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.

Remastered

@hippyjoe1955 That's an awesome story. He sounds like a very intelligent and hard-working man.

hippyjoe1955 · 61-69, M

@Remastered Yes he was very highly respected in the community and funnily enough the community got together and put up a very headstone on his grave. To this day it is one of the biggest headstones on the cemetery. I visit the cemetery several times a year to mark birthdays of family members and his and his wife's matching headstones stand out among the rest. I have several old pictures of him and people say that the only difference between him and me is my beard is longer and I wear glasses.

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.