Greetings Bill, I did so enjoy your article. My mother, from "Little Egypt" married my dad in 1924 and came north to North Central Wisconsin. Leaving her Scot-Irish family she was transplanted into a German one. She loved to tell stories. One I remember well, was about "Old Man Johns." He passed away and was laid out, at home, in the parlor. As the wake moved into high gear with the passing of the jug, one of the mourners asked for a "chaw". At that moment the dearly departed, sat up in his coffin and said "on the mantel piece." With that comment he got out of his casket and went to his rocking chair. Mama said he lived several years after that. She also said that she is surprised that nobody got "stomped" to death that night, as all the mourners hit the screen door at the same time. Thanks for the memories. Cheers, Carol > (c) Bill Oliver > > 29 June 2003 > Vol 2 Issue: #25 > ISBN: pending > > Good Evening Ladies and Gentlemen of Little Egypt, > > Storytelling usually begins with "Once upon a time ..." or > "A long time ago ..." These traditional openings signals a > suspension of "time and space". However, these openings or > beginnings bring to mind "fairy tales". The storytellers of > history, of families, of peoples are a bit different. The > stories that they tell may be folktales; debatable as > literary; yet they are openings through which we have new > ways to perceive our world and theirs. > > One age of ancestral kin aids another age of ancestral kin. > An example; the barbed wire used to fence property in the > Great Plains of Nebraska was invented in the state of > Illinois. Two different ancestral kin from two eras were > involved. One in creating and the other is utilizing. > > Any writer appreciates feedback - letters from readers. > They tell us things; they give us ideas. This week a couple > of comments from readers centered once again on > story-telling ... one of my favorite topics! We are the > storytellers ... we are the chosen!! We are the ones in a > family -- and there is always one -- who breath life into > what has gone on before us. We are the ones who flesh out > the bones!! Those bones that are bones of our bones. We > are the storytellers of the clan or tribe ... the family. > > Last week I had the great pleasure of interviewing Paul > Fellows, a local historian in Massac [Mass-sack] County, > Illinois. The object was to become familiar - get a feeling > - of Massac County where an ancestor had property. When > material is written for this ancestral family it must evoke > a picture to bring them alive again and keep them alive > every time words about them are read. Those words must > somehow say that those ancestors know and approve of what is > said about them. > > As the storytellers, when we find these ancestors, we find > ourselves. We can stand at their graves and we can feel how > they have contributed to what we are now ... today. What > they accomplished ... how they helped make and keep us a > Nation. With great loving care we scratch their existence > into the fabric of history ... because, they are us and we > are them. > > Part of my ancestry is Celtic, and one of my family surnames > is Son of Mahan [McMahan] or, also known as, Malachi. > Well, Malachi had a brother, Brian or Briain, who was the > twelfth son of Kennedy of Thomond. The brothers were great > heros of their people against the Danes. Malachi was the > more gentle and noble of the two; Briain the more athletic > and forceful. When Malachi was killed by treachery, which > oft happens to the less energetic, Briain became king. My > Grandfather, was sensitive and gentle. So gentle, that my > Dad and his brother, would oft tell that Grandpa would cry > harder then they did when Grandma would force him to take > them to the "woodshed". > > However, Briain has his greatness. He is credited with > having originated surnames. He brought the clans together, > under one king, for the only time in Irish history. He lost > his life against the Norsemen at the Battle of Clontarf, > though his warriors won the day. He was eighty-nine. Quite > an energetic person. In lore, it is said that "Briain was > the last man of Erin who was the match of a hundred men." > > That story has an implied fact in it which leads to > mythology. Due to the variation of Malachi being a form of > Mahan/Mahon, the implication was made that Malachi was one > of my ancestors. Genealogy is said to be proven family > history, while mythology is not. Well, the mythology in > family history often turns out to be as factual as the > written documents we use. Take for example the information > in census reports, or the dates on tombstones. Haven't we > all copied down a death date from a tombstone and used it as > absolute? Careful investigations will sometimes show that > just because it is written in stone doesn't make it so. > > Another myth or story that has been passed down through > several generations is that x-great grandpa married a HARPER > who was [part] Cherokee. To reinforce the story as proof it > is said that "she knocked the red hair our of us Irish for > three generations. Dad and one of his sisters were Irish > "reds". There is lots of evidence that there were marriages > within the family that involved members of the "five > nations", but so far the proof of my line eludes. > > There is a statement on many of my websites: "Undocumented > Genealogy equals Mythology". As true as this is, one must > remember that mythology was made from fact. Mythology > serves me good purpose in that it has always led me to find > genealogy. Thus, do not disregard mythology as worthless > ... it isn't ... but, it does tend to open my "inquiring > eyes" in hopes of finding real proof. > > Wado, > > > Bill > -=- > > 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 > > > > > > ==== ILJOHNSO Mailing List ==== > Visit the Official Johnson Co IL ILGenWeb Site! > http://www.rootsweb.com/~iljohnso/ >