And...

Patsy posted about the repubs new agenda.  Bobby Jindal said this last week, 'we need to stop being the stupid party.'

Saturday, January 26, 2013

Game Camera Pictures.

I put the camera out last Sunday.  For several days, we got only leaves blowing in the wind. Then, finally, we got some really wild game.

Friday, January 25, 2013

I went picked up the kids today for the weekend.  The neighbor girl is staying the night with Hannah, so they are having a big time playing house.

I have a recipe for hand cream from Joylin at work.  She has given me this cream twice and I really like it.  I use it on my dry feet.

8 oz jar Vitamin E Cream [bought at Dollar General for $1 a jar]
4.5 oz. petroleum jelly
9 oz body lotion [she uses pink baby lotion]
2 oz triple antibiotic ointment

I did not add the antibiotic ointment because I do not think it is good to use something like that all the time in a lotion.

The ingredients.  On the right is the Vitamin E cream.

Whip them in your new Kitchen Aid mixer.  I whipped the mixture about 5 minutes, or maybe a little less.

This stuff really works on dry skin and it feels so good.

I see the moon, the moon sees me.

Thursday, January 24, 2013, Mama's birthday

She would have been 93.

May 16, 1937, a fateful day for Mama's children.  My Mama was a kind, generous woman.  She was not hateful and mean like her daughter that resides along the red dirt road.

I got my Mrs. O book from the library.  When I get it read, I am taking  it to Patsy.  

Betty wrote that the white Shields man had been identified as the father of Dolphas Shields by DNA tests.  I know that, but, a descendant of Parnell would have had to  have been tested to prove that Parnell was a grandson of Dolphas. I have found the identity of one of Dolphas's descendants that was tested and she is descended from a daughter and had no idea that she even had relatives in Chicago, let along Presidential relatives.

After I read the book, maybe I will have answers, but what I suspect, from what I have read online about the book, I think I will just have more questions.  The line is supposed to go from Dolphas to son Robert to grandson Parnell. 

I wish you all clear skies and sunshine tomorrow.  We are supposed to get ice tonight.

Wednesday, January 23

Patsy said she did not find much when searching for The O's mother-in-law.  I don't know if she was serious or not because I felt I found a lot of information when I searched.  There is even a book written about her ancestors, 'American Tapestry' just published last year.  I remember reading about some of this when the O was elected the first time and being somewhat skeptical of the claims.  But, after looking at some of the online data and Ancestry.com census records, I think the only claim that cannot be supported is the actual identity of the white man that fathered the slave girl’s children.

In 1940 Marian Shields, The O's mother-in-law is listed on the Chicago census with her father Purnell Shields, her mother Rebecca, Aunt Robbie Shields, and Grandmother Anna Coleman.  Purnell Shields father was Robert Lee Shields of Birmingham, Alabama.  Robert Lee Shields married Anna Lawson (or maybe Laws) in 1906 in Alabama. 

They are living in this house in Chicago, according to this online article.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/megan-smolenyak-smolenyak/michelle-obama-genealogy_b_1427151.html

 in this house.

If I remember correctly, Purnell Shields appears on one census records with Robert and Annie Shields in Alabama.  Robert Lee Shields is a son of Dolphus Theodore Shields.   Dolphus Shields was born a slave in Bartow County, County Georgia around 1859.  He can be found on the 1870 Bartow County census living with his mother Melvina Shields.  Melvina’s race is listed as Black and Dolphus is listed as Mulatto. I think this is all pretty much clear from the census and marriage records.  What is not so clear is the father of Dolphus and Melvina’s other children.  The author of the Tapestry book claims Charles Shields a white man listed on the 1870 census as head of the household next to Melvina is the father of her children. While this may be likely, it does not seem to be proven from the records I found.  Prior to 1865, Charles Shields was Melvina’s owner.

Dolphus Shields and the mother of Robert Lee Shields were divorced and Dolphus went on to marry twice more.  Whereas Mrs. O’s Shields family migrated to Chicago after 1920, Dolphus stayed in Alabama.  He lived until 1950 and became a well known Baptist Minister locally.   This is his Alabama family pictured below.

Melvina Shields, the former slave girl, can be found on the 1900 through 1930 census in Bartow County, Georgia with her son Henry Shields.  By 1930, she was calling herself Mattie McGurder, but I found no record of a Mr. McGurder.  She died in 1938 and is buried in the Kingston City Cemetery in Bartow County.  What I did not find in my search, was a photo of Malvina ‘Mattie’ Shields McGurder. She lived until 1938, and was with family all those years.  Surely there is a photo of her somewhere. If I were numbered among her  descendants, a photo of Melvina would be what I would be searching for now.

Looking at all this made me want to read the book.  My library is getting it for me and I am going to read it.  Now that I have searched a little deeper, I have some doubts about Robert Shields being the proven son of Dolphus and Parnell being the proven grandson of Dolphus even if he is a son of Robert.  Maybe the book will clear this up, but as I read more and more about this I got the feeling that it was one of  genealogies based on many unproven assumptions.  More to follow.

Tuesday, Jaunary 22, 2013

George went to his Terherst cousins today and borrowed this.

One little black billy is not happy about this inturder.

Monday, January 21, 2013

This day of history....

On seeing this photo today, my first thoughts were not of the half Kenyan / Half Kansan in the front of the parade, but of the woman bringing up the rear. I really cannot comprehend how any US citizen on seeing this photo would not be amazingly proud of how far our country has traveled.  This lady, who counts slaves and slave owners in her ancestry, is a year older than Sister Patsy.  She can be found on the 1940 census as a 2 year old resident of Chicago in the household of her Aunt, with her parents, siblings, her grandmother and step-grandfather.  Would she or anyone who knew her or even knew of her for the next 60 years ever imagine her being in this place, at this time, in this photo?

Sunday, January 20

Today is nice with lots of sunshine, but it is supposed to be really cold tomorrow, so enjoy today.

The little black nanny is in heat.  Maybe the little billy will be a daddy yet.  I don't think he is tall enough to breed the big nannies, but this little black nanny is not much taller than he is.  We will see next May.

I took the game camera down and put it on a tree by where the deer jump the fence into our pasture from Dan's.  If I remembered to turn it on, maybe we will get some good pictures.

I walked on down to the creek. Here are some of the pics.