Mike, That is one of things that makes this "monster" that we do so much fun. The stories that we find out. I do not care whose family you are from, there is always one of those uncles. aunts, or what have you that no one talks about or does so in whispers. Or the wedding date and birth date are a little to close, well were they people to? I have a story in My family of a g-g-great aunt after her husband died "being of sound mind and body" took care of her 5 boys. She ran a house of ill repute on the Ohio river. That to Me is nothing to be ashamed of, she did what she had to do to raise those boys. What I think is funny is seeing the faces of the straight laced family memebers when I talk of it out loud for God and everyone to hear. Come on folks get a sense of humor. Jerry Edwards ----- Original Message ----- From: "Genie" <genielists@yahoo.com> To: <WVHAMPSH-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Tuesday, January 06, 2004 12:09 AM Subject: Re: [WVHAMPSH-L] Not always "Illegitimate" > Just so you know, there waa a time past when > ministers were so rare in some parts of the > country, that families allowed "marriages" to > occur without benefit of ceremony until the next > circuit riding preacher came around to make it > "legal" - sometimes not until the next spring or > summer. I suspect that more than a few of these > marriages occurred in the hills of what is now WV > and more than a few children were probably born > "early" relative to the official marriage date. > > A second point - an ancestor of mine, the last of > 4 children, weighed only a couple of lbs. when > he was born, presumably quite early. He was so > small that his father could hold him in the palm > of his hand, with just his feet dangling off. He > was not expected to live, but his grandmother > kept him in a little box on the open door of the > wood stove oven and, with his mother's milk, > nourished him to health, almost willing him to > live. So don't automatically assume that all > those 6- or 7-mo. babies were conceived "behind > the woodshed" - they may have just been lucky > preemies! Lucky for us, too, if they were our > direct ancestors! > > --- Michael Foreman <vforeman@shentel.net> > wrote: > > A great posting Tootsie. > > > > I have never understood why some think we are > > going to be held accountable > > for the "sins" and errors of our ancestors. > > And if those same people > > believe our "sins" and errors will cause our > > ancestors to be cast from > > paradise? Gonna be a mighty empty space if > > these two beliefs are true. > > > > When I first began my search, one elderly aunt > > said to me, "You'd better > > leave well enough alone. You might find > > something we ought not to know." > > > > It was not too long into the search I think I > > stumbled on what she meant. > > Back a few generations, there was a marriage in > > May with the first child > > arriving in November. The chances of a baby > > that premature surving in the > > remote area where they lived and at that time > > were slim. > > > > Should I have altered the marriage date and the > > birth date? Did that fact > > change my opinion of them as good and decent > > people whose very existence and > > marriage resulted in my being here? No, it did > > not and only causes me to > > repeat as I learn the truth about all, "I am > > here because they were here. > > And if they sinned, 'there but for rhe grace of > > God, go I.' " > > > __________________________________ > Do you Yahoo!? > Yahoo! Hotjobs: Enter the "Signing Bonus" Sweepstakes > http://hotjobs.sweepstakes.yahoo.com/signingbonus > >