52 Ancestors 2021: Week 50: Lines

I think I'll use this topic to talk about one of my favorite things to do... fishing. I grew up fishing with my Dad primarily but sometimes my Mom would come fishing as well. When I was born, the favorite fishing spot was my Great-Grandpa's lake in Geneva. As I got a little older, we'd fish in a lake out at my cousin's in Hebbardsville. 

Then when I got into my teen years, we'd either fish at Pepaw's (Howard Yates) or at Paul Windhaus' lake. Memorial Day and Labor Day, we'd take holiday and go fishing down at Lake Malone where my Granddad Glen had a wonderful lake house (unfortunately we had to sell at the start of 2021 because of his passing in August 2020.) 

These are really old. I believe this was the summer of 1995. I turned 2 on February 12th, 1995. This is out fishing at my Great-Grandpa's lake with my Dad. I caught my first little fish. That's my Dad's old 1962 Chevy pickup in the photo with us. I got these off of a disposable camera in the summer of 2020 that had never been developed. It was a real treat to finally see these photographs. Unfortunately, some photographs were so dark/distorted, they were ruined. 

Here's a good one from ten+ years ago of Dad and his catfish haul down at Lake Malone. Granddad and Dad would set limb lines and jugs the night before and check them the next morning. They had great success doing that and we had a many fish fry.

Old photo I took back in 2008 of some bluegill I caught at a friends lake. I think Dad caught a few giant catfish that day, but I can't find the photo of those bad boys.

A nice bass my Dad got my Mom several years ago. My Mom's favorite fish to eat is bass and she loves it fiddler style!

This is back in like 2007 or 2008, I think, Mom got her some decent fish at a friends lake. That was a trip I didn't go on with Mom and Dad. I think I was at Grandma and Grandpa's.  

This was June of 2020 - went fishing with my now ex best guy friend down at the Riverfront. Well. I didn't fish - he did. Those storm clouds rolling in, ended up getting us wet, lol.

A few days later - went fishing with him and his brother at Audubon Lake. It was such a nice day out. Usually I avoid the summer days like these because the bees are out in full force (I'm allergic) but surprisingly, we didn't see a single bee! Not a single wasp! I was floored.

Newest photo of me the last time I went fishing - September 2020 at Lake Malone with my then best guy friend. Dad took the photo from up on the porch. Not the most flattering photo of myself but it was one of the last times I truly, utterly, and blissfully happy. 

See, I have a thing for trying to take broken people (my now ex best guy friend) and fixing them in the way I wish someone would fix me, and in the process, they break me even worse than I was already broken. That's not what this blog is about, though. 

Hopefully I can sink a line in the water in 2022. We don't have many places to fish now, though. We lost the lake house, no reason to go to Lake Malone anymore. Audubon Lake is dry as a bone while they fix things at the State Park. Dad doesn't like fishing in the river, can't say I blame him since he won't eat anything out of that contaminated cesspool. 

Hope y'all get to do some fishing in 2022, too!

52 Ancestors 2021: Week 49: Homemade

I think most of my ancestors were renowned for one thing or another - but probably none were more known for something than my Great-Grandpa and his apple cider or apple butter. After all, he did run an apple orchard. Just as renowned as he, though, was my Great-Grandma for her Jam Cake.

Apparently, every family has their own Jam Cake recipe and the Blanford family is no exception. There's variations of the recipe, too, depending on which daughter of Lorene's makes it. One uses pear preserves, and one I believe uses peach preserves. 

In the recipe box in the closet on the top shelf is the recipe for Jam Cake and Jam Cake Icing, which is almost more labor intensive than the cake itself. There also lies a recipe for apple cider and for apple butter. 

Apple butter is my personal favorite - I love it more than peanut butter, more than any jelly, jam, or preserve. I love it so much that I took a jar to school in first grade to share with my class. These days, you can't do that - the school would automatically assume you're trying to poison all the kids. 

My Great-Grandma also made a lot of pies and cobblers - as fruit was fairly plentiful when other things were not back in the Great Depression days. They would buy flour in huge sacks so homemade biscuits were a regular staple at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The Blanford family also drank coffee and sweet tea in copious amounts - matter of fact, I'm pretty sure we drank it in our baby bottles. 

No, my story is not unlike any other farming family. They all survived on what they could and made what they had. In his later years, I hear my Great-Grandpa threw quite the fish fry. He had a lake that he kept stocked with catfish, bass, and other goodies. I've also heard tale of a few barbecues throughout the years. 

I wish I had some photographs of Great-Grandma Lorene cooking, but I do have a few of Great-Grandpa Dick and his apples and also cooking on the grill that I'll share. 

52 Ancestors 2021: Week 48: Strength

In my opinion, the ancestors that stick out most in my mind with the word 'Strength' are the ancestors who lost children young - whether they were infants or halfway through life... or the ancestors of mine who lost their parent at an extremely young age. 

My Great-Grandmother, Lorene (White) Jones lost her mother, Icy Lucretia (Bowers) White when she was just eight years young.. Icy was only 34 years young. She died on March 4th, 1921, of tuberculosis. 

My Great-Grandfather, Richard Blanford lost his mother, Mary Agnes (Nally) Blanford when he was only thirteen years young. Mary Agnes was only 32 years young. She died on January 28th, 1927, of tuberculosis. 

Nearly all of my ancestors lost children... some lost a lot more children than others. My Uncle Jay passing away on July 5th, 2014, at just 49 years old.. seeing the brokenness inside my ailing Grandparents, my Mom, my Dad, and most of all, Nick... it broke me, too, in a way I can't explain to you. 

Young death is unbearable. Probably no one could explain this to you better than my Dad. 

My Dad watched his Mom drop dead right before his eyes on July 10th, 1982, at just 48 years young. My Dad was a month from turning seventeen years old. They were at home. I believe he was in the living room and she was in the kitchen. He watched her fall...and from where he sat on the couch, he watched the life leave her eyes. 

The coroner said she was "dead before she even hit the floor." My Grandma died of a massive coronary infarction -- heart attack. She drank way more than what was good for her and she worked too many jobs to take care of too many kids and Grandkids... she did what she had to do to provide for herself and her family. But it cost her her life. 

My Dad, too, is a beacon of strength in my eyes. Losing his mother and then the way his father treated him afterwards... it hardened him. My Dad lived in his car at one point with his dog. He couch surfed. He stayed with family friends. He faked his birth certificate once upon a time just so he could get a full time job while he was underage to make ends meet. I'm not sure anyone in my family tree had it harder than my Dad. 

My Great-Grandmother, Anna Elizabeth (Thompson) Sandefur lost her Dad in 1959, her older sister in 1964, her husband in 1970, her eldest daughter in 1982, and her two sons within six weeks of one another in 1994. Nana definitely endured a lot of death.. she buried three out of six children -- ADULT children... more than any parent should ever have to.

She lost her husband in 1970 and NEVER remarried. Nana lived until 2001... that's 31 years without her husband, without remarrying, without ever having a steady boyfriend... nothing. Nana poured her heart and soul into her kids, grandkids, and great-grandkids. And I'll be frank -- quite a few of them didn't deserve her love and kindness. They certainly did her dirty, did her dirty after her death, and did her legacy dirty. 

Mary Janella knew quite a bit about loss. She buried a younger sister in 1913, a daughter (named after that younger sister) in 1915, her father in 1925, a younger brother in 1926.. 

Dad LaRue and Carrie Byrd lost their fair share of children. 1909, 1910, and 1921. Dad LaRue also lost at least seven of his siblings in early adolescence to early adulthood. I can't imagine how that shattered him as a person. He also lost his parents when he was only about 17-18 years of age. 

Like I said, I could go on and on about ancestors and the children they've lost, the siblings they lost too young.. If you've endured a young loss, you're the definition of strength in my opinion. You've gone through something that no one should have to. It was popular back then and it's becoming ever-increasing in popularity now. 

Growing old is a privilege denied to many. It isn't a right. It isn't a guarantee. We aren't promised tomorrow. Make the most out of today.

52 Ancestors 2021: Week 47: Thankful

I could really write a long drawn out blogpost for this topic - but I think I've written enough blogs over the last year that you guys have a real good idea about the ancestors I'm truly, truly thankful for. I'm thankful to each and every one of them because without them, I wouldn't be here; but with how often I've written about Mary Janella (Nally) Thompson, Charles Clarence LaRue, Joel Gibson, etc... you can tell, those are truly the ancestors I connect with. 

I know 'Thankful' is also an old name that appears in many family trees. I don't have an ancestor named 'Thankful,' that I'm aware of, anyway. There is a Thankful Nettleton in my tree but it's a distant relationship. I also had a Thankful Beach in my tree at one point, I think. If I remember correctly. I think that was a line of my tree that I had went up the wrong one so I deleted it out a long, long while back. 

I guess the number one person I'm thankful to is my Great-Grandmother. Without the curiosity of wanting to know if she knew any of her Great-Grandparents, I'm not sure I'd have ever been interested in knowing my family tree. I have to thank my Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Charles, Aunt Mary, and my own parents for pushing me to stay interested in genealogy. 

I'm thankful that I'm one of the 'new age' genealogists that not only knows how to do genealogy the old way, but knows how to utilize technology to help me find what I need to find. I'm thankful that I can work this job at home and still have the time to take care of my Mom and have time to myself. 

I'm thankful for all the genealogy friends I've made over the years. I'm thankful to have so many amazing genealogist co-workers all throughout the world that are so kind. I'm thankful to have local libraries that are big into genealogy and host programs often. 

I'm thankful to have best friends who humor my genealogy passion and buy binders from me, or have me help them do their DNA. One of my best friends even bought me Blaine Bettinger's book on DNA last year for my birthday. 

I'm thankful my roots go back deep in the town I live in and that my family ties into just about every other family here. It makes genealogy fun, but easy at the same time. There's always something interesting to find when researching my own tree or someone else that's a native to this area. Our history is rich and fascinating. 

I could go on and on about things I'm thankful for, truly, I can.. but I think this is a nice, short gist.  

Cemetery Spotlight - Brown-Konsler Cemetery in Cairo, Henderson County, Kentucky

These are views of the back of the cemetery, looking at it from the front. The back houses the Konsler graves, whereas the front houses the Brown graves. See how much open space there is? I'd bet anything that there are missing graves. In my research, I found record of numerous infants that are buried in the cemetery, likely without ever having a tombstone.

Map of the cemetery and where it's located. Please, please get permission from landowners before going out to any cemeteries in the county! It's best to go with a descendant of someone buried in the cemetery as well. GPS location: 37.7242100, -87.6492500

The grave of Peter and Catherine Konsler.

The grave of Rachel Brown.

The grave of Charles W. Brown, Veteran of the War of 1812. 

Cemetery Spotlight: Brown-Konsler Cemetery in Cairo!

Henderson KY Cemetery Research Group was taken to the cemetery in October 2016 by a handful of Konsler descendants. We relished the opportunity to go to such an old family cemetery and photograph it for the group and Find-a-Grave! 

The Brown-Konsler cemetery could slightly appear to be two separate cemeteries because of the space between the graves but the Brown's and Konsler's actually are related to one another, as are most families out in the Cairo area that have been in the area for generations. 

I feel that the blank space "between the two cemeteries" may actually have some older graves that are lost to the years. Regardless, the name is Brown-Konsler because in their own rights, Brown's, and the Konsler's, are both prominent Cairo-area families.

The focus graves of the cemetery are for Peter Konsler and his wife, Catherine nee Schneider - and for Charles Washington (not Wesley as it has been reported) Brown and his second wife, Rachel Coleman nee Green.

Peter and his wife, Catherine, are in the Cairo area by the 1840 census. Peter was born in Germany in 1810 and died in the area of Corydon, in Henderson County, in 1900. The last name had been spelled "Kountzler" in Germany. Catherine, too, was born in Germany in 1817, and died here in Henderson County in 1906. Her parents, John and Catherine were here in Henderson, too. In the 1850 census, it says John hailed from France but I believe this is incorrect. The family was undoubtedly German. 

A snippet from the Louisville newspaper about Catherine Konsler's passing. Although the family were not here in 1797 -- I do consider them pioneers of the Cairo area. 

John Schneider died in this county in 1859 - but I believe that's earlier than the burials in St. Louis Cemetery have on record... so it's possible John Schneider could be buried in Brown-Konsler. His wife, though, died in 1873 and is in St. Louis Cemetery with a tombstone. The family was Catholic, without a doubt. The last name is of course spelled Snider on many occasions. 

About the Brown family -- Charles Washington Brown was actually a veteran of the War of 1812. He was born in 1787 and died in 1867. We know Charles was here in Henderson County by 1812, because that's when he married his first wife, Mary.

I have extensively researched the cemetery and both the Konsler and Brown families - I feel pretty strongly that Charles' first wife, Mary Sights, is buried in the cemetery. Dying in 1831 - her tombstone was probably one of the oldest and most easily destroyed/lost. 

The wife, Mary Sights, was the daughter of an early Henderson County couple -- Jacob Sights and Mary Elizabeth Black. Jacob and Mary moved on out of Henderson and went up into Illinois, but some of their descendants stayed in Henderson County. The Sights Cemetery is full of their descendants. The last name was originally Seitz in Germany. 

Later in the year of 1831, Charles married Rachel. A young infant of Charles & Rachel was buried in the cemetery in 1833 (undoubtedly their first child together) so I feel it's very very likely Mary was buried there in 1831. The Brown's were living in the area at this time so it makes sense that these burials were some of the first in the cemetery.

Rachel's parents - Peter Green and Elizabeth Terry were in Henderson County by the 1820 census. They hailed from Virginia. Peter died in this county in 1830 - it's tough to say where his burial place is located. It's entirely plausible that he, and his wife, who died in 1861, are buried in Brown-Konsler. It's also plausible that they're in an old family cemetery on a family farm that hasn't been unearthed yet.

After working on the Brown family and posting about them a few times - I was reached out to by some Brown descendants through Obadiah Brown, born in 1813, to what I believed was Mary Sights and Charles W. Brown. Come to find out... Obadiah's Y-DNA doesn't match the Brown family. Being a bit of a genetic genealogist myself, I've wondered a few scenarios. Perhaps Mary was pregnant already at the time of her marriage to Charles and he either... didn't know, or perhaps he married her to save her from shame (because he loved her.) Was her pregnancy rape? Was it a consensual relation? Or does this mean that Charles Brown himself wasn't biologically a Brown? Lots to consider.

Now - how the Konsler and Brown families tie in to each other.

Charles and Mary's daughter Elizabeth Jane Brown married Preston Green Sights (they are buried in Agnew Cemetery which is also in the Cairo area). Elizabeth & Preston's daughter Virginia Sights married William Konsler (they're buried in Fernwood, next door to where I live, in the city of Henderson proper). William Konsler was the son of Peter and Catherine Konsler - buried in Brown-Konsler Cemetery.

This cemetery at one point was in very, very rough shape. Descendants cleaned up the cemetery rather extensively after it had been let out to pasture. A lot of the tombstones have been damaged by cows, or so the family told me. 

If you'd like to trek out to this cemetery, let me know and I can put you into contact with the Konsler descendants!

Are you related to the Konsler or Brown families? Ever been to this cemetery? I would love to hear your stories!

52 Ancestors 2021: Week 46: Birthdays

February 12th isn't a common birthday, or at least, not in my opinion. In my entire life, I've only personally known two people to share my birthday; both are ex-boyfriends of mine. I know plenty of other February babies - matter of fact, two of my best friends share February 21st as their birthday. 

Born on February 12th, 1993 - I'm an Aquarius Sun, Scorpio Moon, and Libra Rising. (I'm big into astrology.) Trust me, being an Aquarius/Scorpio/Libra mixture sums up my personality quite nicely. It certainly explains my uniqueness and weirdness. 

I'll have to tell you about some of the famous people I share my birthday with because there are a few interesting people to note. From authors, to actors and actresses, to more influential people like a naturalist and a President.

First and foremost - Christina Ricci. She was born on February 12th, 1980, in California. She's famous for such roles as Wednesday Addams in The Addams Family movies from the 1990's. She also played in Casper in 1995. Most recently, she's starred in the new Matrix movie and had the main role in the TV show "Pan Am," a few years back. 

Secondly -- author Judy Blume. She's best known for her Young-Adult novel, "Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret." She was born on February 12th, 1938. One of her most popular children's books is "Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing." It's Me, Margaret, was one of the first novels I picked up as an adolescent - about the age of eleven is when my Grandma bought it for me. 

Tara Strong. Born February 12th, 1973, in Toronto, Canada. She is most notably a voice actress. She was Magik in the animated 90's version of X-Men, Dil Pickles in Rugrats, Bubbles in The Powerpuff Girls, Timmy Turner in The Fairly Oddparents, Ingrid Third in Fillmore! (one of my personal favorites), Lena in Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island, Melody (Ariel's Daughter) in The Little Mermaid 2, Raven in Teen Titans (another personal favorite), and so many more voices. 

Josh Brolin was born on February 12th, 1968. He's an actor and has appeared in things such as Brandon in The Goonies, Thanos in the Avengers films, "Wild Bill" Hickock in The Young Riders TV show, and so much more. 

Jennifer Stone, Disney actress, who shares my exact birthday - February 12th, 1993. She was born in Arlington, Texas. She rose to fame playing Harper Finkle in Wizards of Waverly Place. She had a main role in the TV show "Deadtime Stories," as well. 

Jesse Spencer, better known as Dr. Robert Chase on House M.D., shares my birthday. He was born February 12th, 1979, in Melbourne, Australia. He has also starred more recently on Chicago Fire, Chicago P.D., and Chicago Med as Matthew Casey. He was absolutely my crush when I was younger and watching him as Dr. Chase on House. He's dreamy and that accent is lush. 

Actor Lochlyn Munro was born February 12th, 1966 in British Columbia. He's starred in MANY things over the years including Scary Movie as Greg, Jack Sheridan in Charmed, Hal Cooper aka serial killer The Black Hood in CW's Riverdale, and he's also been in a few Hallmark movies "Crossword Mysteries" and "Chronicle Mysteries." 

Another voice actor -- Scott Menville, born on February 12th, 1971. I first met him in a live-action movie called Ernest Goes to Camp. That's my favorite Ernest movie. He plays Crutchfield. He voice "Tug" in Scooby-Doo and the Ghoul School, he was the voice of the animated Spanky in The Little Rascals 1982-1983. He voiced "Robin" in Teen Titans, Shaggy in "Shaggy & Scooby-Doo Get a Clue!" 

Charles Darwin, naturalist, geologist, and biologist, was born February 12th, 1809, in England. He is of course known for Darwinism, aka, natural selection. I believe in natural selection - big supporter and advocate of it. 

Last, but certainly not least, and definitely the most important: Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States of America. He was born February 12th, 1809 (same exact day and year as Charles Darwin). Abe was born in Hodgenville, Kentucky -- and one of the midwives was a LaRue cousin of mine. Hodgenville later became the county seat of LaRue County, Kentucky. The LaRue family became lifelong friends of the Lincoln family. 

Abraham is most notably the President who ended slavery and is without a doubt the best Republican president we ever had. 

I'd say I share my birthday with some pretty amazing people, wouldn't you?! There are countless others -- YouTube stars, Rappers, Models but.. I tried to include the people that YOU guys, the readers, will know who they are. 

In the comments - let me know when your birthday is and who you share your birthday with! I'd love to know!

52 Ancestors 2021: Week 45: Stormy Weather

I really can't tell you about my ancestors and storms they've had to weather - I've never been made privy to many stories. I know the 1937 Flood impacted our area heavily and I know my ancestors that lived here in Henderson lived through it. My maternal Grandpa was less than a year old when it happened or else I'd have more stories from it to tell. 

The 1937 Flood decimated river areas of our county. The Alzey Bottoms, Scuffletown Bottoms, and other areas were never, ever the same. A lot of cemeteries, historically, are gone from the Alzey area after the '37 Flood. I believe it's what destroyed the remaining remnants of the Alves Family Cemetery, or so I've always been told. 

The '37 Flood was brought on by 21 inches of rain falling within an 18 day time period... and I also believe it was brought on by the fact that in 1936, it was so cold, the Ohio River literally froze over. All that ice melting had to go somewhere, y'know? 

It was because of that historic flood that Henderson gained its motto. "On the Ohio, but never in it!" 

A few of Henderson's more peculiar weather events include the Great Sleet of 1901, where sleet fell for three weeks straight in February of that year. A resident was quoted as saying, "Horses had to have special shoes to keep their footing on local roads." 

In 1908, Henderson was part of a drought that drastically reduced the Ohio River levels. In fact, according to history, the river level was so low that boys played baseball in the river bed. This is a particular event that I wish we had photographs of. It's hard to picture the Ohio River that dry. 

In 1914, Henderson was hit by what has been dubbed a "baby cyclone." "Hail as large as partridge eggs," according to a historian, fell for ten minutes straight and strong winds uprooted many, many large trees in the area. The storm only lasted for about thirty minutes, and on the north end of town, it seems they got the worst of it. It was reported that several homes were completely brought down. Just twenty-six days later, the city was hit by a tornado which left two dead and others injured, and much of the city in ruins. 

In my own lifetime, we've seen an increasing number of tornadic activity in Henderson County over the last few years. We also were hit pretty heavy in 2009 by the infamous Ice Storm. That was an insane event to live through. No more insane than what my parents lived through -- the Blizzard of '77 - '78. We also had quite bad floods in 1997, 2007, and I think 2009 as well. 

November 6th, 2005, we're known as the beginning point of a bad tornado that took many lives in Evansville and Newburgh, Indiana. The tornado, I believe, originally formed in the Smith Mills river bottoms in Henderson County. 

I remember back in my childhood, I want to say it was about 2003 or 2004, we had an awful storm that spawned a small tornado over our house. It twisted a tree in our front yard up out of the ground and the tree, when it came down, snapped our telephone line. I'm not sure that event was ever recorded as an official tornado, but it was very obvious by the 'twist' of the tree. It was just a small Bradford Pear, so it wasn't a huge Oak or nothing like that. Tornado probably was nothing but a little EF-0, but still, it scared me as a child. 

If I can think of any other historical weather events to add to this, I might, over time. For right now though, these are the major ones that come to my mind. I think I remember reading once where it snowed every month of the year. I think I also remember hearing about a 'hurricane' coming through - that might be the 'baby cyclone' I mentioned. It supposedly knocked trolley cars off their rails downtown. 

52 Ancestors 2021: Week 44: Voting

I think like most genealogists, we've found our ancestors on voter lists many, many times. Most of my ancestors have appeared on Kentucky's voter lists, North Carolina, Virginia, Missouri, Illinois... the list goes on. 

I don't have any ancestors that were politicians, although I do have a Granduncle that was a Constable in the county, and my Uncle was a Sheriff's Deputy in the 1990's. I also have a Great-Granduncle that was Fire Chief at one time or another many many years ago. That's about as political as my family gets, or rather, as close to "holding an office" as my family gets.

I come from a long, long line of democrats - that's not something I'm proud of, necessarily. Most of my family fought for the Confederacy, although some did indeed fight on the Union side. Henderson was a "town divided" as dubbed by local historians -- in fact, it's been noted in the Sandefur family that father fought sons, brothers fought brothers, Uncles fought nephews, etc. 

By the end of the war, our town was predominantly Confederate (having been 'captured' by the Confederacy). I hate to tell most local historians - but it started that way even before the Confederates took the town. If you look at how heavy of a rural farming community we are... it's more than obvious the town had numerous, and I mean numerous, farms and plantations. 

Most notably, Henderson is home to General Adam "Stovepipe" Johnson. Read about Johnson's Raid on Newburgh. The book, Thunder from a Clear Sky: Stovepipe Johnson's Confederate Raid on Newburgh, Indiana, is an amazing read. I recently acquired the book as a gift from my Granny after having wanted it for many years. Did you know a Mefford was involved in the raid?! Yes, a Mefford of all people!

Even today at the start of 2022, Henderson is the number one county in all of Kentucky (that's 120 counties y'all!) that votes a straight democratic ticket. That's definitely not a good thing. Voting a straight ticket, no matter if you're voting Democrat or Republican, is never a good idea. You need to look at the voting record for each individual you're voting for - no matter their party. You need to acclimate yourselves with the issues they support or don't support, not the party. Because more often than not these days, they are only party in name, not in the way they vote. 

Henderson had an awakening a handful of years back, and we've had many, many registered voters change parties. We also saw an uptick of new registrants before the 2016 election, and even more before the 2020 election. I can only hope the political awakening continues, especially locally. We have a thing in our town called, "Good Ol' Boy Politics," and they control the town. They have for many, many years. Until they're voted out... our town won't blossom in the ways that it could. 

My Dad and I have both been told we ought to speak at our party's headquarters but, I think I'll stick to the blog posts. Much less nervous typing up a blog than I am speaking to a room full of people, haha. 

Henderson in general is known for a few political figures throughout history -- Congressman John Y. Brown, U.S Senator and Governor of Kentucky Albert Benjamin "Happy" Chandler, U.S. Congressman James Franklin Clay, U.S. Congressman John Lloyd Dorsey Jr, State Rep. and Judge Carl Melton, Governor of Kentucky Lazarus Whitehead Powell, and Governor of Kentucky Augustus Owsley Stanley. 

You could say Henderson is quite a gubernatorial city!

52 Ancestors 2021: Week 43: Shock

The first person I thought of for this prompt was Ila Jefferson "Iley" Griffin. Iley isn't an ancestor of mine, nor is he a close relative -- 3rd cousin 3x removed to be exact... but the story of his death immediately comes to mind.

Amy Johnson Crow writes about the prompt: "Halloween is a time of surprises. What is something shocking or surprising that you've found about an ancestor? Shocking could also be a lightning strike or an electrical jolt. Remember — you're free to interpret the theme however you want!"

Lightning, that's exactly what happened to Iley on May 26th, 1937. Iley was a farmer and from everything I've heard - he was out in the field when he was struck and killed by lightning. His death certificate supports that -- his cause of death is "killed by lightning." It is listed as an accident -- well absolutely. The specifics go on to say, "on his farm, plowing when struck by lightning." Undoubtedly, his plow was metal and worked as a conductor for the lightning strike. 

Iley was the son of Jefferson Davis "Jeff" Griffin and Sallie Belle Keach. The Griffin's and Keach's have been in the Niagara/Hebbardsville area of Henderson County for generations. Iley had a passel of siblings: at least seven. 

Iley's first wife was Mary Lorene Freeman, who after bearing him at least three children, two of which died in infancy and a son, Ila Davis Griffin who survived to adulthood -- Mary passed away in 1935. 

Soon after her passing, Iley re-married to Susan Lucille Willingham - another prominent last name in the Niagara/Hebbardsville areas. Iley and Susan were the parents of one son: Paul Felix Griffin, who had just been born on May 3rd, 1937... a few weeks before his father's untimely death. 

Felix Griffin was a kind, respectful man who my family knew well. When my parents were children (long before they were my parents, of course), they lived out on Highway 416 in Niagara...and the Griffin's lived between them - Felix, his wife Joy, and their children. Felix and Joy babysat for both sets of my Grandparents...before they were my Grandparents. 

After Iley's death, Susan went on to re-marry Willis Norton Moss and have two more children with him, a son and a daughter. She passed away in 1982 at the age of 66. 

Iley lays to rest in Cash Creek Cemetery out in Niagara, near his parents, some siblings, and his first wife - although I don't believe he has a tombstone (surprisingly.) His second wife, Susan, was laid to rest with her second husband in Roselawn Memorial Gardens. 

Next time you're out at Cash Creek - take a moment to remember the Griffin family, and of course, Iley. Gone too soon, but never forgotten. 

52 Ancestors 2021: Week 42: Sports

For the topic of sports - I don't really have any direct ancestors I can talk in-depth about because none of them were interested in sports. My maternal Grandmother was interested in basketball in school (although I don't believe she was on a team), and she also bowled on a league with the county bus drivers in her later years. 

The person I have to talk about when I hear the word "sports," is my late Uncle Jay, my Mom's only sibling. Jay passed away on July 5th, 2014, at just 49 years young. He was born on January 11th, 1965 and was younger than my Mom by two years and three days. 

(This is a picture of a picture, I enhanced it/cleared it up using Remini. It did a really nice job in my opinion.) 

Jay was a sports aficionado. He could tell you just about every player on just about every team in just about every league. Jay particularly enjoyed football, baseball, and basketball. I'm not sure that he dabbled in much other sports like hockey or soccer, but, I wouldn't put it past him watching them. 

Growing up, Jay and my Dad both played peewee league football and Jay played baseball all throughout school. Matter of fact, he was so good, he probably could have gotten a college scholarship to play baseball had he wanted it bad enough. Instead, he decided to go into the Air Force -- a big influence of that was his grades (he certainly wasn't an honors student) and because he had quite an attitude... he thought the Air Force would fix it and make him a better man. Maybe in a way it did... but in another way, it ruined his life. 

I think baseball was Jay's favorite sport to play. He was a natural, honestly. Mom tells me back in elementary school, they had a hard time trying to get Uncle Jay to read. He just wasn't interested in reading Goosebumps or Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys. When the teachers realized he had a knack for sports, they would let him read sports magazines or biographies on ball players. That tickled his fancy way more than anything else did. 

Jay was your typical young boy in my opinion - he loved sports, he loved his family, he loved his friends, and having fun. Growing up, my Dad and he were best friends... long, long before I was ever even thought of, of course. I think it shocked them that they ended up brother-in-laws later on down the road. 

Even on his darkest days, Jay hardly ever went without a smile. If he was feeling down - he could crack open a beer and watch a ballgame, and everything was right with the world again. Part of that was his downfall, though. The Air Force had molded him into an alcoholic, like it does many young men.. When he came home from overseas - he became a Sheriff's Deputy and trained the K9 dogs. Jay was magnificent with dogs... any animal really, but especially with dogs. That was his calling, aside from sports, in life. 

A part of me likes to sit here and wonder what Jay's life could have turned out like if he'd have pursued sports instead of going into the Air Force. What if he had graduated with great grades and got a scholarship for baseball? Football? Basketball? What university would he have went to? Maybe he'd have went to Florida and played Gator baseball; or maybe Tennessee and been a Volunteer! I could see him now going on to play for the New York Yankees or maybe the Chicago Cubs, or even the St. Louis Cardinals!

Sometimes thinking about things like this... it breaks my heart that life didn't pan out that way for Uncle Jay. But then I stop and think that... maybe if he'd have been a professional ballplayer, he wouldn't have ever gotten married (twice) and had three children. Maybe my cousins wouldn't exist. Maybe I wouldn't have ever met Uncle Jay except on Christmas when he'd "finally break away from work" and "get to come home for a holiday dinner." 

I also stop and think of how many times Jay escaped death in the Air Force, being stationed in South Dakota and the Philippines. I think of how many close calls he had as a Sheriff's Deputy and how he put his life on the line every single time he clocked into work. 

So maybe life wouldn't have been much different, or maybe life would have been extremely different.. I don't know. I'm thankful Jay had 49 years on this Earth, but I sure wish he could have had 49 more. I miss talking football with my Uncle. He's the only person who never made fun of me for being a Miami Dolphins football fan. He'd always say -- "just tell them, 'my team is the only team to go undefeated to the Super bowl and WIN' if they make fun of you." 

I realize this blog has maybe deviated a bit from the sports topic, and I really can't help that. I hope this blog gave you a bit of insight on my Uncle Jay though and his passion for sports... because man, was he passionate. I know he has a front row seat now to every ball game he wants to watch... but I sure wish he was still on our couch watching a game or two with us.