“Who Do You Think You Are?” is awakening Geneology with celebrities

NBC has created quite the jewel with the show “Who Do You Think You Are”. Obviously partnering with the Geneology giant, Ancestry.com, the show is in its second season of awakening the geneologist in us all with the help of its celebrity features. Each season, several celebrities are followed on their quest to find out more about their ancestral roots, traveling wherever the next lead takes them and meeting with the local geneologist or librarian to share with them records of the family member they are searching for, and plugging Ancestry.com wherever they can.

The most integral part of the series is not the celebrities themselves, or their ancestors, but the overhanging idea that the journey to find out your familial ties can take you to places you never expected; and, not unlike most road trips, the journey itsself is often more important as what you find when you come to the end of it. Is the show unrealistic? In one way, maybe; most people cannot afford to travel all over the place meeting with this geneologist and that expert, but with the help of places like Ancestry.com, it is an attainable idea to learn about who and where you come from. Also, these people are but a phone call away, and with modern technology, their help is a tangible idea.

Just like my article on remembering the library, this show reminds people of the importance of using the help of this free and very public service. These celebrities get a chance to travel to many different places, even including different countries, and meet these public servants who desperately want nothing more than to share with these people the gift of history that lies within the pages of the documents they care for and hold every day. Often times, excitement and wonder comes across the faces of these celebrities as they discover their family were pioneers on the forefront of what is not written in the history books, but was an extremely important movement towards our society today. Then there are the ones who feel full of disappointment, but also a sense of closure to a missing chapter in their lives, and it leads to greatfulness  or appreciation for what they have now.

We can all feel this same sort of satisfaction and excitement if we awaken the geneologist inside us all. Many of the tools available to these celebrities are also available to the layman. Speaking to our family members who are alive is a great way to start. Internet searches can help a great deal and often will lead you to the sites you need to start your search. You can often step up and use Ancestry.com, it is a great tool and the databases it employs can help you more than you could imagine. There is a fee, and several plans to choose from, but it can be cancelled at any time and your information will be saved if you choose to get the service later again. You can also call the local library or probate office for deed records and census information. Many states have their records online now and are free to search, and very affordable to order records.

Awaken the geneologist in yourself. Learn more about where you come from, and perhaps you will learn how fun the journey can be. Bring together your siblings and make it a family project, or find a friend and help them search out their past too. Also, be sure you don’t miss “Who Do You Think You Are” on NBC, Friday nights, you’ll be glad you did.

The place that time has forgotten, the Library

I recently visited both Auburn public Library and Ralph B Draughn Library on Auburn University’s campus. I was amazed at the amount of information that I, a self-proclaimed historian and researcher, had forgotten a library holds. I was doing research on a book I am co-authoring with two of the best local historians I know and I found myself not wanting to leave. I stayed hours in the special collections, reading all about anyone who was anyone in Lee County, Alabama, and I felt almost ashamed that I had replaced the great rush I used to feel spending hours in the library for a computer and my couch. Don’t get me wrong, the Internet is a wonderful research tool, but it cannot always give you the excitement of holding a document in your hand that is so old you must wear gloves to touch it, knowing that your favorite author had held it in his/her hand as they autographed the first-edition copy “To RBD library, thanks for all your help, I couldn’t have done it without you!” and letting your imagination wonder, for just a moment, that maybe someday you’ll be autographing the same thing.

Innovation is a wonderful thing, and computers are available for a great deal of use even at the library. But, as historians, it is up to us to keep the library going. We must take our children there, encourage them to read real books, and smell that wonderful musty book smell that only a library holds. We must visit the microfilm and microfiche section and browse the old articles and papers with such eloquent and educated writing styles, that anything published today looks like a school newspaper. We should be encouraged to sit down with the staff at the library, and use them as a neccessary tool in our research. These men and women are about more than the Dewey Decimal System. Furthermore, it is important for us to REMEMBER the Dewey Decimal System! There is so much that can be learned from a book than a section scanned in an online library. 

One day, I strive to visit the University of Texas library in Houston, Texas, just so I can feast my eyes upon the feet after linear feet of journals written by Samuel H Stout, the head surgeon of the Texas Confederate Hospitals. We should all strive to visit the Library of Congress in Washington D.C., and admire the beauty and vastness of its architecture. We should appreciate the many documents they have hidden, locked away in some dark room because the light fades the ink, and it is almost impossible to read, and we can only dream that we may one day get to look at such a document and know that the ink was put their by our founding fathers.

Each of us should re-commit ourselves to learning history, not only from the Internet, but from a real book from a public, or even private library. I am ashamed to say that I had forgotten just how wonderful a resource the library is, and perhaps time has forgotten it as well. I know that I have re-committed myself to checking with the library first, if nothing else, just to smell those wonderful books!

Treasure Hunting, an Integral Part of History

How many of you watch shows like Storage Wars or American Pickers? These shows have recently rekindled the history of America and are trying to teach people that their old “junk” is really a treasure. These shows show passionate people going all over the United States, looking at people’s possessions and telling them what they are worth and sometimes purchasing these items. But does it show more than just the worth of some old sign? Most definitely.

Each piece has its own story; each piece has its own history. For the first time in a long time, shows like this have Americans interested in American history. We are learning about the small businesses, and industry that kept this nation going over the past several centuries. It is important to keep this alive. The history books in school are not telling our children these stories. They give an overview of what happened a long time ago to a bunch of people they don’t know, and so our children aren’t interested. In a school in Tennessee, they actually spend three days only on the Vietnam war. Three days to teach our children the importance of respect and kindness to the homeless Veterans they see sitting in front of the grocery store begging for food? How ridiculous! Treasure hunting is a good way to make this history tangible to our youth, and the rest of us who have forgotten what we were once taught. Picking up a sign for War Bonds, or “Rosie the Riveter” and buying it, and selling it, is a great way to instill in our children, not only the importance on making an almighty buck, but the importance of human worth, and historical worth.

Give a child a first edition copy of The Diary of Anne Franke and tell them they should research it before they sell it, and see if it does not change their hearts when they see the faces of those affected by the Holocaust, and by the World Wars, and understanding what really happened. Watch their face when you take them to an auction house and watch the frantic bidding as their college fund just got bigger, and they see the importance of this little girl named Anne to the little Jewish Couple on the front row who cry when they win the book.

Treasure hunting can also teach our children the downfall of greed, and the psychological impact the Great Depression had on American people. When they see these people who have acres and acres of land that is covered in nothing but old junk, rusty cars, and nic-nak’s and the owners won’t part with any of it, teach them that many of these people survived the Depression in America with only the sack clothes on their back. Teach them these people hold onto everything they have because it has become a disease of fear. When you have lost everything, once you get it back, you don’t want to let anything go in fear you will need it some day. Teach them the importance of planning, making sound decisions, and resisting the fear of an economic downturn.

Treasure hunting has become a rekindled trend. It is one that is an integral step towards our own humanity and patriotism, teaching our children and our grand children history, humanity, and sound financial decisions. Pass onto them the passion of “junkin”, you may just find out they are better off for it.

“Brad Meltzer’s Decoded” Brings Forth Questions About a Second Civil War

Recently, the television series, “Brad Meltzer’s Decoded” on the History Channel investigated the Civil War Confederate treasury disappearance. In their investigation, they concluded that the treasury was hidden, buried in the ground and clues left by the “Knights Templar”. They followed a gentleman who claims to have found Confederate treasury money over a period of some thirty years. This was interesting in and of itsself, but the question that was more interesting is they theorize that there are still men, decendants of the Knights Templar, who are still protecting the treasury, knowing its exact location, awaiting a second Civil Unrest in the United States.

The Knights Templar began as a group of soldiers, officially endorsed by the Roman Catholic Church and remaining for at least two centuries, closely tied to the Crusades and some of their most fiersome warriors.  The group was officially disbanded by Pope Clement V, under pressure from King Philip IV of France, due to suspected financial problems the King had and distrust due to the Knights Templar secret meetings and induction ceremonies. Over the next several centuries, Knights Templar rose and fell to power, and other organizations adopted the name as their own, one such group closely tied is the Freemasons. Many of the United States most powerful and political men are part of the Freemasons, a fraternal organization whose rituals and ceremonies closely relate to the Knights Templar, and often the two names are often confused and intertwined together.

Many of the top leaders for the Confederacy were part of the Masonic rite. Often times, photos will arise of Generals, Presidents, and other important men with their hand tucked into their jackets, much like Napoleon was photographed so often. This has been rumored to be a symbol of members of the Masons, but their organization is shrouded in such secrecy and symbolism, some would claim that is pure conjecture. It is theorized that a group of these Confederate Masons called themselves the Knights Templar stole or hid the $200,000 in Confederate treasury money because they did not believe the war would remain over, and some believe the money is still guarded awaiting a second Civil Unrest. The real question is, Who would still, 100 years later, be guarding this money and why?

Grant that there are several groups out there at this time, planning for some Revolutionary uprising, but they are considered radicalists and zealots, defying even the most simplest of laws and considered by most to be nothing more than common criminals. But are there groups, every day men, members of a church and the PTA who have a secret agenda, passed down from their grandfathers, guarding money, awaiting some big “Grand Poobah” to say start digging? Perhaps because of their secrecy, we won’t know unless it comes true.

Look for it!

Want more History and perhaps a good ghost story from Alabama? Look for Haunted Auburn-Opelika, a book published by History-Press, releasing October 2011!

50th Anniversary of the USS North Carolina

Look forward to this year at the USS North Carolina in Wilmington, North Carolina! 2011 marks the 50th Anniversary of the ship and to celebrate the year will be full of fun, including opening up of parts of the ship never open to the public before, Summer festivals, a Fourth of July Extravaganza and fireworks show, and a commemorative ceremony in October. If you happen to be near Wilmington, visit the ship today! They do tours all day throughout the week, it is truly a remarkable piece of history.

The Slave Narratives

If you are interested in a great read, full of rich culture and told first hand by the people who endured slavery. Read “Slave Narratives: A Folk History of Slavery in the United States from Interviews with Former Slaves”, a Federal writers’ project. You can read them on www.Ancestry.com, they are well worth the read As historians, we must read the harsh truths of the past to keep from repeating the mistakes made in the future. Some of the interviewees are so full of spunk and it is quite an enjoyable read, as well as informative to know how much slavery influenced our culture, especially where I live in the South.

One Man’s Last Stand

Four Million, seven hundred thirty four thousand, nine hundred and ninety one men of the United States enlisted in World War One, one man was left standing. This man has fought for what is rightly theirs, a monument in Washington D.C., honoring the one hundred sixteen thousand five hundred and sixty one (116,561) who lost their lives.

Frank Buckles is now one hundred and nine years old. He was born in Missouri and enlisted in military at age 16. Although he was not old enough, Buckles had a calling, a calling for honor and pride and so he told his recruiter he just wasn’t going to bring his family bible down to the recruiters office to show his birthday, that the man would just have to take his word for it, and that is what he did. Buckles served upon the Carpathia a ship used as a US troop ship during the war and later famous for rescuing passengers from the Titanic. A determined individual, Buckles wanted to be in the action in France. He was captured by the Japanese and spent two years in a Prisoner of war camp.(1)

As a member of the WWI Memorial Foundation, his bravery and honor during the war continues  and his last stand is to lobby for a WWI veterans memorial in Washington D.C. Surprisingly enough, and to many people’s dismay, there is no memorial for these brave soldiers. There is a memorial that is in dis-repair for the veterans of  of Washington D.C., but not for the rest of the 4 million. Buckles has been fighting for this memorial for years, and despite all his political recognition by senators and presidents alike, his dream is yet to be realized. As of 2006, Buckles was only one of seven veterans still alive from WWI and it is feared that without this man’s constant battle, this may never come to pass.

As historians, it is up to us to keep the memories of these soldiers alive. This war was meant to end all wars. Although it failed in that regard, whole generations were lost all over the world to fight this battle. Our cultures and our education were shaped by these men, not just in America. This war shaped continents. We must not let this man’s dream go unnoticed.

Consider the global impact of this war. India, Asia, the Balkans, Russia, Italy, America, Germany, Belgium, France, Austria-Hungary, Great Britain, the Pacific, Australia, New Zealand, Mesopotamia, Serbia, Turkey, Palestine, Egypt, Ireland, Transylvania, Bucharest, Poland, the Ukraine, Georgia, Armenia, just to name a few countries involved in this war.  Should these men go unnoticed; or forgotten and left by the wayside because they have passed away?

Particularly in the Southern United States, if you stopped the every-day citizen on the street and asked them the name of a General in the American Civil War, they would immediately say Robert E. Lee. If you asked that same person to name a general in WWI, they would not be able to name one so quickly. These veterans of World War One deserve the same respect and honor. Let us all stand along side Frank Buckles and see his dream come true before he is gone. He is our last American WWI Veteran. On this memorial day weekend especially, let us honor one man’s last stand.

sources: http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/frank_buckles; http://www.frankbuckles.org; lcweb2.loc.gov/diglib/vhp-stories/loc.natlib.afc2001001.01070

To help Mr. Buckles please visit his website at http://www.frankbuckles.org.

Harrisons Graveyard Kinston, Alabama

Dance Grancer dance they say; tap, tap, tap and play and before the sun begins to shine lay on your feather-bed so fine.

William “Grancer” Harrison was born in 1789 in Edgefield County, South Carolina moving to Kinston, Alabama in Coffee County. Grancer was a cotton farmer with about 2500 acres that he farmed. He lived in Kinston with his wife Nancy Justice Harrison and his ten children until his death in 1860.

He was loved dearly by his family, friends, and slaves. Grancer is a nickname William got from his slaves because he was a great dancer. Grancer had a dance hall built where they would hold dances and Grancer would clog and play his fiddle. Once Grancer passed, he was laid to rest in his large feather-bed, enclosed by Florida bricks, wearing his finest suit and his clogging shoes. After he died the dances dwindled to a stop and the dance hall was eventually torn down. But that is just half of the story.

It was rumoured Grancer was buried with riches a plenty and in 1964 vandals blew up his large vault with dynamite to no avail. No gold was present and they only accomplished sending Grancer’s remains flying. His tomb was broken into several more times because the rumours never squelched. It was said his family reburied his remains underground as late as 1996.

It has also been reported by many that if you go to Harrisons graveyard, you may some times hear fiddling and tap dancing. From my own observance, what I have found at Grancer’s is a broken tomb of bricks with a large gaping hole filled with only dirt and a creepy old abandoned building on the property complete with graffiti and dark-magic or satanic emblems on the walls, although I have been told the building has been torn down since I last visited in 1996. It is unknown if this was the old dance hall once spoken of. 

Absolutely Harrison’s has a strange and eerie feel to it; but mostly the life of a good man has been overshadowed by a good ghost story. Harrison’s was featured in the book 13 Alabama Ghost Stories and Jeffrey by Kathryn Tucker Windham again focusing on the stories and escaping the accomplishments of the man. Perhaps the story is a way to keep the memory alive of Grancer, at least for his family’s sake.

The USS North Carolina is Still Alive

As I pulled into the city of Wilmington, North Carolina, I peered through the spots of rain on my windshield and saw The USS North Carolina and it  beckoned me to take a closer look and I nearly wrecked as I stared down the massive guns aboard.  I pulled in the parking lot and stepped outside to breathe the wet air of Wilmington.  Before me stood what I can only describe as a imperial mastodon; cloaked in steel and stamina.

I met the night watchman, looking more frail than his photographs may have eluded; but none the less Mr. Danny Bradshaw knew his way around this American mistress.  As I followed him throughout the ship, he turned the lights off for the night, and the ship began to feel as cold as its bowels. We walked along never ending hallways, narrow stairs, and dark passages; this ship began to speak to me.

At night the sounds aboard the bowels were as if it was still alive.  Literally the sounds of doors shutting would echo down the corridors when no one was aboard to shut them. Cracks and pops were heard and I had terrible feelings of dread near sick bay.

It told the stories of those aboard. How they lived their daily lives and you cannot forget that this beast was at war. The photos on the walls told of wounded soldiers stacked threehigh in sick bay and of the cereal they ate, three meals a day to discourage faking ill. It told of the late night card games and ice cream by the mail room… and it told a darker tale.

Deep below in the chasm of the ship was a wound. A deep penetrating wound of a torpedo that hit September 15, 1942, killing six of her men and damaging her strong ego. Understand that the North Carolina, built in New York Harbor in 1939, it seemed impermeable to the enemy.  In one battle along along side a sister ship the Enterprise earlier that same year, the North Carolina’s volume of anti aircraft weapons led the Enterprise to inquire if they were on fire. It appeared that nothing could touch it yet its vain psyche could not prevent its damage. Alas, this ship did not go down. She continued to fight and conquer until decommissioned in June of 1947 and turned into a museum for all to enjoy, mourn the deaths of its men and women, and pay honor and respect to the veterans who called it their home.

The deck

Courtesy Alabama Paranormal Research Team

itself was just as impressive as the bowels (and the air fresher).  The beautiful city lights of Wilmington behind, the impressive guns shadowed over my head and lined the port and starboard side every few feet.  The fascination of its power was mesmerizing and affecting.  To see it laid to rest as a memorial almost seemed a shame. 

I looked down at the alligator who swam below and thought this ship’s shadow should be bearing down upon the enemy and not on the historical town of Wilmington. My conclusion was it earned its resting place. Safe from the gripping hands of war and still alive for all to see.