Highly favorable word about Megan Smolenyack reaches me from one of the experts in MoSGA. Bob Doerr in the beautiful Missouri Ozarks ----- Original Message ----- From: "JAMES O BRASHER" <jims505@msn.com> To: <mo-stlouis-metro@rootsweb.com> Sent: Sunday, December 10, 2006 10:55 PM Subject: Re: [MO-STLOUIS-METRO] Brick Wall > Thankee Kindly Gary. > > If you notice, I gave credit to a pro genealogist from Haddonville, New Jersey. By any chance have you ever run into Megan Smolenyack up there? She's a great gal, pretty smart too. For her article I think she gives me too much credit. I'll be condensing that story for Bob down in the "Beautiful Missouri Ozarks" a little later.----Jim > ----- Original Message ----- > From: G STOLTMAN<mailto:stopan@msn.com> > To: mo-stlouis-metro@rootsweb.com<mailto:mo-stlouis-metro@rootsweb.com> > Sent: Sunday, December 10, 2006 8:35 PM > Subject: Re: [MO-STLOUIS-METRO] Brick Wall > > > Hi James: > > Congratulations. Great story. - finally an ending and it's a happy one. Always enjoy your prose. > > Gary > ----- Original Message ----- > From: Barbara Byrd<mailto:barbjbyrd@yahoo.com<mailto:barbjbyrd@yahoo.com>> > To: mo-stlouis-metro@rootsweb.com<mailto:mo-stlouis-metro@rootsweb.com<mailto:mo -stlouis-metro@rootsweb.com%3Cmailto:mo-stlouis-metro@rootsweb.com>> > Sent: Saturday, December 09, 2006 6:39 AM > Subject: Re: [MO-STLOUIS-METRO] Brick Wall > > > James, Thank you for making my day! Barbara Byrd > --- JAMES O BRASHER <jims505@msn.com<mailto:jims505@msn.com<mailto:jims505@msn.com%3Cmailto:jims 505@msn.com>>> wrote: > > > The Brick Wall > > > > > > > > By now, everyone who has been doing work in the > > genealogy field, for even a week, knows for certain > > that it is a contrary, confusing and very > > frustrating field loaded with brick walls, hidden > > bodies, informational land mines and most of all, > > reluctant relatives who just won't talk about Uncle > > Otis who shot the post master over there in, > > "Wandering Holler, Missouri." And finally to drive > > you once and for all time, battier than a bed bug, > > you find you can not find that cousin you are > > absolutely certain is still alive but has moved out > > of Wandering Holler, Missouri to bigger and better > > things. > > > > > > > > Then add to all the above problems the problem that > > you may be searching for a Smith, Brown, Jones or > > Garcia and you have a problem that will drive you > > over the brick wall you are trying to climb for > > truth and enlightenment, just in time to kick the > > dog, beat the kids and comfortably set your own hair > > on fire when you are in a more relaxed mood, only to > > discover there is nothing on the other side of that > > brick wall but broken bottles, rusty tin cans, > > discarded mattresses and, maybe, a few homeless > > Hobos roasting weenies over an open fire. > > > > > > > > "BUT," sometimes on the other side of that brick > > wall you find a huge pile of Christmas gifts gaily > > wrapped in pretty wrapping paper, hams in cans, fine > > wines in beautiful bottles and your favorite wife > > all spruced up and standing there holding your > > favorite pair of lounging slippers ready to slip > > them on your worn out feet. > > > > > > > > Of course it wasn't Josephine on the other side of > > my brick wall; she thinks my lounging slippers are > > ugly, where I think they're beautiful. Thinking > > back, I don't remember seeing any hams or fine wines > > or gifts either. But something like this happened > > last week right when I was feeling pretty low about > > happenings in my family that are still driving me up > > the wall but not over. > > > > > > > > Most of you old timers to the list might remember > > about two or three years ago I was searching for my > > great grandfather, Septimus (something) Brown. The > > (something) turned out to be (nothing) he didn't > > have a middle name. What Septimus did have was a job > > with the Missouri Pacific Railroad and that gave me > > a reference point to find that his father came to > > this country in 1865 from England and settled in > > Silver Mines, Missouri. This lead sent me to Carter > > County to find that Septimus married there and had a > > daughter in 1899 and that her mother died during > > child birth. That daughter was my grandmother, Betty > > Mae Brown who bore my father, Ralph Waldo Brasher > > Jr. I soon discovered that after my great > > grandmother's death in 1899 Septimus moved from > > Ellsinore to Poplar Bluff and every thing ended > > there. > > > > > > > > Like the intrepid hunter I like to believe I am, I > > drove to Poplar Bluff to search for my Brown family > > only to discover my leads were as cold as a mother > > in law's kiss. I couldn't find anyone. The only > > thing I can brag about on that trip is the very nice > > people I met and interviewed down in Southeast > > Missouri. That was fun. > > > > > > > > I searched all over that town for any living Brown I > > could find and everyone I met had never heard of a > > Septimus Brown. I left Poplar Bluff knowing I would > > never find any of my living Brown cousins and came > > home. > > > > > > > > Oh well, 2006 has not been a good year for me and so > > I have not been doing any research on my genealogy > > lines. > > > > > > > > Last week I was sitting at home angrily watching TV > > when I got a phone call from Haddonfield, New Jersey > > from a professional genealogist named Megan who told > > me she worked for the department of the Army. She > > wanted to know what my relationship to Septimus > > Brown was. > > > > > > > > What the heck is this? Septimus was never in the > > Army or any other service. He was even too old to > > serve in WW-1 and wasn't born during the civil war, > > he was born in 1876. I thought, "Maybe he was a spy > > during World War Two and they needed some > > information about his spying activities behind enemy > > lines." But that couldn't be either; Septimus was > > working for the railroad during the 1940s. He had > > come out of retirement after retiring in 1941 to go > > back to work in 1942 because the younger men were at > > war and the railroad was an integral part of > > America's war effort and had to be made to operate > > no matter what. Old Septimus didn't retire, finally, > > until 1953 when a stroke got him at Tower Grove > > station in St Louis and still he was kicking until > > the grim reaper came and got him in 1966 in Poplar > > Bluff. > > > > > > > > After talking for awhile I asked Megan what her > > interest was in Septimus, my great grandfather. She > > began by telling me there had been a car accident in > > New Mexico and there was a bunch of photo albums in > > that wrecked car. "OH MY GOSH," My great > > grandfather, Septimus Brown, had just been killed in > > a car accident in New Mexico. > > > > > > > > But wait a minute, Septimus had died in 1966 this > > was 2006, how could that be?.... It wasn't. > > > > > > > > The story unfolded as Megan continued to talk. > > > > > > > > It seems that one of Septimus granddaughters moved > > from Poplar Bluff to Houston, Texas after her > > husband went to work there some years ago. She had a > > daughter who married there and later moved to Denver > > with her family. After moving to Denver and > > divorcing there, she remarried Samuel. Samuel and > > Angie, who was Septimus great granddaughter, moved > > to Albuquerque while I was back in Poplar Bluff, Van > > Buren and Ellsinore, searching for any Brown family > > members and I had no idea all this was going on. > > > > > > > > Mean while, it appears, there was some sort of > > problem with some type of riotous spirits and Sam > > and Angie divorced in Albuquerque in 2005 after > > which Angie promptly moved back to Houston with her > > family to her mama and daddy's abode, where she > > lives today. It is my belief that poor Sam was > > consoling himself with those same riotous spirits > > when he wrecked his Legacy SUV and left all that > > paper work and those picture albums in his wrecked > > car in a junk yard in Albuquerque where he now > > lives. > > > > > > > > Megan continues: A lady whose husband works in that > > junk yard spied a loose picture and thought it > > looked like one of his family members and took the > > picture home and gave it to his wife who got in > > touch with Megan in New Jersey. > > > > > > > > Megan thought: "What a great story this would make > > for Ancestry Dot Com's magazine. I think I will > > investigate and write the story." And so she has; it > > will appear in a future copy. She sent me a copy of > > what she submitted this week and I'm waiting too. > > > > > > > > Megan asked if I would be willing to go to the junk > > yard and get as much paper work and pictures as they > > would give me. "Sure," I said and off I went. The > > treasure was there and I ended up with it all. I > > made many copies of pictures and now have filled in > > a huge gap of the Brown branch of my family tree. I > > have also talked to one of Septimus daughters who is > > still alive and a granddaughter. The granddaughter > > is 55, the daughter is 71. > > > > > > > > There are two of Septimus daughters alive today in > > Poplar Bluff, one living in a nursing home with > > Alzheimer's and one who is married and remembers me > > from the only time we ever met in 1950 when both of > > us were fifteen years old, even as I remember her. > > The irony is that my grand Aunt is almost one year > > younger than me. That tickles me because Septimus > > was not just a pretty face, he was a lusty old devil > > too. He would have been 59 years old when his > > youngest daughter was born in 1935. Actually, Billie > > is five months younger than me, she was born in > > November, I was born in June. > > > > > > > > For some reason this Christmas doesn't look so bleak > > anymore, in fact I may go out and replace all my > > fishing gear then take a hobo home for lunch. > > > > ------------------------------- > > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email > > to MO-STLOUIS-METRO-request@rootsweb.com<mailto:MO-STLOUIS-METRO-request@rootsw eb.com<mailto:MO-STLOUIS-METRO-request@rootsweb.com%3Cmailto:MO-STLOUIS-METR O-request@rootsweb.com>> with the > > word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject > > and the body of the message > > > > > > > ____________________________________________________________________________ ________ > Have a burning question? > Go to www.Answers.yahoo.com<http://www.answers.yahoo.com/<http://www.answers.yahoo .com%3chttp//www.answers.yahoo.com/>> and get answers from real people who know. > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to MO-STLOUIS-METRO-request@rootsweb.com<mailto:MO-STLOUIS-METRO-request@rootsw eb.com<mailto:MO-STLOUIS-METRO-request@rootsweb.com%3Cmailto:MO-STLOUIS-METR O-request@rootsweb.com>> with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to MO-STLOUIS-METRO-request@rootsweb.com<mailto:MO-STLOUIS-METRO-request@rootsw eb.com> with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to MO-STLOUIS-METRO-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message > >