Do you have any interesting family stories to share? [I Am Intersted In My Family Tree]

The first sawmill in my county was owned by my great-great grandfather. He brought it here on a barge along the Tennessee River.

I've looked into some more of my ancestry, and I discovered that my family at one time was pretty wealthy. They were also slaveowners. That was surprising, but I should've known that was likely the case. My goal is to find more photos from that time.

One more story...

My great grandmother (possibly one more "great") once housed and fed Jessie James close to where I currently live. She didn't know who he was at the time, but she described him as a very kind and respectful man. He was passing through with a couple of other individuals on horseback. They left late in the night, but he left her a letter, thanking her for the hospitality.

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hippyjoe1955 · 61-69, M

My great grandfather left Bessarabia after the Crimean war. He homesteaded in North Dakota then moved to Alberta where he homesteaded again. He found his homestead in Alberta and built a soddy for his family to live in while he farmed his 160 acres. The next year he helped build a sod church 3 miles north of his homestead. He was the first preacher to conduct a service there. He was fluent in Russian, German and English and his first service was in German. Most of the people in the community spoke German so it only made sense.

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Remastered

@hippyjoe1955 That's great. I do the same with old grave sites. I try to keep them clean.

hippyjoe1955 · 61-69, M

@Remastered Yes I do the same. I go to that cemetery to visit the graves of Great Grandparents, Grandparents, Parents and a son. Something significant in going there.

Remastered

@hippyjoe1955 I lost my wife a couple of years ago. She was cremated, but I have a spot in the woods set up for her. I go there occasionally to just sit "with her" and listen to nature.

Thevy29 · 41-45, M

On mum's side the first time my Granddad met my Grandmother he shot her. The army had taken over a part of a farm for a training camp near Perth. It was Grandma's farm and she didn't want to walk all the way around and he was the sentry..

Uncle Mundy on my Dad's side gave his brothers name Bill to the cop who pulled him over not knowing there was a warrant for that brothers arrest. Uncle Mundy got sent to prison where he met Uncle Bill who had apparently tried to use Mundy's name when he got pulled over and gotten arrested for Mundy's wrong doing.

Remastered

@Thevy29 That should be a movie. 😆

Thevy29 · 41-45, M

@Remastered It gets better. Uncle Mundy once owned a boat he called the 'Shag shit.' He wanted to use it for abalone poaching but the Shag's kept dropping bombs on it. By the time he almost got it fixed up it sank in a storm.
He tried to kill himself a couple of years after that. Closed off all the air in his lounge room and turned the gas on. The neighbours came running when they heard the explosion and found him on his front lawn. He had wanted one last cigarette.

Granddad had spent 6 years in WW2. He only needed to serve 3 then he could go home but he was afraid of Grandma. He always said he was a baker in the army and never saw combat. But when he had dementia he started speaking, German, French, Italian and 3 different African languages. We applied for his military records but 90% of it was redacted. We think he may have been in Army Intelligence...

One time Granddad was digging in his front yard and hit the electricity cable knocking power out to the whole street. He didn't say a word. After the problem was fixed he decided he had had enough of gardening and paved the front yard in. With pavers he and Dad had stolen from the Electric company...

Sorry for the long story. I'm only just remembering all the stuff my family had done. Especially Granddad. He was quite the character.. Thank you for the Question.

Remastered

@Thevy29 Thanks for sharing! Those are great stories.

thepreposterouspanda · 36-40, M

My however-many-greats grandfather was a minister/farmer in Georgia during the civil war. General Sherman actually came through and burned his farm down, but let them live because killing a minister was considered bad luck. :)

I have a copy of the letter describing it all somewhere. 🤔

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thepreposterouspanda · 36-40, M

@Remastered It's a fact I'm quite grateful for, to be sure. 😂 He came over from Scotland with two of his brothers, one of which was in New York and the other in Canada.

We have a letter between the brothers expressing concern for Simon (my ancestor) with all the craziness that was happening down here, and then a letter from Simon to them explaining the long silence haha.

Remastered

@thepreposterouspanda I hope I can find some letters and photos.

thepreposterouspanda · 36-40, M

@Remastered There are sides of my family that I wish I knew more about. Specifically, the paternal side of both my mother and father.

My great-grandfather on dad's side was killed by a drunk driver when my grandfather was six, so I don't know anything beyond that.

On mom's side, I know they were from Hungary, but that's about it there too. :)

canusernamebemyusername · M

I don't know anything of my dad's side as they kept spelling their names different due to not knowing how to spell or write. Lol Probably from a penal colony or something.

MrBrownstone · 46-50, M

Is the sawmill still around?

Remastered

@MrBrownstone Unfortunately, it's gone. I know where his grave is, though. I go there occasionally.

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