-----Original Message----- From: ronnief <ronnief@bellsouth.net> To: James Neill <neillliberal@onlinemac.com> Date: Friday, August 10, 2001 1:28 AM Subject: Re: [TNSUMNER] Apology >Jim, > Let me tell you about one e-mail I received. Evidently, it was from an >elderly widow. She said that I brought back some memories about her husband and >his father. She said that her husband would tell her funny stories about his >father's outhouse and she thanked me for making her remember those stories and >making her laugh about them. That was worth a lot to me that she thanked me for >making her laugh. > I'm like you. Genealogy has to be more than a name with a date of birth and >a date of death. Those old stories start giving those names a life, whether >they were watching for the peddler or pulling pranks with the outhouse. I found >a diary on another site that was written by a housewife in the late 1800's. She >writes about making quilts, setting hens, who she visited, who was sick and what >neighbors died. Through her diary, I was able to breathe a little life into my >own ancestors. > Thanks for starting a lot of fun on the Sumner County list. >Ronnie > > >
I for one vote love the peddler and outhouse stories.. and yes I am old enough to remember both.. I think that they are a big part of our heritage. And have no problem with them on any list.. but perhaps they would be more appropriate on the GenHumor list.. which is GenHumor-L@rootsweb.com As far as I am concerned they are fine right here.. but this would be another option.. and that site does have some delightful stories... On a more personal note.. my father died when I was a wee baby.. I did not have the opportunity to meet him and recall him.. I grew up with my older siblings and mother telling me stories of my dad, what a wonderful dad and man he was... but it took his playmate telling me about their early days in school and trapping skunks and skinning them on their way to school, to make my dad a person, so I feel that the old stories do help us recall a way of life that some of us and most of our children and grandchildren can not imagine.. Becky