I follow the scent of falling rainAnd head for the place where it is darkest
I follow the lightning
And draw near to the place where it strikes.
--Navajo Chant
As you can probably tell, I have been in an "Old West" idiom lately.
After I saw the movie There Will Be Blood, and started imagining
the life of my ancestors in Albuquerque, I've been spellbound by the
American West. Not too long ago, there was an excellent biography
about Kit Carson on PBS's American Experience. Of course, after
watching the program, I had to "Wiki" him to read more. I was
surprised to read that Carson was the friend of a trapper, who had
the surname, was from the same time period and area in old Missouri
(Missour-ah for all you natives out there) that my husband's ancestors
are from. So I checked out the book Blood and Thunder, by Hampton
Sides from our library for further reading. I was expecting a dry,
historical account and thought I might pick some tidbits from the
index. And was I pleasantly surprised!! I couldn't put it down. Sides
is a fabulous writer, who dramatically and vividly swept me back into
the magnificent American West. He also includes a very extensive
section of footnotes and bibliography. I highly recommend this
extraordinary book, especially if you are in any way interested in
American history or the Old West. It truly fit the bill for my thirst for
this particular time period. And I am excited to say, that I did get a
few genealogical leads to further my research on WT's mysterious and
evasive Scotch Irish ancestors!
***unidentified photo from extended family collection
I can see some family resemblances to his family! Maybe the mystery will be solved some day!
ReplyDeleteThis was a very interesting post. I love the photo.
ReplyDeleteCookie
Thanks for your comment Willow and Happy Easter to you too.. I do love this photo, and the one of your great grandparents down the page too.. Good luck, in your research :)
ReplyDeleteRima x
Yes, researching your family history is utterly riveting - the things one discovers.......a really interesting post.
ReplyDeletere: the moon
yes, I was pleased the way it came out with my rather low-functioning camera!
What a wonderful project you've taken on. I look forward to reading more of your discoveries. If I could have one superpower, it would be to time travel. And a large part of my time-travelling would be discovering my ancestors. :)
ReplyDeleteWouldn't that be amazing to go back in time and meet our forefathers (and mothers)? I have often imagined what it might be like.
ReplyDeleteOld family photos are always fascinating....don't you find yourself looking for familiar facial features? I like how the woman in this picture has fixed her hair. And maybe I am imagining it, but I detect a resemblance to your profile photo?
ReplyDeleteSara
Sara, all the other old photos on my blog are from my family, this one came from my husband's extended family. We think it might be his gg grandfather and his first wife, but have no proof. Yes, don't you love her hair...and her beaded necklace, with one strand over her shoulder? I wonder if that was trendy in the 1850's?
ReplyDelete