This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Classification: Query Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/Gg.2ADI/350 Message Board Post: Historic Atlas Series: Indiana, Illinois and Ohio currently online. Michigan will be added by May 1st. Each Illinois and Indiana atlas CD consists of a series of 8 or more bordering counties making up 1 of 11 Zones that depict all of each state's counties. Each Zone Atlas contains high resolution scanned images of vintage 1876 county maps that are presented in Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF). Each county map may include the following 19th century features: * roads, railroads and canals * cities, towns and villages * post offices and government sites * one-room schoolhouses, churches and cemeteries * rivers, streams and ferries * industrial sites, furnaces and mills * early homesteads and farms * and much, much more Indiana: http://www.stores.ebay.com/historicatlasseriesbyhar/plistings/list/all/dept2/index.html?dir=1&col=4&sotimedisplay=2&refid=store Illinois: http://www.stores.ebay.com/historicatlasseriesbyhar/plistings/list/all/dept1/index.html?dir=1&col=4&sotimedisplay=2&refid=store The Ohio atlas includes statistical data and sections on: Agriculture, Canals, Climate Map, Climatology, Colleges, County Evolution, Land Grants of Ohio, Geological Map, Geology, History, Schools and Seminaries, Post Offices, Railways, Statistics and Surveys of Ohio. Multiple adjacent county maps are useful for identifying 1868 transportation routes, railroads, canals and early Ohio place names. The 25 city maps in the Atlas are much more detailed with many early government and industrial sites including: a variety of mills, cemeteries, churches, schools, asylums, fair grounds, race tracks, business locations, etc. Ohio: http://www.stores.ebay.com/historicatlasseriesbyhar/plistings/list/all/dept3/index.html?dir=1&col=4&sotimedisplay=2&refid=store The Historic Atlas series is an invaluable aid to Genealogists, Historians and researchers in search of 19th century places. The Adobe Acrobat Reader for MS Windows is needed to view, zoom, pan and print from the PDF map images contained in this atlas; and is included free on each CD. No other software is necessary. Historic Atlas Series http://www.stores.ebay.com/historicatlasseriesbyhar?refid=store

This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Surnames: Reeves Classification: Query Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/Gg.2ADI/348.1.1.1 Message Board Post: In the 1930 census I did find Amiel Reeves. Listed in his household was his wife Grace, and two sons. One of which, Floyd, is my husbands grandfather. You mentioned a Floyd in the 1910 census. Is there a connection. The son Floyd wasn't born yet but I don't know who he was named after. Thanks for giving me a few possible leads.

This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Classification: Query Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/an/Gg.2ADI/348.1.1 Message Board Post: The 1930 census shows Amiel to be 28 i.e. born in 1901 or 2. So best try the 1910 census. As I recall, F. M. had a son the right age in 1910 but his name was listed as Floyd. Possibly the first or middle name but I don't know. Good luck

This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Surnames: Reeves Classification: Query Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/Gg.2ADI/348.1 Message Board Post: Tara, the 1907 Jackson Co. Atlas shows both a Cy Reeves and an F. M. Reeves in sect. 35 of Murphysboro Twsp. Probably one of them was Amiel's father. Try the 1900 census to see. Good luck!

Yes, I will send you information about him. It appears Amiel was born abt 1901-1902. Tom Shawcross ----- Original Message ----- From: <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Sunday, April 11, 2004 11:13 PM Subject: [ILJACKSON] DOES ANYONE KNOW AMIEL REEVES FROM MURPHYSBORO, IL? > This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. > > Surnames: Reeves, Stratton > Classification: Query > > Message Board URL: > > http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/Gg.2ADI/348 > > Message Board Post: > > Amiel Reeves was born in Murphysboro, Jackson, IL. He was born around 1899 give or take a few years. He married Grace Stratton. He died in Collinsville, St. Clair, IL. ANY information would help because I am at a loss. > > > ==== ILJACKSO Mailing List ==== > List Administrator mailto:[email protected] > List Guidelines: http://www.rootsweb.com/~illinois/JacksonCoWelcome.html > > ============================== > Gain access to over two billion names including the new Immigration > Collection with an Ancestry.com free trial. Click to learn more. > http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=4930&sourceid=1237 >

This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Surnames: Stueven, Hollmann Classification: Lookup Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/an/Gg.2ADI/349 Message Board Post: I am trying to determine the parents of Henry Stueven and Anna Hollmann. They were married 06 DEC 1877 in Jackson County. Henry Stueven died in Jackson County 12 AUG 1935. Anna (Hollmann) Stueven died in Jackson County 10 MAR 1912. Names are also seen as Stuven and Hollman. If someone has information, or is able to look up a marriage or death record, I would very much appreciate it. Thank you.

This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Surnames: Reeves, Stratton Classification: Query Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/Gg.2ADI/348 Message Board Post: Amiel Reeves was born in Murphysboro, Jackson, IL. He was born around 1899 give or take a few years. He married Grace Stratton. He died in Collinsville, St. Clair, IL. ANY information would help because I am at a loss.

This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Surnames: Reeves Classification: Query Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/Gg.2ADI/68.1 Message Board Post: I don't know if there is any connection or not but my husband's great- grandfather was named Amiel Reeves and was born in Murphysboro, Jackson, IL. I have found no information on his family. Any clue if there is a connection.

Little Egypt Heritage Articles Stories of Southern Illinois (c) Bill Oliver 11 April 2004 Vol 3 Issue: #15 ISBN: pending Good Evening Ladies and Gentlemen of Little Egypt, The Mayflower sailed from Plymouth, Massachusetts on the fifth of April in 1621, making a return trip to England. And, on that date in 1887, Lord Acton wrote, "Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely". Early in January 2004, with much pomp and ceremony, Queen Elizabeth II of the British Isles pushed a button which launched a "jeroboam" of vintage French Veuve Clicquot against the hull of the new RMS Queen Mary II. Nicknamed the QM2, she is the longest [1,132 feet], widest [135 feet], tallest [236 feet from keel to smoke stacks] ocean liner, and weighs 151,000 tons. This new ship boasts of 10 restaurants, 14 bars, 2000 bathrooms, 3000 telephones and 5000 stairs. Oh wouldn't my granddaughter love to verify that last statistic! She has always counted steps. :) Well, with a three stories high, two level restaurant, I'm quite sure that the price is well out of my reach. The QM1 is resting in Long Beach, California. The QM1 was built under the name of "hull 534". The Cunard-White Star Line intended for the name Victoria to be given the hull 534, following their tradition of naming their ship with ~ia endings. A story is preserved that Cunard asked King George V for permission to name the ship, a required formality, after "England's most illustrious queen", meaning, of course, Queen Victoria. The King was delighted with the suggestion, however, mistook that to mean Her Royal Majesty Queen Mary. The Queen consented to launch the ship named for her and did so on 19 September 1934. The QM1 showed a profit before WWII, so Cunard built a mate to the QM1. They named it the Queen Elizabeth. Though started in 1938 it didn't enter service until 1940. It was 27 September 1938 when Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, accompanied by the Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret, launched her. The Queen had not began her speech and the ship was slipping down toward the water. The quick acting Queen smashed the bottle of champagne across the bow and named her the Queen Elizabeth. Instead of becoming the running mate of the Queen Mary, the Queen Elizabeth was destined to be temporarily outfitted as a troop ship. Sailing on the 3rd of March she arrived in New York four days later, followed a day later by her running mate, the Queen Mary. The Queen Elizabeth was painted gray and later both Queens were nicknamed "Grey Ghost" because no matter what the rumor of their being sunk, they always arrived at their destinations unscathed. Ah, for years this history buff called the two ships "sister ships". Which, in truth, is inaccurate. They were "running" mates. The two liners had great differences. The Queen Mary was of traditional design and had three funnels. The Queen Elizabeth was patterned after the Normandie and had only two funnels. The Queen Elizabeth's decks were clear of the apparatus found on the decks of the Queen Mary. The Queens were outfitted to carry 15,000 troops each. There were only two dining areas and two saloons; these were the only open spaces. Rooms were outfitted with "standee" bunks. These stretcher like canvas pieces slung between poles were arranged as high as six bunks. Sleep was arranged in two shifts with about 8000 sleeping at one time. The Queen Elizabeth was 83,673 tons when built. She was 1,031 feet long and 118 feet wide. Her draft was 38 feet of water. Her reported speed was 28.5 knots. Being reminded of the return to England of the Mayflower, and reading about the QM2 in the luxury travel section of my newspaper, I was reminded of the earlier Queens. In January 1942 the Queen Elizabeth returned American citizens, evacuated from Europe and Bermuda, to the New York Harbor. My sister, Skipper, was not yet four and I was not yet ten. Due to crowded conditions, Mother and Skip were birthed in a room of standee bunks that contained women and I in another containing men. Mom was as "seasick" as anyone I've ever known on this return trip and couldn't keep anything down that she tried to eat. I had to take my sister out on deck for daily exercise. Skip had to wear a leather harness with strap which I was keep a tight grip on at all times. Skip loved to lean out between the steel cable railings to look at the water rushing by. I prevented as much of that type of sightseeing as I could. e-la-di-e-das-di ha-wi nv-wa-do-hi-ya nv-wa-to-hi-ya-da. (May you walk in peace and harmony) Wado, Bill -=- PostScript: Other sites worth visiting: http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/SOIL http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/ILMASSAC http://www.usgennet.org/usa/ne/state/BillsArticles/LittleEgypt/intro.html

Little Egypt Heritage Articles Stories of Southern Illinois (c) Bill Oliver 4 April 2004 Vol 3 Issue: #14 ISBN: pending Good Evening Ladies and Gentlemen of Little Egypt, By the time that this sentence was finished it was "history". This past week contained the first day of April. There were and are plenty of jocularity on April Fool's Day. Yet, many wonderful things have happened on that day. On that date in the year 1816, Jane Austen responded to a letter from the Prince Regent of the British Empire suggesting that she write a romance novel. The famous author of "Sense and Sensibility" said that she couldn't do such a thing to "save" her life. One of the little facts attributed to her was that she wrote on small scraps of paper that could be hidden away quickly if she were interrupted while writing. Some folks are good for their word, even if it is tragic. Sylvania Milton, Governor of Florida during the WBTS. Governor Milton was a capable administrator and supported the Confederacy. Giving in to the stresses of his office, he addressed the legislature and is quoted as saying that "Yankees have developed a character so odious that death would be preferable to reunion with them." The Governor was 57 in 1865, when he put a pistol to his head. On April Fool's Day in 1877, prospector Edward Schieffelin began exploring for silver in southern present-day Arizona. His "buddies" taunted him saying that he would only find his own "tombstone". Well, a year later when he had found the extremely rich silver vein in the area, he named it the "Tombstone Lode". To "tout" his "smarts", he and his partners, after attracting vast amounts of eastern inventments, sold out in 1880-81 and departed for "civilized" localities. By that time the area had grown to more than ten thousand people, became the seat of Cochise County and the site where the Clantons and McLaurys met Doc Holliday and the Earp brothers at the OK Corral. They weren't the only "famous" in the area ... there was also, John Ringo .... William C Brocius .... and, Frank Leslie. Resting on its historic past glory, it has become the town "too tough to die", by catering to tourist attractions. On the Fourth of April in 1841, William Henry Harrison had been President of the United States for thirty one days, when he died of pneumonia at the White House. March 4th, inauguration day, was a bitter cold day. Harrison did not wear either coat or hat, made a two hour speech and attended at least three inaugural balls. Soon he developed pneumonia and the 4th of April became the date that John Tyler became the first individual in US history to reach the office of President through the death of a president. President George W. Bush imitated President Abe Lincoln by visiting his troops on the front line. At the invitation of General-in-Chief Ulysses S Grant, visited Grant's headquarters at City Point, Virginia. Lincoln thoroughly enjoyed his visit with Grant and General William T Sherman. He visited soldiers, and even chopped logs in front of the troops. On this day [4th of April] in 1865, Abraham Lincoln sailed up the James River to Richmond. While ashore, some workmen, recognizing him bowed to him. Lincoln, forever modest, said to them, "... kneel to God only, ...". April 4th, 1884 is the birthdate of Yamamoto Isoroku. He was absolutely correct that aircraft carriers would be very effective in long-range naval attacks. He was also correct in believing that Japan would lose any long drawn-out struggle with the United States. All in not ancient history to some of us. One of my favorite programs during the 1960s was the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. As funny as it was it was also a forum for irreverent political satire, no less than "Doonesbury" today. Their guests included Steve Martin, Sally Struthers, and Nelson Riddle. They were very popular comedians and singers, who spoofed everything from Mom's apple pie to religion, with politics in between. In 1969, on April 4th, the CBS network executives cancelled their show because they failed to submit an episode to them prior to broadcast. This cancellation provoked much comment about "free speech". On April 4th, 1939, Jack Benny, the perpetual "39" year old, was convicted of purchasing smuggled gems. Just a few months earlier, George Burns was convicted and fined for the same offense. Both comedians were given suspended jail-time sentences. Just one more .... In 1843, Yellowstone photographer, William Jackson, was born on April Fourth. These wonderful pictures of what became a National Park were taken in 1866. Can you imagine obtaining such wonderful works under very primitive conditions of that day? No longer would the "public" see these wonderful wonders through the eyes of painters. Here was "reality". e-la-di-e-das-di ha-wi nv-wa-do-hi-ya nv-wa-to-hi-ya-da. (May you walk in peace and harmony) Wado, Bill -=- PostScript: Other sites worth visiting: http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/SOIL http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/ILMASSAC http://www.usgennet.org/usa/ne/state/BillsArticles/LittleEgypt/intro.html

Little Egypt Heritage Articles Stories of Southern Illinois (c) Bill Oliver 28 March 2004 Vol 3 Issue: #13 ISBN: pending Good Evening Ladies and Gentlemen of Little Egypt, Briefly mentioned in last week's article were wedding pranks like the one where the groom arrived in a canoe and after the ceremony, it was discovered that the canoe was missing. The wedding night was spent in a low and small one room cabin with the groom's new in-laws. Well, pranks are well ingrained into our culture. The British for all their "stiff" upperlip and straight- lacedness are well versed in large practical jokes and hoaxes. Even the Great Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was suspected of a part in the Great Pittdown Man Hoax. Charles Dawson, during the period of 1908 and 1915, claimed to have discovered the fossil remains of the "missing" link [between man and ape]. The hoax remained active for a bit more than forty years. In 1953 it was determined by modern testing methods that the bones were but a couple hundred years old. In addition, they were from several different animals, including elephant and hippopotamus. Though Dawson was the prime suspect in the hoax, the list of suspects included Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, Jesuit theologian and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Considered one of the light hearted days of any year, April Fool's Day probably got it's official start over the adoption of the "new" calendar ordered by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582. Ancient cultures, such as the Romans and the Hindus, celebrated the new year on the first of April. The new calendar was to begin the new year on the first of January. Well, not everyone got on this bandwagon right away. In France, particularly, many people either refused to accept the new date or in ignorance of the edict, continued to celebrate New Year's Day on the first of April. These traditionalists were made fun of and the act of sending them on "fool's errands" or tricking them became tradition. At least, so the "story" goes. Since no one really knows how April Fool's Day got started it does seem to be centered about a year's ending or beginning. In Rome there was a festival known as Hilaria, the end of the Celtic new year. This because the celebratiions of the Spring Equinox lasted until the first of April. In the land of my ancestors, Scotland, April Fools Day lasts 48 hours. The second 24 hours is known as Tally Day and pranks involving the posterior are played. The victim of the practical joke is referred to as "hunting the gowk". A gowk is an extinct cuckoo bird. In France, children enjoy taping a picture of a fish on the backsides of their friends and yelling "poisson d'Avril" [fish of April] when it is found. In Spain the Feast of the Holy Innocents [December 28th] is celebrated as their day for practical jokes. April Fool's Day is a "for-fun-for-sure" day. There are no presents or gifts to buy. You don't have to take the family out to dinner. It's not a holiday and no one gets off work [or school]. Just a "holiday" where one must be constantly vigilant that a sign saying "kick me" isn't pinned to your back side or someone tells you that your shoe string is untied when you wear velcro. There is a rule that no one should be harmed ... mentally or physically ... that the best jokes cause everyone to laugh ... including the victum. In 1752, Great Britain accepted the new calendar. At that point, we genealogists could stop figuring "double" dating. Remember the quite famous statement attributed to P T Barnum -- "There's a sucker born every minute"? Well, it was a partner of George Hull -- David Hannum -- who coined it ... Barnum just appropriated it. It all started in 1869 when New York cigar maker, George Hull had a block of gypsum carved into the likeness of a larger than ten foot man and buried it buried in on the farm of William Newell. Hull arranged that it should be discovered by some workmen. The discovery was heralded as a great geological petrified man. This was heralded as proof of the Bible verse from Genesis, "There were giants on the earth in those days...". Hull charged people twenty five cents to view the phenomenon. Hull refused to sell it to P T Barnum so he had a copy made, declaring Hull's to be a phony. Both men finally admitted their hoax, however, Barnum's fake drew more people than Hull's. The Cardiff Giant, as it became known, can be seen in Cooperstown, NY and Barnum's can be viewed in Farmington Hills, Michigan. How about the MicroSoft hoax which began ... "your friends, Bill Gates and Walt Disney ..." Well, if you are not aware of it, stick around, it is bound to come around again. It has several times already and remains one of the most distributed hoaxes on the internet. The clue to this hoax was "Bill Gates and Walt Disney, JR". Have you read or seen the movie "The Education of Little Tree"? The story of a Cherokee orphan brought up by loving grandparents in the American Appalachians in the 1930s. It is written as a memoir. After a million or more copies were sold, a historian discovered that the author, Forrest Carter, was not what he pretended to be in the book. He was an active member of the KKK and was at one time a ghost-writer for George Wallace. The publisher deleted "A true story" from the cover of the book. Probably one of the dramatic hoaxes of the last century was by Orson Welles, who with his Mercury Theatre Company, created mass hysteria on 30 October 1938 with their presentation of H G Wells' "The War of the Worlds". The radio broadcast was in a news-broadcast format. Even Welles was surprised by the total reaction it created. There have been some clever American commercial hoaxes. Like Taco Bell buying the Liberty Bell from the Federal Government and renaming it the Taco Liberty Bell. Or George Plimpton's article in Sports Illustrated, April 1, 1985 titled, "The Curious Case of Sidd Fitch", the man who could throw a baseball so fast that it would knock his catcher three feet backwards. He also was reported to have such "pin-point" accuracy that it would hit the catcher's glove ... a necessity since the throw was so fast that the catcher couldn't see it. Fifteen days later Sports Illustrated admitted it was all a hoax. The sub-heading of the article read: "He's a pitcher, part yogi and part recluse. Impressively liberated from our opulent life-style, Sidd's deciding about yoga -- and his future in baseball." If you take the first letter of each word in the sub-heading, what do you have?? The last five words were not included in the clue, yet they also spell something a bit strange. e-la-di-e-das-di ha-wi nv-wa-do-hi-ya nv-wa-to-hi-ya-da. (May you walk in peace and harmony) Wado, Bill -=- PostScript: Other sites worth visiting: http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/SOIL http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/ILMASSAC http://www.usgennet.org/usa/ne/state/BillsArticles/LittleEgypt/intro.html

This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Surnames: GREGORY Classification: Query Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/an/Gg.2ADI/346 Message Board Post: I am looking for any descendents of John C. Gregory who married Mary Amanda Wallace in Murphysboro, Jackson County, Illinois 16 Dec 1860. They had two daughters, Rachael and Alice Gregory.

Black Swamp Heritage Articles Bill Oliver (c) 21 March 2004 Vol 3 Issue: #12 ISBN: 1542-9474 Good Evening from the Black Swamp of NWoHIo, Marriage in any society joins not only two individuals, but also two immediate and extended families. Our varied rituals and traditions have deep roots. For example, the ancient Romans believed that the fourth finger of the left hand had a direct conncection to a person's heart. This is where our wedding bands are worn. The throwing of rice [now the enviromentally correct bird seed] signals the wish for the couple's fertility. While recently working on my genealogy, it came to me that many of my female ancestors married quite young. The records often made mentioned where the ceremony was held. Occasionally in the home of the groom's parents; occasionally in the home of the officiating person's home or office; but, mostly in the home of the bride. Whenever the chosen day, it was a full one. In the morning the groom and his close friends would begin assembling at the home of his parents. After proper preparations they would leave for the house of the bride. This journy could be made on horseback, by wagon or cart, or even on foot. By any mode, it was always a merry journey, often aided by good Scottish tradition of sharing a jug of liquid refreshments. Since frontier and early settlement weddings were community affairs, the wedding was followed by a "fine supper" and dancing [usually until the break of dawn]. Sometime during the dancing the bride's attendents [or close friends] would "steal" her away. At a specified time later, the groom's friends would ceremonmiously escort him to the wedding "apartment" and place him in bed next to his bride. The color of the wedding dress as white [for purity] is of modern origin. In medieval and renaissance weddings, the dresses were simply a more elaborate version of a bride's best dress and certainly not of any particular color. The dress was transformed by embellishment with jewelry, embroidery, laces, bows, tassels, ribbons, beads, and anything else available and handy. Any color could be used, including black, particularly if the groom was a widower. In Biblical tradition, white symbolized joy, while blue represented purity. Anne of Brittany wore white for her wedding in 1491 and again for her second wedding in 1527. However, it took nearly another century and a half for white to become the predominant color of tradition. The elaborate gown of modern styles was introduced by the Empress Eugenie, wife of Napoleon III in 1853. The words trousseau and wedding armoire came from the French. Trousseau means bundles of linens, clothing. The wedding armoire is more commonly known as the bride's "hope chest. Hope chests were made by fathers and given to their daughters at an early age. During the years following, it would be filled with clothing and items for her new life and home. These have led to our modern tradition of the "bridal shower". The groom not viewing the bride before the wedding is also of recent vintage. Transplanted from Eurocultures, the groom called upon his bride on the wedding day and escorted her to the church or chapel. Sometimes it became a procession, with musicians leading the parade, and friends and guests following behind the wedding party. Also, brought across the "big pond", by Euro-traditions, was the blocking the route of the intended couple, thus symbolizing the solving of obstacles and problems which the couple must now overcome together in their new life. Many wedding pranks are the outgrowth of this tradition. A Chiverie/Shivarie is another form of performing wedding night pranks to interrupt the wedding night. A crowd would gather clanging pots and pans, ringing bells, and sounding horns. The newlyweds were expected to become hosts [in their wedding clothes] and provide treats for their tomentors. During the middle ages, guests brought cakes to the wedding celebration and they would be stacked in a pile as high as possible. The challenge was for the bride and groom to kiss over the cakes without toppling the pile. This was to symbolize their future prosperity. Tossing the bride's bouquet and garter are set in the belief that pieces of her attire would bring good luck to those who received them. In some cultures, the couples to be joined together stood beneath a canopy, or veil, which symbolically became the modern bride's veil. The canopy or veil was to protect the couple from any intended malice. Veils are also used in the baptism of children for the same purpose. In some Slovak/Ukraine cultures women would "unshoe" her betrothed. It was the practice of the bride to remove the boots of her new husband on their wedding night. The groom, to bestow something special on his bride and her mother, would give them "red" boots. This is getting quite lengthly, so just one more from the annals of our southern traditions, sent to me by a cousin: >From the Marion [Illinois] Daily Republican newspaper - October 4, 1920 "A unique wedding custom was once practiced in America. The "run-up" wedding was an innovation to marriages, unknown in any part of the world except in southern Mississippi, but no longer than 23 years ago, it was the way in which most Southern Mississippians of means were married. "Some time before the wedding the groom began to choose from among his best friends those who should ride with him. It was considered a great honor to be thus chosen. Horses were carefully groomed and be-tasseled for the occasion, the long, luxuriant mustaches worn in those days were waxed and twisted and particular attention was paid to every detail of the rider's appearance. On the given date the groom and his riders met at some secluded spot, a mile or two from the bride's home, and at a signal from the groom, dashed away at top speed, hats waving and voices shouting. Around the bride 's house a cordon of outriders were placed to warn of the approach of the groom and his party. A cloud of dust announced their nearness, the outriders went out to meet them, whirling about running with them. On the porch of the bride's home her party strained their eyes to catch the first glimpse of the riders. The sounding of the herald's horn set all hearts fluttering. In a whirl of dust the groom appeared snatching up his bride and riding on ahead a short distance with her in front of him on the saddle, then wheeling back and dismounting for the ceremony, for which the minister stood waiting. Then came the wedding breakfast." e-la-Di-e-das-Di ha-WI nv-wa-do-hi-ya nv-wa-to-hi-ya-da. (May you walk in peace and harmony) Wado, Bill -=- PostScript: Other sites worth visiting: http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/OH-NW-HERITAGE/ http://www.usgennet.org/usa/ne/state/BillsArticles/BlackSwamp/intro.htm 

Little Egypt Heritage Articles Stories of Southern Illinois (c) Bill Oliver 21 March 2004 Vol 3 Issue: #12 ISBN: pending Good Evening Ladies and Gentlemen of Little Egypt, Marriage in any society joins not only two individuals, but also two immediate and extended families. Our varied rituals and traditions have deep roots. For example, the ancient Romans believed that the fourth finger of the left hand had a direct conncection to a person's heart. This is where our wedding bands are worn. The throwing of rice [now the enviromentally correct bird seed] signals the wish for the couple's fertility. While recently working on my genealogy, it came to me that many of my female ancestors married quite young. The records often made mentioned where the ceremony was held. Occasionally in the home of the groom's parents; occasionally in the home of the officiating person's home or office; but, mostly in the home of the bride. Whenever the chosen day, it was a full one. In the morning the groom and his close friends would begin assembling at the home of his parents. After proper preparations they would leave for the house of the bride. This journy could be made on horseback, by wagon or cart, or even on foot. By any mode, it was always a merry journey, often aided by good Scottish tradition of sharing a jug of liquid refreshments. Since frontier and early settlement weddings were community affairs, the wedding was followed by a "fine supper" and dancing [usually until the break of dawn]. Sometime during the dancing the bride's attendents [or close friends] would "steal" her away. At a specified time later, the groom's friends would ceremonmiously escort him to the wedding "apartment" and place him in bed next to his bride. The color of the wedding dress as white [for purity] is of modern origin. In medieval and renaissance weddings, the dresses were simply a more elaborate version of a bride's best dress and certainly not of any particular color. The dress was transformed by embellishment with jewelry, embroidery, laces, bows, tassels, ribbons, beads, and anything else available and handy. Any color could be used, including black, particularly if the groom was a widower. In Biblical tradition, white symbolized joy, while blue represented purity. Anne of Brittany wore white for her wedding in 1491 and again for her second wedding in 1527. However, it took nearly another century and a half for white to become the predominant color of tradition. The elaborate gown of modern styles was introduced by the Empress Eugenie, wife of Napoleon III in 1853. The words trousseau and wedding armoire came from the French. Trousseau means bundles of linens, clothing. The wedding armoire is more commonly known as the bride's "hope chest. Hope chests were made by fathers and given to their daughters at an early age. During the years following, it would be filled with clothing and items for her new life and home. These have led to our modern tradition of the "bridal shower". The groom not viewing the bride before the wedding is also of recent vintage. Transplanted from Eurocultures, the groom called upon his bride on the wedding day and escorted her to the church or chapel. Sometimes it became a procession, with musicians leading the parade, and friends and guests following behind the wedding party. Also, brought across the "big pond", by Euro-traditions, was the blocking the route of the intended couple, thus symbolizing the solving of obstacles and problems which the couple must now overcome together in their new life. Many wedding pranks are the outgrowth of this tradition. A Chiverie/Shivarie is another form of performing wedding night pranks to interrupt the wedding night. A crowd would gather clanging pots and pans, ringing bells, and sounding horns. The newlyweds were expected to become hosts [in their wedding clothes] and provide treats for their tomentors. During the middle ages, guests brought cakes to the wedding celebration and they would be stacked in a pile as high as possible. The challenge was for the bride and groom to kiss over the cakes without toppling the pile. This was to symbolize their future prosperity. Tossing the bride's bouquet and garter are set in the belief that pieces of her attire would bring good luck to those who received them. In some cultures, the couples to be joined together stood beneath a canopy, or veil, which symbolically became the modern bride's veil. The canopy or veil was to protect the couple from any intended malice. Veils are also used in the baptism of children for the same purpose. In some Slovak/Ukraine cultures women would "unshoe" her betrothed. It was the practice of the bride to remove the boots of her new husband on their wedding night. The groom, to bestow something special on his bride and her mother, would give them "red" boots. This is getting quite lengthly, so just one more from the annals of our southern traditions, sent to me by a cousin: >From the Marion [Illinois] Daily Republican newspaper - October 4, 1920 "A unique wedding custom was once practiced in America. The "run-up" wedding was an innovation to marriages, unknown in any part of the world except in southern Mississippi, but no longer than 23 years ago, it was the way in which most Southern Mississippians of means were married. "Some time before the wedding the groom began to choose from among his best friends those who should ride with him. It was considered a great honor to be thus chosen. Horses were carefully groomed and be-tasseled for the occasion, the long, luxuriant mustaches worn in those days were waxed and twisted and particular attention was paid to every detail of the rider's appearance. On the given date the groom and his riders met at some secluded spot, a mile or two from the bride's home, and at a signal from the groom, dashed away at top speed, hats waving and voices shouting. Around the bride 's house a cordon of outriders were placed to warn of the approach of the groom and his party. A cloud of dust announced their nearness, the outriders went out to meet them, whirling about running with them. On the porch of the bride's home her party strained their eyes to catch the first glimpse of the riders. The sounding of the herald's horn set all hearts fluttering. In a whirl of dust the groom appeared snatching up his bride and riding on ahead a short distance with her in front of him on the saddle, then wheeling back and dismounting for the ceremony, for which the minister stood waiting. Then came the wedding breakfast." e-la-di-e-das-di ha-wi nv-wa-do-hi-ya nv-wa-to-hi-ya-da. (May you walk in peace and harmony) Wado, Bill -=- PostScript: Other sites worth visiting: http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/SOIL http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/ILMASSAC http://www.usgennet.org/usa/ne/state/BillsArticles/LittleEgypt/intro.html

ADMINISTRATIVE: If you are having problems accessing this site, I suggest that you contact the web master directly at: [email protected] Hopefully she will be able to assist you. Karima ILJACKSO-L List Adminstration <----- Original Message ----- From: <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Monday, March 15, 2004 8:19 AM Subject: Re: [ILJACKSON] Re: ILJACKSO-D Digest V04 #24 > Try typing in the website instead of clicking on the link. > > --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.624 / Virus Database: 401 - Release Date: 3/15/2004

Try typing in the website instead of clicking on the link.

I am having a difficult time accessing this also, even after typing it in. "forbidden" Carpe Diem God Bless, Elaine ----- Original Message ----- From: <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Monday, March 15, 2004 7:19 AM Subject: Re: [ILJACKSON] Re: ILJACKSO-D Digest V04 #24 > Try typing in the website instead of clicking on the link. > > > ==== ILJACKSO Mailing List ==== > List Administrator mailto:[email protected] > List Guidelines: http://www.rootsweb.com/~illinois/JacksonCoWelcome.html > > ============================== > Gain access to over two billion names including the new Immigration > Collection with an Ancestry.com free trial. Click to learn more. > http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=4930&sourceid=1237 > >

Little Egypt Heritage Articles Stories of Southern Illinois (c) Bill Oliver 14 March 2004 Vol 3 Issue: #11 ISBN: pending Good Evening Ladies and Gentlemen of Little Egypt, A reader of these articles commented on the Woodmen of the World marker article and sent me into a [re]searching frenzy. The question asked was perhaps a common one: "Is DNA testing a good thing?" On the surface it seems just an ordinary simple question which deserved a simple "yes" or "no". However, it is a subject about which I have only a surface knowledge. Three very popular Television shows have exploded the American consciousness about DNA analysis. These are CSI, CSI Miami, and NCIS. All three deal with criminal forensics. However, I suspect the person questioning me was not thinking entirely about this aspect, for I read recently about DNA being matched to a child that was presumed dead in a fire some years ago. This case brings up many facets, but it is not my purpose here to attempt any judgment in this particular case. On a much brighter note concerning DNA testing ... it has proven a valuable tool for attaching both blame and innocence to crimes. Many convicted felons are grateful to be declared innocent of the crime in which they were found guilty. The area which is probably of interest to family researchers and genealogists is the DNA testing of either the Y-Chromosome or the X-Chromosome being promoted by family groups. I am only looking at the DNA in the Y-chromosome within males, which can be complicated enough. This is one of the sex chromosomes and is responsible for maleness. All males have one in each cell and copies are passed down, discounting occasional mutations, unchanged from father to son every generation. Therefore, the Y-chromosome test is solely for males, and can point toward a cousin, brother or other male relative. This was the case when some males were tested for Thomas Jefferson's descendants ... there was no conclusive proof the relationship could not be from some other closely related Jefferson. If one end of the Y-chromosome is pulled it can start to unravel into the familiar double-helix structure of DNA. This is made up of two corkscrew-like structures connected by lots of smaller cross-links. If they are untwisted and flattened onto a flat surface it would resemble a simple ladder-like structure. When DNA is studied, it is only the rungs of the ladder which are looked at, and then only one side of the ladder is written out because rungs compliment each other. So we can rewrite the DNA in a form such as: A G A C G A T C T G T A C C T C T etc. When it is said that the Y-chromosome is passed from father to son, this actually means the sequence of letters remain the same. From this point of getting results to comparing them with others of the same surname, it becomes much more complicated [in my opinion]. There is just not enough room in these short articles to discuss it all. Plus, since we often have no DNA from any of our ancestors, comparing DNAs of two people can answer the question that they are indeed related and have a common ancestor somewhere in the past. This does become useful in comparing research data to trace people and locations to a logical common source. Still, without an actual DNA report of an ancestor, we are still, to some degree, speculating. DNA testing could work for me. For example, my Father's family came from Williamson and Johnson counties, Illinois, arriving there about 1850s. They migrated from Christian county, Kentucky and were known to be there before 1820. It is suspected that they were in the Pendleton District of South Carolina prior to this. There is another Kentucky OLIVER researcher whose family was in Kentucky about the same time in a more western county. His ancestors migrated from Fauquier County, VA (and Maryland before that). I have absolutely no knowledge that our ancestors were related. However, it might assist us both to know that answer. Y-DNA testing would confirm or eliminate the idea of these two families being related. And if OLIVER males in America would do likewise and add their results to an Oliver Y-DNA Surname Project, that would serve the grouping of other Oliver lines in America in the late 1700s. One of the downsides of these projects is the cost of testing. For a twenty-five marker analysis cost a bit more than $150.00. Then there are X-DNA tests available for both males and females. All in all, I can honestly say that I'm pleased for the reality that DNA is not the final answer to genealogical research. I would not want to give up the totally absorbing hobby that allows for accurate research in some of the most fascinating places. To wit: dusty, moldy courthouse basements and attics and cemeteries overgrown with vines and briars. Or, the absorbing logic necessary to piece together [human] jig-saw-puzzles. In short, I like to reconstruct the "meat on the bones", and I meet some of the most wonderful people in the process. e-la-di-e-das-di ha-wi nv-wa-do-hi-ya nv-wa-to-hi-ya-da. (May you walk in peace and harmony) Wado, Bill -=- PostScript: Other sites worth visiting: http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/SOIL http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/ILMASSAC http://www.usgennet.org/usa/ne/state/BillsArticles/LittleEgypt/intro.html

In a message dated 3/14/2004 2:04:57 AM Central Standard Time, [email protected] writes: http://www.iltrails.org/jackson/#WILLS This site tells me I am forbidden to use it. Why?

I tried the link and the link works. May be a problem for AOL. -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Sunday, March 14, 2004 4:19 PM To: [email protected] Subject: [ILJACKSON] Re: ILJACKSO-D Digest V04 #24 In a message dated 3/14/2004 2:04:57 AM Central Standard Time, [email protected] writes: http://www.iltrails.org/jackson/#WILLS This site tells me I am forbidden to use it. Why? ==== ILJACKSO Mailing List ==== If you don't know where or when, in Illinois, an event in your ancestor's life might have occurred, you might be able to find a clue in how to search for this information at the Illinois GenWeb Project's - Unknown IL Counties Web Site at http://www.rootsweb.com/~ilunknow/ ============================== Gain access to over two billion names including the new Immigration Collection with an Ancestry.com free trial. Click to learn more. http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=4930&sourceid=1237