Walter, Your story warmed my heart, brought tears to my eyes. Yes, it has a LOT to do with Danville Crossing...at least I think so! It is really what genealogy is all about when you get down to it. Where our ancestors have been and knowing that, does not do one single thing to help them out generally (0ther than sometimes salvaging a bad rep and turning out the real story...or otherwise...)....but it can do a LOT for the living. The things I have learned from this list, the family I have come home to because of it, the friends made, that is what it is all about. Thanks so much for sharing that...and thank YOU, Dave and Dan for making that all possible in so many ways. jan ----- Original Message ----- From: w.mcculloch <w.mcculloch@cwix.com> To: <DanvilleCrossing-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Monday, July 12, 1999 3:53 AM Subject: Unidentified subject! > This doesn' t have a thing to do with Danville Crossing. And other than me, > my brother and mother no one involved even remotely has any Tennessee > connection. I thought I would share this with you anyway. > > One of the real pleasures in genealogy is finally meeting up with kin you > have never seen (or at least not for a long time). My mother and my father' > s youngest brother' s widow are the last two McCulloch wives (neither ever > remarried) of their generation in our branch of the McCulloch clan. My aunt > now lives with her only daughter in Florida, but we never saw much of them > when they lived locally. No real reason I guess, but they went their way > and we went ours, and our fathers were okay with it. My uncle and aunt > packed up and moved to WV when my cousin was a child (she is now 54). I > last saw my uncle in 1967 when he flew in for my father' s funeral. I last > saw my aunt and cousin in 1971 when I attended my uncle' s funeral. But!!!, > we all saw each other last night (07-18-99). The occasion was aunt' s 90th > birthday. She wanted to return home one more time and this was the > occasion. > > Our old homeplace (built in 1870 by GGF McCulloch) is now a restaurant. My > cousin decided the party would be there. My cousin, her husband, her 3 > children (along with wives and grandchild), and stepson, my mother, > brothers, nephews and grand nephews, my father' s sister' s son (our other > cousin), along with aunt's sister, brother in law and niece, and various > friends (37 of us all told) gathered for dinner at the old home place. The > last time the entire McCulloch family gathered in this house was around > 1942-43 (no one could really remember the year, except it was for Easter). > All these folks came in from New York, Pennsylvania, Florida and I am not > sure where else just for this occasion. > > I can' t you the absolute joy we experienced in all seeing each other at > long last (and wondering why we had not before). The room in which we > celebrated has portraits hanging of our great grandparents, grandparents and > other ancestors. The family resemblance of all is a bit amazing. My other > cousin is an Episcopal priest in NY. He looked around the room and remarked > that he had performed the funerals of our two uncles and his mother, > presided at the marriage of our cousin, baptised two of her three children > and baptised two of my three nephews. At least he used to get around to see > everyone. I don' t know that we will all ever be in the same room at the > same time again, but we were last night and we will all treasure this > experience forever. > > As a post script: The old house is supposedly haunted and many think the > ghost is our great grandfather. I can' t help but think how proud all those > folks whose portraits looked down upon us must have felt last night. Maybe > it was just the light and shadows, but GGF sure looked like he was smiling > in that stern old portrait. > > Walker K. McCulloch > Clarksville, IN > (07-18-99) > > > ==== DanvilleCrossing Mailing List ==== > GENEALOGY is like Hide & Seek: > They Hide & I Seek !! > > > >