was the basis for this movie . . .


We have photos of my maternal grandma -- Elizabeth Marilla Henry nee Smith (1912-1932) -- on holiday on Peaks Island . . . said Island was once owned by one of our Elizabeth's 8th great-grandpas -- Michael Mitton (c.1617 - c.1661) . . .

Peaks Island
Photos by Roberta

. . . Peak's Island in Casco Bay is just two miles from downtown Portland. It once was owned by Michael Mitton, son-in-law of Portland's first settler, George Cleeve. According to legend, Michael was out alone fishing in his dory when a triton swam up to his boat. Michael tried to fend off the monster with an oar, but the triton grasped hold of the side of the dory. Afraid that the triton could capsize the little boat, Michael seized a hatchet and, with one mighty blow, severed both hands of this son of Poseidon. To his horror, Michael Mitton saw that the monster's hands remained fastened to his boat. He could not pry them loose. It was then that Mike heard the haunting sound of the triton's conch, and at the sound, the severed hands gave one mighty effort at rocking his boat, finally flipping him into the water and swamping the dory. Michael drowned that day. . . . from Haunted Maine by Charles A. Stansfield, Jr.

Truth or fiction?!? 

The ancestry part . . . believed to be true . . . 

The death scene . . . 

John Harmon & Sarah Roberts

It is currently believed that John Harmon and Sarah Roberts are 3rd great-grandparents to William Thurston Merrill (1816-1898), who is a 3rd great-grandpa to the Keeper of this genealogy blog.



The Harmon genealogy,
comprising all branches in New England
By Artemas Canfield Harmon:

Wordless Wednesday

1836 :: Death of James Walker Fannin

Presidio La Bahia
Originally uploaded by
J. Stephen Conn

On this date . . . the 27th day of March . . . in the year 1836 . . . Colonel James Walker Fannin, Jr. dies in the Goliad Massacre in Texas . . . Colonel Fannin was born in Georgia . . . and is the half-brother of Eliza Walker nee Fannin . . . who is a 1st cousin five times removed to the Keeper of this family history blog . . .

FANNIN JAMES W soldier and revolutionist b Georgia about 1800 d Goliad Texas March 27 1836 He removed to Texas in 1834 and in the Texas war of independence raised a company called the Brazos Volunteers In October 1835 at the head of ninety men he with Colonel Bowie defeated a superior Mexican force near Bexar and was soon . . .

Excerpt from The South in the building of the nation a history of the southern states designed to record the South's part in the making of the American nation; to portray the character and genius, to chronicle the achievements and progress and to illustrate the life and traditions of the southern people By Southern Historical Publication Society, Walter Lynwood Fleming

1804 :: Will of William Gill

On this date in our family history . . . the 26th day of March . . . in the year 1804 . . . the will of William Gill is probated in Green County, Kentucky . . . this William Gill is the father of Martha (Patsy) Roberts nee Gill . . . who is the mother of Anna & Elizabeth & Esther & Matilda & William & Noel & MAHALA & Felix & Margaret . . . and Mahala Sharp Hall nee Roberts is the mother of Samuel Houston Sharp . . . who is the father of Berta Mary Henry nee Sharp (1873-1955) . . . who is a maternal great-grandma of the Keeper of this family history blog . . .

In the name of God Amen

I William Gill of the County of Green, being sick and weak of body but of perfect mind and Memory, thanks be given to Almighty God, calling to mind the Mortality of My body, knowing that it is appointed to all men once to die. make this my last will and Testament in manner and form following, that is to say principally I recommend my soul to god who gave it, and my Body I commit to the dust to be Buried in a Christian like and decent manner at the discretion of my Executors. Now wishing such worldly Estate wherewith it has pleased god to Bless me with, I give desire and Bequeath it as follows. IMPRIMIS.

First I leave and Bequeath unto my Daughter Sally Robinson Thirteen Hundred and Fifty Acres of Land on Sandy By paying Two Hundred Dollars in property at its Real Value to my Daughter Peggy Gill out of Said Land, likewise I give my Daughter Sally a Negro Girl named Jane to her and her Heirs Forever.

Likewise my Daughter Patsy Roberts I Leave Two Hundred Acres of Land on Bays Fork of Big Barren joining the land he now lives on. Also one Negro man named Red to her and her Heirs Forever.

Likewise I give to my Daughter Peggy and Esther Gill the land I now live on to be divided equally in quality betwixt them Including the purchase made from Mr. John Abney.

Also one Negro Woman Sarah to my Daughter Peggy to her and her Heirs Forever.

Also one negro Girl named Poe to my Daughter Esther to her and her Heirs forever.

Also one Young man two years old to my Daughter Esther.

And as for my Stock and movable property to be sold at public sale to discharge my Lawful debts at twelve months Credit Likewise all my bonds and notes when Collected to be equally Divided among my Legatees.

I Likewise constitute make and ordain Allen Wakefield and William Brownlee Executors to this my Last will and Testament and I do hereby utterly revoke and disanul all and every other and former will Legacies, Bequeaths, and executors by me in any wise before named willed and Bequeath Ratifying and Confirming this to be my Last will and testiment.

In witness whereof I have hereunto Set my Hand and Seal this Thirteenth day of February one thousand Eight hundred and Four. The word (and Fifty) and (Sally) interlined Before signing.

Will. Gill

Will. McMurty
Will Brownlee

Copy Teste John Barnett D.C.G.

Wordless Wednesday :: Elizabeth

Elizabeth Marilla Henry nee Smith

(1912-1932)

my maternal grandma

On this date in our family history . . . the 25th day of March . . .

Tombstone Tuesday :: Springtime in Texas

I took these photos in the Hugh Wilson Cemetery in Tanglewood, Lee County, Texas. The wildflowers are bluebonnets and wild phlox, and indian paintbrush in the inset photo. The tombstones mark the burial sites of my 2nd great-grandparents, Joseph Helidorah NETTLES (1832-1890) and Mary Annie "Mollie" Nettles nee WEST (1852-1939). It was 177 years ago yesterday -- 23rd March 1832 -- when Joseph was born in Alabama.

1838 :: Marriage of John & Mahala

On this date in our family history . . . the 22nd day of March . . . in the year 1838 . . . in San Augustine County, Texas . . . Mahala Lee Roberts becomes the bride of John M. Sharp . . . this Mahala and John are the grandparents of Berta Mary Henry nee Sharp (1873-1955) . . . who is a great-grandma of the Keeper of this family history blog . . . 

Other events on this date . . . the 22nd day of March . . .

Remembering Grandma Pounders

On Saturday, March 20th, 1999, the sun rose at 6:32 a.m. A short time later, as that sun continued to rise steadily over the fields of Texas wildflowers and peeked through the east-facing window of Room 203 at Richards Memorial Hospital in Rockdale, Ima Lois Pounders nee Muston breathed her final raspy breath here on this earth.


According to the UT-McDonald Observatory, the sun seldom rises precisely in the east or sets precisely in the west. But on this, the day of Grandma's final Homegoing, the sun rose due east and set due west, because this day was the vernal equinox ~ the beginning of spring in the northern hemisphere.


The following information was printed in the memorial bulletin which was distributed at Grandma's memorial service. It is downright impossible to condense nearly a century of living into a four-page leaflet, but this serves as a very brief summary of my Grandmother's life.


THE YEAR WAS 1906. And . . . the President of the United States was Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt. O'Henry's The Gift of the Magi was published. School Days & Anchors Aweigh were popular songs. Shirtwaist dresses were in fashion. And . . . the second of seven daughters was born to Charlie and Emma Patience (Nettles) Muston at their home in rural Lee County, Texas. Charlie and Emma named their new baby girl Ima Lois. Over the next ten years, Ima and her big sister, Erma, would be joined by Mollie, Stella, Nona, Gladys and Pauline.


YOUTH. Charlie and Emma and their seven little girls were living in Wharton County, Texas in 1915 when Charlie died. Ima was nine years old at the time. Emma and her seven young daughters returned to Lee County to be near Emma's widowed mother, Mollie, at Cole Springs. They made that journey home in a wagon which was pulled by a gray mule named "Jack" and a gray horse named "Bill". A cousin would later state that, "...I can yet visualize the old log house down the slope and the house across the swale where the widowed Aunt Emma Muston resided with her daughters." When Ima spoke of her youth, she remembered the good times as well as the hard times. There were her Grandma Nettles' cookies, trips into town on Saturday, dances in the homes of friends and neighbors, church services under the brush arbor, Sunday dinners, and many, many more.


MARRIAGE. On 20 October 1926, Ima became the bride of Jacob Edmund Forrest Pounders (1902~1957). Their children were Forrest Lee Pounders (1927~1996), Dovie Louise (Pounders) Green (1929~1999), and Arlin Dee Pounders (1936~1988).


OTHER. Ima spent many hours crocheting while sitting in her favorite chair by the window in a corner of her kitchen. She enjoyed working with multicolored threads which were as varied as the colors of the flowers she delighted in growing in her yard. Five of Ima's crocheted doilies were incorporated as nosegays in the family spray which was placed on her casket. That same floral display also featured mock orange, english ivy and bridal wreath from Ima's yard.


As a young girl, Ima attended the Cole Springs Baptist Church in rural Lee County. After moving to Rockdale, she became a faithful supporter of the First Christian Church. Ima was employed by Linwood Mehaffey for over 50 years. Her friendship with the Mehaffey's continued until her death.






DEATH. Ima made her final journey "Home" on the first day of spring in the year of our Lord, nineteen hundred and ninety-nine. Her earthly remains were laid to rest beside her husband and their two sons in the Hugh Wilson Cemetery in Tanglewood. On the day of Ima's funeral, the cemetery was covered with bluebonnets, wild phlox and Indian paintbrushes. It is the same country cemetery where Ima's mother, her maternal grandparents, as well as numerous other kith and kin are buried. Ima's Page at Find-a-Grave

1872 :: Happy Birthday, Cousin Suzy

On this date in our extended collateral family history . . . the 19th day of March . . . in the year 1872 . . . Olivea Susan (Susy) Clemens is born in Elmira, New York . . . 

Susy Clemens was a daughter of Samuel Clemens . . . who wrote under the pen name Mark Twain . . . and his wife Olivia Langdon Clemens . . . and Susy is a 4th cousin once removed to Josephine Wingfield Henry nee Davis (1842-1899) . . . who is a 2nd great-grandma to the Keeper of this family history blog . . . according to a letter written by Miss Daisy Warner, Susy Clemens enjoyed strawberries and ice cream and ladyfingers at her 15th birthday party on the 19th of March in 1887 . . . following Susy's death at the age of 24, her father had the following words engraved on her grave marker . . .



Warm summer sun, shine kindly here;
Warm southern wind, blow softly here;
Green sod above, lie light, lie light-
Good-night, dear heart, good-night, good-night.
These lines were adapted from a poem by Robert Richardson . . . the original was found in a little book published in 1893 . . . Willow and Wattle . . .

Wordless Wednesday

Creative Gene: Carnival of Genealogy, 68th Edition

Thank you to Jasia at Creative Gene for hosting A Tribute to Women for Women's History Month. My submission, Ripples in the pool of life, was prepared in honor of my great-grandma, Eva, and the women in her life. Go visit Jasia's page to find links to other heartfelt stories of the women in our lives.

Creative Gene: Carnival of Genealogy, 68th Edition

Mom's Great-Grandmas

The prominent name in each of these four "wordles" are my great-great-grandmas on my Mother's side. 

The other names on each individual "wordle" are the surnames I currently have associated with each of these women. 

Our Josephine and Nellie (aka Mary Alexandrien) and Jerusha and Phoebe were all born in the 1840s.





Jerusha married Atwood F. Smith in York County, Maine in 1857. Their son, Thomas Warren Alonzo Smith, is my great-grandpa.





Phoebe's daughter, Eva, married the above mentioned T. W. A. Smith in 1894 in York County, Maine.





Josephine married William Paschal Henry in 1864 in Brazoria County, Texas. Their son, Edgar, is my great-grandpa.






Nellie married Samuel Houston Sharp in 1861 in Liberty County, Texas. Their daughter, Berta, married the above mentioned Edgar Henry in 1895.

P.S. The "wordles" in the above collages were created at wordle.net [defunct]. Randy Seaver over at geneamusings.com told us about this fun little word generator.

Our Irish Connections

Although I have yet to make any Irish connections for my maternal grandma Elizabeth, who is featured in this collage wearing her "Irish dancing costume," I have found a few connections to Ireland amongst the ancestors of the man that Elizabeth married -- Robert E. Henry (1905-1976) -- aka Grandpa Henry, e.g. . . . John Early . . . William Early . . . John Porter and Mary (Anthony) Porter . . . and, although he was not born in Ireland, our Sir Anthony St. Leger was involved in the history of Ireland. . . .

May the earth be soft under you
when you rest upon it,
tired at the end of the day.
May the earth rest so lightly over you
when at the last you lie under it
that your spirit may be
out from under it quickly
and up, and off,
and on its way to God.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Update 17 March 2022 :: Biddeford Daily Journal, Biddeford, Maine, Tuesday Evening, Apri 29, 1924, Page Six, 3rd column . . . "Juvenile Ball at Old Orchard Grand Success. Audience Taxed Capacity of Town Hall -- Fine Programme was Enjoyed. . . . ELIZABETH SMITH and Gladys Goodrich, charming in green and white costume, came next with an 'Irish Folk Dance' that made one think they were right from Erin. Their dancing was in perfect time and seemingly done with no effort, and they deserve much credit for their wonderful stage presence."

BeNotForgot ~*~ 1st Blogoversary ~*~

Today . . . March 16, 2009 . . . marks the one-year anniversary of the date on which I posted my very first item here on blogspot. This blog came about because I was searching for a convenient method of sharing our family history tidbits from Google Books, and this was the final choice. It was a good one!

And to celebrate my total enjoyment of this blogspot site, I set up another one over the weekend -- benotforgot-calendar.blogspot.com -- where I will strive to post from my family history files on a daily basis the anniversaries of that date -- whether they be birthdays or anniversaries of birth or marriage or death.

Thanks to the community members who stop by for a visit once in a while -- and y'all come back now, ya hear?

P.S. The "wordle" in the above collage was created at wordle.net. Randy Seaver over at geneamusings.com told us about this fun little word generator. I'm still playing!

~ Shades Of The Departed ~

My photo collage posted > HERE < was done for my first ever Carnival submission. I was inspired by the subject of the 11th Edition of Smile for the Camera ~ A Carnival of Images -- Brothers & Sisters -- which was hosted by ~ Shades Of The Departed ~. Go take a look-see at the wonderful entries. And special thanks to footnoteMaven for hosting this Carnival, and for all the work involved in assembling and displaying the many entries. She presents our work in a very professional and caring manner.