A Genealogy Blog by Dana Huff
Posted in Family Biographies/Histories, Primary Sources: Letters, Documents, Diaries, Histories on Jul 9th, 2010
Jemmie Ray Campbell was my grandmother’s brother. She gave my father the middle name “Ray” in his honor. The 71st anniversary of his death was yesterday: July 8, 1939. Poverty was not uncommon during the Depression, and Appalachia was particularly hard hit. At the time of Jemmie Ray’s birth on June 17 and his death [...]
Posted in Family Biographies/Histories, Letters, Primary Sources: Letters, Documents, Diaries, Histories on Nov 17th, 2009
Johnson Franklin Cunningham, pictured below with my great-great grandfather Amos Blakey Cunningham, sent the letter that follows to Amos’s daughter Dessie Cunningham Gray. I think it could mean a great deal to an African-American family if I only knew how to get the information to that family. If anyone knows of a good place to [...]
Posted in Primary Sources: Letters, Documents, Diaries, Histories on Apr 12th, 2009
My grandfather Udell Cunningham is fond of telling the story about how his birth was erroneously recorded, causing a great deal of trouble for him later on. My grandfather was born 3 May 1925 in Tulia, Swisher County, Texas. The Texas Birth Index, 1903-1997 (available on Ancestry.com) lists his birthday as 3 March 1925. The [...]
Posted in Letters, Photographs, Primary Sources: Letters, Documents, Diaries, Histories on Apr 11th, 2009
My cousin Dara sent scans of the following letter from my great-grandmother, Gertrude Nettie Perkins Gearhart Lightle. I have discussed her story previously on this blog. Kiona, WA April 6, 1940 Dear Bessie, I was sure glad to hear from you again. I looked in vain for a letter all winter. I have been sick [...]
Posted in Primary Sources: Letters, Documents, Diaries, Histories on Nov 5th, 2006
My great-grandfather Herman Cunningham, kept a diary of sorts during his tenure in the U.S. Army in World War I. My Aunt Carolyn, Herman Cunningham’s youngest daughter, sent me the following. Note: I’m not sure if this is the entire diary or an excerpt. Registered for army: June 5, 1917 was examined: March 9, 1918 [...]
Posted in Family Biographies/Histories, Primary Sources: Letters, Documents, Diaries, Histories on Aug 26th, 2006
In researching my great-great-grandmother’s former beau, John William Tolleson, I was most interested to discover some of his family members living today are genealogists. My grandfather’s cousin Mary had some letters that she believed were from John William Tolleson; however, once she took them out of storage, she realized they were actually from Roscoe M. [...]
Posted in Photographs, Primary Sources: Letters, Documents, Diaries, Histories on Aug 22nd, 2006
John William Tolleson is not my ancestor. If my great-great-grandmother’s life had turned out a bit differently, however, I wouldn’t be here. She was once engaged to John William Tolleson. In my great-great-grandmother’s diary (PDF download), she only mentions him six times: December 2, 1893: “Wrote to J.W.T. and Mary Hutton.” December 12, 1893: “Got [...]
Posted in Family Biographies/Histories, Genealogy and History, Letters, Primary Sources: Letters, Documents, Diaries, Histories on Aug 21st, 2006
My great-grandfather Herman Cunningham served in the Army during WWI. Thanks to Randy Seaver, I recently learned how to obtain his service records (for free!), but I also learned that there was a fire at the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis, Missiouri in 1973 that destroyed the records of Army personnel discharged from [...]
Posted in Family Biographies/Histories, Letters, Primary Sources: Letters, Documents, Diaries, Histories on Aug 19th, 2006
Doris [my grandmother] has two relatives that reached the General ranks in the Air Force. She had a cousin in Ardmore named Jack Thurman. He was in the Seabees during WW2 and was a 2nd Class Petty Officer. He had two sons that went to West Point Military Academy. One of the boys reached Brigadier [...]
Posted in Family Biographies/Histories, Letters, Primary Sources: Letters, Documents, Diaries, Histories on Aug 18th, 2006
Perhaps I should list the jobs I have had in my military career. Ditch digger and pipe installation on Attu perhaps this makes me a pipe-fitter. Rigger on Mobile crane — Philippine Islands . Since the Navy bestowed the rank of MoMM3C (Motor Machinist Mate Third Class) I was supposed to be a mechanic. Mechanic [...]
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A Genealogy Blog by Dana Huff
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