"It has been said that there are two lasting bequests we can give to our children....one is ROOTS, and the other, WINGS.
We have each grown up in different times and places. Some of our experiences have been similar ~~ many have not. Much of what was experienced in our childhood's has been forgotten or perhaps put aside as unimportant. For some, early memories may be clouded by sadness or loss. But whatever the past has held for us, it is important to pause and remember...and more than that, to share our roots so that future generations will know from whence they have come."
After 25 years of working off and on with our family genealogy I finally sat down and tried to put it all togther......ended up with over 400 pages of information!
Everyone was always asking about what I found so I decided for Christmas of 2004 I would make copies and give everyone a copy as a gift from me to them ~~ it was quite a project!
I'm still researching and discovering new facts and would love to share with others who might have that missing piece of the puzzle or have a picture that I haven't seen.
~~ Jesse Merida James, my father who I consider to be one of the finest men ever born.
~~Tylee Houston James, my grandfather who fought the Indians at Long Creek, Oregon with other members of his family. He came to the West 3 times in a covered wagon and his last trip was on the Immigrant Train with his family in 1910. He stated they were cousins of Frank & Jesse James and he had seen them once as children. After his death, his wife still wrote to "Cousin Frank's widow in L.A." but those letters have been lost.
~~ Robert Newton James, my grandfather's brother, who settled in the Texas Panhandle when it was overrun by outlaws on their way to Indian Territory to escape the law. He and his wife Frances Ann Eakins were among the first settlers of Quanah, Texas. Robert, as a teamster, brought the first printing press used for publishing a newspaper in Quannah; in a half-dugout, no less!
~~ Meridith Taylor Crossland, my great-great-grandfather was elected to the Alabama legislature and was murdered and the log home he built over 175 years ago is still standing today!
~~Winifred Sweet Black, my 1st cousin 3x removed who became a successful newspaperwoman and wrote articles entilted "Rambles Through My Memories" that appeared in Good Housekeeping magazine almost 80 years ago! ... she used the pen name of "Annie Laurie"
~~ Ann Calhoun, my 1st cousin 6x removed who in 1760 as a 5 year old child was kidnapped by the Cherokee Indians and held captive for 14 years in the Long Cane Massacre
~~ Davy Crockett, 2nd great-uncle of husband of 1st cousin 1x removed
~~The Long Cane Massacre ~~ being related to former Vice President John Caldwell Calhoun and many others....