Wedding Wednesday: Louis and Elnora (Cooper) Shepherd

Today’s post is inspired by the Wedding Wednesday genealogy blog prompt over at Geneabloggers.

Louis And Elnora (Cooper) Shepherd with their oldest two children. 

 

 

One of my favorite family history nuggets is the fact that my maternal grandfather literally fell in love with the girl next door. (Or maybe it’s my grandmother that fell in love with the boy next door.) Either way, it’s definitely the fact that in a world (or at least a city) full of possibilities and potential mates, these two individuals - a girl from rural Georgia whose family came up during the Great Migration, and a boy who was born and raised in busy DC - ended up as next door neighbors, then husband and wife, and then parents to 5 children, including my mother.

Mystery Monday Update: Women, Who Art Ye?!

It’s after midnight and I just got back from a research trip to DC. I’m sleepy and I want to fall into my bed, but even more than that, I want to share this post with you, because I got A BREAKTHROUGH IN ONE OF MY BRICK WALLS!

Earlier this year I posted a Mystery Monday where I spoke about the possible relationship between three women who orbited my Great-Grandmother Katherine Shepherd: Rose (Allen) Shepherd, Eleanor (Allen/Ellis) Petite and Bertha (Allen) Kilson. Were they related? If so, how? Well, yesterday, I got lucky!

Mystery Monday: Are You My (Great-Great Grand) Mother?

Do you remember that children’s book, Are You My Mother? A little birdie hatches from his shell while his mother is away and he goes on a quest to find her, asking each animal (and machine!) he passes if they are his mama. It’s cute, and, of course, it has a happy ending. Well, as I think about my quest to get each of my family lines back to 1870, and as I thought about a good Mystery Monday topic, this book popped into my mind; I’ve got a mystery for which I’m hoping there will be a happy ending. You see, we have this postcard…

Where There's A Will...

Yesterday I came across what, for me, is a really exciting document: My great-great-grandmother Scoatney (Scott) Cooper's will!

I'm Focused, Man!

I’ve got my genealogy groove back! I mentioned in a recent post that I had made a major life change, quitting my job to travel and focus on my genealogical research for 6 months to a year. Well, I spent 4 weeks traveling in Europe - to England, France and Italy (York Minster! Croissants! Mt. Vesuvius!) – and I just got back a few days ago from a week in New Orleans (Halloween! Voodoo Fest!).

Anyway, during the time I haven’t been on the road, it’s been difficult to get focused on genealogy. Frankly, I was probably exhausted and just trying to get used to being home again. I think I’ve also been feeling a bit overwhelmed, both by the research I already have but need to review, and also by the limitless possibilities (and thus the need to do something meaningful) for this year off.

Genealogical To Do List - September 2015 Edition

Faced with an eternity of spare time on my hands (exaggeration alert!), I realize that I'm going to have to stay focused so that I accomplish my genealogical goals. So, here's what's on my To Do list right now, in no particular order:

• Digitize my Grandma Doris's 29 photo albums and scrapbooks. Yes, 29. I remember that time when I was young and naive and forgot that there was an entire other box full of albums!! Those were the days...

• Plan my first research trip to Washington, DC. That's where the Coopers met the Shepherds, where the Shepherds met the Reids, and where both my momma and my granddad were raised.

• Reach out to my remaining living Grandfather. That thing I said about “no particular order” clearly is not true here. This is a priority.

• Write up some more of the stories I'm already able to tell and the mysteries I want to solve. Like why my maternal grandparents applied for a marriage license twice, two years apart. Or that my paternal great-grandfather was involved in a coal mining strike and subsequent court case that made it into the newspapers. 

• Figure out my priorities for Ohio research. And also whose couches I want to sleep on!

• Review my current research for holes, lingering questions, and mistakes. The Genealogy Do-Over, suggested over at Geneabloggers.com really is a great idea. And while I’ve been pretty darn careful, it never hurts to doublecheck!

• Set goals for additional research trips. Virginia, that other West Virginia, Alabama, Georgia, New York (again), and New Jersey (again), here I come!

So there you go folks. If I've made no headway a year from now, send the Land Shark after me! (Ding dong...)

 

A New Adventure!

I never remember to take a photo of the whole cake!

 

It’s been a little quiet over here! But I promise it’s been for a good reason. See, I’ve done something a little crazy: at the beginning of August, I announced that I was quitting my job at the end of the month, to start 6 months to a year of chasing my passions, travel and genealogy. (I’m! So! Excited!)

It’s an idea I’d been playing with, dreaming about, and then finally acting on, for over a year. Why not do this now, when I’m young, healthy, single, and have no kids, pets or a mortgage? Why wait until I’m retired to do the things I really want to do? Especially since there’s no guarantee I’ll be healthy then, or even able to retire at all! So, I’m taking some time for myself right now!

Updated, thanks to my (former) colleagues, who are (still) awesome and made sure I got a picture of the WHOLE cake. Thanks y'all!

I’ll be blogging about my travels and other interesting experiences over at A Runs Away, starting with a month-long trip to Europe at the end of this month. And with all the time I’ll now have to do genealogy research, I’ll be adding lots to this blog as well!

Fam, I’m super excited to have this opportunity to learn more about our history and dig deeper into our roots, and to be able to share what I’m learning with you all! If I call you up and ask if I can interview you / look at your photo albums / sleep on your sofa, I hope you’ll say yes! Stay tuned :)