Preserving Our Legacy

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PRESERVING OUR LEGACY

             It has been a lifelong pleasure to research our families' history.  I began before the advent of internet and did the basic foundation work the old-fashioned way:  contacting the oldest living relative, traversing country roads back to the old homesteads, trekking to county courthouses to access records, visiting cemeteries to glean birth and death dates, combing the archives here in Austin, and picking my mother's brain. Mother and I spent many days together weaving together our family story.  My forte was building the skeleton, and she loved "adding meat to the bones." She put together an amazing picture book and supplied so many stories that give meaning to our ancestor's lives.  I feel fortunate that I lived among my cousins, my aunts and uncles, and that my grandparents were a part of my life.  I was blessed to know three of my great-grandparents on Mother's side of the family.  Each bit of information made me want to know more and to understand the sacrifices that were made by each generation.  I came to realize that they were honorable people who valued life and liberty, and they worked hard to bring our family to the place we are now. My research revealed that they were men and women of faith who were true to themselves and to family. 

            I, in no way, believe that every detail in this research is correct.  Digging for family roots is a mystery and is fraught with pitfalls and misinformation.  I am not a professional researcher, but I understand the value of documenting and striving to be as accurate as possible.  I have files of paper research, but my goal is to share this history as succinctly as possible to point the next historian in the right direction or to at least give them a place to fill in the gaps or make corrections.  My desire is to preserve and honor those in our family who helped carve out our great nation. Our roots are deep southern roots with the first immigrants of every line reaching the shores of America prior to the Revolution, making for a very colorful and rich American family history.  Having southern roots complicated my efforts, as so many records were destroyed in the Civil War, but with the perseverance of county, state, and older family historians who documented the pioneer families, our own history is revealed.  Maybe the following pages will help someone carry the torch of preserving our legacy by keeping the integrity of our rich heritage intact and helping our descendants stay connected to the roots of our family.

You only know where you are going
when you know where you have been.

~ Maya Angelou