A Smörgåsbord of Stories
It’s snowing (again) in Minnesota. The beautiful flakes cover everything with a clean coat of crisp, sparkling delight. A handful of snow brings back memories of younger days, building impressive snowmen, sledding down steep hills or creating cavernous forts. Not everyone is enamored with snowfall … read more
Merry Christmas! As an adult, what type of Christmas gifts do you fancy? Do you prefer an experiential gift? Perhaps an outing to a festively decorated historic home or a night out at at new restaurant. Do you enjoy serving others? My neighborhood has a … read more
This past weekend, lots of cousins gathered at the beautiful Locust Hill Farm in Virginia for the biennial reunion of the Willis, Gordon, Garnett and Allied Families. Members are descendants and relatives of Capt. Isaac Willis (1774-1867) of Locust Grove and his wife, Anne Garnett … read more
James E. “J.E.” Garnett hailed from an old, established Kentucky family. Yet, he wanted his own property. The Adair County (KY) News, his hometown newspaper, printed this little tidbit on August 13, 1902: However, J. E. Garnett knew exactly where he was going. Because … read more
Milton A. Rector (1855-1951) pursued greater opportunity in the American West. October 19, 1901 he filed a homestead claim for land in Oklahoma Territory (O.T.) under the provisions of the 1862 Homestead Act. The Act granted surveyed public land to adult heads of families for … read more
About three years ago, I learned about the genealogical value of Homestead Land Entry Case Files. The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) houses these original documents. Five of my direct ancestors successfully filed six land claims with the U.S. Government. The completed applications are … read more
James E. Garnett was the son of William Hopkins Garnett and Mary Victoria Jackson Willis. Born in Adair County, Kentucky in 1864, he used several nicknames: Ed, Ned, and, most frequently, “J. E.” Family members spell his middle name Edmund or Edmon. I … read more
Florence Gertrude “Gert” Rector has no birth certificate and no baptism record. Let me back up. To date, I have not discovered any document that was produced at the time of Gert’s birth that provides her birthdate and birth location. Birthdate Theory: Florence … read more
In October 2013, I took my mother on a 3300-mile road trip from her home in northern Minnesota through Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee. One of the highlights of our trip was going to the Garnett Farm in Adair County, Kentucky and meeting … read more