2014: The Year of Pilgrimage

This calendar year promises to be one of greatness on a myriad of levels, and the research of the family is certainly one of those levels. I anticipate this being a year in which many family history questions will be answered (and many posed, as I have learned that every answer brings with it at least three questions, particularly as it relates to the quest of learning history of from whence we come).

According to a word study as it relates to the word ‘journey’, found in the second edition of the Oxford Pocket Dictionary and Thesaurus, a journey suggests that a considerable amount of time and distance will be covered while a pilgrimage is applicable to a journey that is undertaken for a specific purpose. Ah, that is exactly what this endeavor is, a pilgrimage. I am on a journey, one on which I hope you will join me, to learn as much as I can, and share that knowledge with you, about those who came before, those who paved the way for us. I am on a mission to give voice to the Ancestors, to tell as much of their story as I possibly can, to connect past and present.

This year, I hope to learn more about, introduce you to, or reconnect you with Henry TRIBBLE, Benjamin SULLIVAN, Melinda KIMBROUGH, George GULLICK, Nannie SEAMAN/NAPIER, Alfred SAMUELS (and his brothers) and SO many more. I hope to share with you research challenges and receive insight from you. I hope, that in the process of giving voice to the Ancestors, we connect and build stronger bonds as a family—that we are able to get to know each other, that we can begin and continue to create beautiful legacies for our children, grandchildren, nieces, and nephews.

I do not research in hopes of ‘gathering dirt’ or locating proverbial ‘skeletons in closets’. I research to learn, to grow, to connect. There are certainly wonderful and joyous finds, just as there are some heartbreaking finds—but they are all part of our legacy, and it is my mission to share it all, in grace, in love, with respect for both those gone before and those still with us in this realm. I hope you will join me as I make this pilgrimage—undertake this journey, if even just for the ride.

 

 

Acknowledging Some Who Served

Welcome, I am so glad and thankful that you stopped by to visit for a moment. The blog is currently in its infancy stage, however, I am excited about this venture and you being along to watch the growth and share in the experiences along the way.

In this first “official” post, I would like to take a moment to recognize those family members who are currently serving and have served in the United States Armed Forces. Presently, I am unaware of all of the family members who have chosen to serve, but extend a thank you to them. I would like to take a brief moment to acknowledge some of those who have gone on who also, in nearly all cases, made the choice for themselves to serve (future posts will share more about these individuals). The following list is certainly far from exhaustive, and I hope to learn the names of more men—and women, none currently listed/known—to this list.

Veteran’s Name	Conflict, if served during non-peace time, if known
Ishmael ROBERTS	Revolutionary War, served in Col. Shepherd’s Army/Company
Edward BANNISTER	Was a bugler in the Army—9th Regiment Calvary
Alfred SAMUELS	Civil War, served in the United States Colored Troops (USCT)—Co. H of the 107th United States Colored Infantry; he was enlisted in the USCT by his enslaver, who hoped to be compensated for enlisting him (according to his pension file)
Rush M. MORAN	Civil War, served in the United States Colored Troops (USCT)—Co. E of the 9th regiment of Indiana (according to his pension file)
Jesse DONALDSON	Civil War, served in the United States Colored Troops—Co. I Regiment 15 (according to his pension file)
John Wesley SAMUELS	WWI, Battalion Sergeant Major  in the 317th Trains Hqrs. Of the 92nd Division (from Snohomish County in the War)
Elsworth MCKINLEY
Gerald DONALDSON	Stationed in North Africa during the Korean Conflict
Wendell DONALDSON	Spent time stationed in Japan
Raymond DONALDSON
Lloyd DONALDSON
Melvin DONALDSON
Roy TRIBBLE
Leroy KIMBROUGH	Served during Vietnam on the USS Ticonderoga
James KIMBROUGH
Charles KIMBROUGH
Benjamin SULLIVAN	WW II

There are so many more¸ whose names, as I mentioned I am unaware. I am working to obtain their names and their stories; I am looking forward to sharing these names and stories with you in the months and years to come.

Again, I am looking forward to sharing our rich family history with you via this and other mediums. I hope you will enjoy the journey with me.