Or, Subtitled: “Everywhere in the world people led their lives unrecorded”~ Elizabeth Strout, Tell Me Everything (NY: Random House, 2024), p. 79 Stories; stories handed down in families; family stories: these are precious gifts that demand to be shared, if not in our family circles, then more widely, since stories told within a family circle … More Pat Ryan: Family Stories and Our Obligation to Share Them
Or, Subtitled: “That James Birdwell and Lethe Birdwell his wife have both departed this life” With my last posting about James Lauderdale (abt. 1707 – 1796/7), I’ve drawn to a close, for now at least, my series of postings on my Lauderdale family line. With this posting, I’m inaugurating a new series about another of … More Aletha R. Leonard (abt. 1803 – abt. 1845), Wife of James G. Birdwell
Or, Subtitled: “James Lauderdale his mark wafer seal” In my previous two postings (here and here), I shared the subtance of what I know about my earliest proven ancestor in the Lauderdale line, James Lauderdale, who died at an advanced age between 24 September 1796, when he made a codicil to his will in Botetourt … More James Lauderdale (abt. 1707 – 1796/7): Will and Children
Or, Subtitled: “Run away from the ſubſcriber, near Buchanan’s ferry, the 5th inſtant” In my preceding posting I focused on establishing when James Lauderdale (abt. 1707? – 1796/7) arrived in Virginia, and, insofar as this can be documented, where he was living prior to his arrival in Virginia. That posting showed that there’s sound documentation … More James Lauderdale (abt. 1707 – 1796/7): The Virginia Years, 1744/5 – 1796
Or, Subtitled: “He is ninety-one years of age; was born in the State of Marayland in the year 1741 or 1742 he moved when an infant with his parents to the State of Virginia in Botetourt County” A bit more than a year ago, in February 2025, I launched a series on my Lauderdale ancestral … More James Lauderdale (abt. 1707? – 1796/7)
Or, Subtitled: “For wine … Sister Pryer” In a previous posting, I shared here an article I published in August 2025 in the journal of the Tuscaloosa County Alabama Genealogical Society, Roots & Branches. That article focused on the question of the pre-Alabama roots of an early settler of Tuscaloosa County, Joseph Pryor (1767-1851). I’ve … More Joseph Pryor of Tuscaloosa County, Alabama: Pre-Alabama Records Gap and Importance of Church Minutes
Or, Subtitled: “He was killed in action during the ‘Battle of the Bulge’ in eastern France, on January 5, 1945, and classified as a ‘hero’ by all of his comrades” The five previous memoirs I’ve compiled of the World War II years have all been memoirs of men in my family, including my father Benjamin … More A Series of WWII Memoirs (6): Powell Butler Compere (1918-1945)
Or, Subtitled: “The war in Europe was going full force, and my two brothers and Dad were all very active in various phases of the conflict” The memoir that follows is part of a series of memoirs in which I’m recording information about the World War II experiences of my father and uncles. I’m trying … More A Series of WWII Memoirs (5): Lee Hawkins Compere (1920-2013)
Or, Subtitled: Not all veterans survived the war after they returned home This is the fourth in a series of memoirs I’m compiling, memoirs that focus on the World War II service of my father, his brother, and my mother’s brother and half-brother. This posting will talk about the WWII experiences of my mother’s half-brother … More A Series of WWII Memoirs (4): William Carl Simpson (1908-1947)
Or, Subtitled: “I never was so sure before of exactly what I was fighting for.” As my last two postings (here and here) have said, I’ve been working on a set of memoirs of the World War II service of my father, his brother, their brother-in-law, and my mother’s brother and half-brother. As the two … More A Series of WWII Memoirs (3): William Zachary Simpson (1915-1999)
BEGATS AND BEQUEATHALS 