burrrrr

Yesterday the weather channel said it was 18 degrees. My theometer said 20 degrees. There was frost everywhere. After the sun came out, we had birds all over the yard. And by afternoon, it had warmed up enough that it did not feel too bad.



This is a picture taken from the end of our place, the corner next to the road where Daddy had his garden. You can see how much George has cleaned it up. It did have dozer piles filling almost the whole holler. If you click and enlarge it, you can see George's yellow salt block he put out for the deer in the foreground. He say a bunch of deer yesterday, but only one on this side of the road. He is always seeing them down in the pasture, and when I look I can't see anything. At least not until he tells me exactly where to look. We enjoy watching them.

Not Quite M-T

Well, the back room was M-T (just say it). We painted it, all the walls and the closet doors. George and Greg put down the plywood for the floor. It is not quite M-T now. It has a bed on the floor and the TV because the kids slept there for 2 nights. It looks so much better now. Hannah says it is so pretty.

I have got to get the bed painted and put up. Then, I am going to spray paint my different shelves black and put them in there. I think it will look good. It already looks much better then it did. Painting the ceiling a solid off-white really improved the room and painting the dark paneling helped also. the ceiling had wood strips between the panels. It looks so much better all white.

But it is no longer MT. But it is almost MT.

Robert's Story

Has anything exciting happened in your life today?

Yesterday, I took the pretty red headed baby shopping because Wednesday is her third birthday. It was a great success. First, I asked do we want to shop for clothes or toys? TOYS!!!!!! No clothes for the red head.

But, first we had to go to 'Donalds and eat. She is really easy. Once we had eaten, she said, 'We go home now?' But, we did not, we went to Target and looked at toys. She picked out a little barbie doll thingy with two little 3 inch dolls and a bunch of tiny bangles that I know would be lost within 5 minutes of opening the package. So, I steered her to a BIG little peoples doll house. It opens up and has several pieces of little furniture that is attached and can not become separated from the house and lost under the bed. It has a door bell and a phone bell and the two love playing with it together. Then, she wanted one of those tea sets that come with 45 pieces. More things to scatter all over the house. I steered her towards a talking tea pot that teaches something. I did not even look to see what. Maybe shapes or counting. It had only a teapot with an attached lid, two cups, one plate and 3 pieces of plastic food for the plate. We got that and she loves it also.

Then, we went to Walmart and got something for brother. She is a true little sister. She really wanted to get Robert a car. She says, 'Robert likes cars.' But, I decided on a tool set with a battery operated screw driver, bolts and a plastic board to screw them into. Oh, yes, and a carrying tool caddy that is just right for him to carry. He likes to put things in things and carry them around. They both love the screw driver.

All and all it was a wonderful shopping trip, Hannah was very pleased with big bags of toys. When her Mama got home she was so excited to tell her 'Look Mommy, I got lots of toys.'

They are all here, including Mommy and Daddy. We are going to work on the back room today. Last evening, Robert and Papa got in the truck and drove off. No one knew where they went. When Robert gets back he runs in and tells his Mama. Crash! Got stuck, push button. Crash! I could not understand all the words, but it was obvious he was telling a story. His Mama interpreted the story for us. When Papa came in, we asked him what happened. They took a salt block down in the pasture for the deer. They got stuck. He pushed the 4x4 button and they got unstuck. They got in the back of the truck and pushed the salt block out. Crash!.

So, the big even of my life is Robert told a story.

M-T

back room ready for plywood subfloor, paint and new window screen.

Today is the day that we may finally really start on my plan to renovate the house. We have already bought plywood to start the floor in the back bedroom. Before we do anything else, we have to put in the new 'subfloor' in the back bedroom, take out the wall between the computer room and the living room, take out the kitchen cabinets, and put new subfloor in the computer room and the kitchen. We will have no more computer room. Just one big living room, kitchen area.

George has moved everything out of the back room. We are going to home depot today to get a small sander and paint. Paint for the walls and ceiling in the back room and paint for Aunt Effie's bed I got yesterday at Betty's. It has peeling paint, so I think I will use my bed with Betty's rails, but I am going to sand down Aunt Effie's bed and paint it for Jackie. Betty gave me an extra set of metal bed rails that are for a different type of bed, but Greg the welder can fix them so they fit this bed. Jackie says she wants silver for the bed. I do not agree. I may get both silver and black paint. I think black would look much better on the bed. Her bedroom walls are white, white, white. As in Not Off white but real White.

I am going to start painting the back bedroom. We are going to paint the ceiling also. I hate painting and I am not a very good or careful painter so the back, hidden room is a good place to start. I have thought about other colors, but I think we will just go with off-white for walls and ceiling. I am afraid that I will regret other colors, even very light colors, and I am sure I will be satisfied with off white. I will add color in things that are easily changed without M-T ing the room and painting the whole thing again.

And, Helen, when I get my new kitchen, I may get a mixer like yours for the counter just to make bread. I love making and eating yeast bread and it is one of the easiest impressive things to bake. I keep my flour n the freezer to keep out bugs, but, I try to remember to take it out of the freezer the day before making bread so it will be warm flour, if I can remember to get it out. Sometimes, I warm the bag of flour in the microwave. Remember Mama's big 5 gallon flour tin, and the lard bucket? Remember Mama buying lard in those green and white boxes? Do they still sell lard in boxes?

To Erin The Complainer, Shew Yourselves to be a Free Woman

To the INHABITANTS of the Province of North-Carolina.

Dear Brethren,

Nothing is more common than for Persons who look upon themselves to be injured than to resent and complain. These are sounded aloud, and plain in Proportion to the Apprehension of it. Our Fearfulness too, frequently augment our real as well as apparent Dangers. Let us adjust our Complaints or Resentments to the Reality as well as the Nature of the Injury received.

Excess in any Matter breeds Contempt; whereas strict Propriety obtains the Suffrage of every Class. The Oppression of inferior Individuals must only demand Tutelage of Superiors; and in civil Matters our Cries should reach the authorative Ear, when the Weight that crusheth from the higher Powers. ————But when imposed by the Populace, to the Populace our Complaints must extend.———— When therefore the Cry of any City, Province or Nation is general, it must be generally directed to the Source from whence the Cry is caused.

The late Commotions and crying Dissatisfactions among the common People of this Province, is not unknown nor unfelt by any thinking Person.————No Person among you could be at a Loss to find out the true Cause.————I dare venture to assert you all advised to the Application of the Public Money;————these you saw misapplied to the enriching of Individuals, or at least embezzled in some way without defraying the publick Expenses. Have not your Purses been pillaged by the exorbitant and unlawful Fees taken by Officers, Clerks, &c.————I need not mention the intolerable expensive Method of Recovery by Law, occasioned by the narrow Limits of the inferior Court’s Jurisdiction.———Have you not been grieved to find the Power of our County Courts so curtailed, that scarce the Shadow u/ Power is left./ This Body, however respectable, is intrusted with little more than might pertain to the Jurisdiction of a single Magistrate, or at least two or three Justices of the Peace in Conjunction.——In Consequence of this, very small Sums drags us to Superior Courts.———These must be attended with all our Evidences, altho many- at the Distance of 150 Miles. Add to this a double Fee to all Officers; hence we are made feelingly sensible, that our necessary Expenses, with the additional Costs, are equal, if not surpass the original Sum.

For what End was the. Jurisdiction of the Courts reduced to such narrow Limits'? Is it not to fill the Superior Houses with Business? Why has the Authority fallen upon this wonderful Expedient? Is it not evident, that this was calculated for the Emolument of Lawyers, Clerks, &c. What other Reason can be assigned for this amazing Scheme?————none Brethren, none!

Has not the Charges of Government been unnecessarily raised, to the great Encrease of the Publick Tax? Has not the Publick Money been intrusted in Hands of insufficient Persons, without sufficient Securities, or due Care taken in accounting for, and recovering the same? Has not this often reduced us to the disagreeable Necessity of contributing or paying by Tax the Sum once raised— but through Carelessness or Neglect, or something worse, uselessly consumed? To what doth this tend? is not the Issue manifestly the Impoverishment of the Country?—fatal Consequences.

The Exorbitant, not to say unlawful Fees, required and assumed by Officers,————the unnecessary, not to say destructive Abridgement of a Court’s Jurisdiction,—the enormous Encrease of the provincial Tax unnecessary; these are Evils of which no Person can be insensible, and which T doubt not has been lamented by each of you. It must have obliged you to examine from what Quarter Relief might be found against these sad Calamities————In vain will you search for a Remedy until you find out the Disease.

Many are accusing the Legislative Body as the Source of all those woeful Calamities.——— These, it must be confessed, are the instrumental Cause; they can, yea do impose some of these heavy Burdens. ————But whence received they- this Power? Is not their Power delegated from the Populace? The original principal Cause is our own blind stupid Conduct.

If it be queried, How doth our Conduct contribute to this? Answer presents itself——'We have chosen Persons to represent us to make Laws, &c. whose former Conduct and Circumstance might have given us the highest Reason to expect they would sacrifice the true Interest of their Country to Avarice, or Ambition, or both.

I need not inform you, that a Majority of our Assembly is composed of Lawyers, Clerks, and others in Connection with them, while by our own Voice we have excluded the Planter.————Is it not evident their own private Interest is, designed in the whole Train of our Laws?————We have not the least Reason to expect the Good of the Farmer, and consequently of the Community, will be consulted, by those who hang on Favour, or depend on the Intricacies of the Laws. —What can be expected from those who have ever discovered a Want of good Principles, and whose highest Study is the Promotion of their Wealth; and with whom the Interest of the Publick, when it comes in Competition with their private Advantages, is suffered to sink?—nothing less than the Ruin of the Publick.————Have we not hitherto, in a great Degree, chosen such Men as have been described? Nay, have they not been such as are dependant in their Fortunes, with great Expectations from others, or enjoy Places of Benefit and Trust in the Government? Doth not Reason declare we might expect such cringing Vassals would readily sacrifice the Interest of the Community to the Idol Self? ————Are not such Persons utterly disqualified for supporting our Rights and Properties?——— Is it not high Time to seek an Antidote against such deadly Poison, before it utterly destroys us?

But you will say, what is the Remedy against this malignant Disease?

I will venture to prescribe a sovereign one if duly applied; that is, as you have now a fit Opportunity, choose for your Representatives or Burgesses such Men as have given you the strongest Reason to believe they are truly honest: Such as are disinterested, publick spirited, who will not allow their private Advantage once to stand in Competition with the public Good.

You grant the Prescription is sovereign: But how shall you obtain such? I answer: Let your Judgment be formed on their past Conduct; let them be such as have been unblamable in Life, independent in their Fortunes, without Expectations from others; let them be such as enjoy no Places of Benefit under the Government; such as do not depend upon Favour for their Living, nor do derive Profit or Advantage from the intricate Perplexity of the Law. In short, let them be Men whose private Interest neither doth nor can clash with the Interest or special Good of their Country.

Are you not sensible, Brethren that we have too long groaned in Secret under the Weight of these crushing Mischiefs? How long will ye in this servile Manner subject yourselves to Slavery? Now shew yourselves to be Freemen, and for once assert your Liberty and maintain your Rights————This, this Election let us exert our-selves, and show, that we will not through Fear, Favour or Affection, bow and subject ourselves to those who, under the Mask of Friendship, have long drawn Calamities upon us.

Should we now through Fear or Favour act as we have done, contrary to Duty and Interest; so far as we do this, we contribute to all the Mischief consequent upon it.———Where then is that moving Principle Self-preservation? Will you, can you, voluntarily submit yourselves to Ignominy and Want? These will agrandize themselves and swim in Opulence.

Have they not monopolized your Properties; and what is wanting but Time to draw from you the last Farthing? Who that has the Spirit of a Man could endure this"? Who that has the least Spark of Love to his Country or to himself would bear the Delusion?

In a special Manner then, let us, at this Election, rouse all our Powers to act like free publick spirited Men, knowing that he that betrays the Cause now betrays his Country, and must sink in the general Ruin.

And as the Inhabitants of Rowan could get no Indictments preferred against their Officers in Salisbury District, they had sent to us, and J— H—r went to their assistance; and by the Letter following you my form some Idea how Matters were carried on, viz.

Salisbury, September, 14, 1769.

Source: Herman Husband, An Impartial Relation of the First and Causes of the Recent Differences in Public Affairs Etc ([Newbern? N.C., 1770), 64–68.

Wanta Bes, Relatively Speaking

My hobby is finding dead relatives. I often get requests to help others find dead relatives. Often times, I am asked to find a fictional character in their family. They want to be related to some famous or infamous person from the past or want to prove their relative was a Cherokee Indian. Why is it always a Cherokee? Why does no one wanta be a Navaho or Apache or Iroquois? Often times, if I find a real ancestor for them, they want to shape the real ancestor to fit their fictional ideal relative. I can never understand why someone would want to hang on to a fictional relative so desperately that they would deny their real relatives.

I have found some almost relatives in Mama’s family that are almost famous, or famous for almost reasons. Mama’s grandmother was Phebe Ann Cox, and the Cox family were Quakers. The Quaker religion mandated that its members married only other Quakers, could not participate in violence, and could not participate in government. And, they kept better records, relatively speaking, than other Early American religions. This has made it possible to trace this branch of Mama’s family back to the 1600’s, father back than any of our other ancestral lines.

The first almost relative is Herman Husband, brother-in-law and step son-in-law of Isaac Cox. Isaac was Phebe Ann’s great-great-grandfather. Herman Husband married first Mary Cox, Isaac’s half sister, second Amy Allen, Isaac’s step daughter, and third Mary Pugh. You see, when a religion mandates you marry only within your religion, in early times, the pool of possible partners was very small. You can google Herman Husband and find out more about his life, because he was a major figure in early American history. His is a very interesting story. He was a leader and spokesman for the North Carolina Regulators prior to the American Revolution. He was a Quaker, but his alliance with the Regulators and other activities brought about his exile from their Church.

Herman Husband was an extremely wealthy land owner who was elected to the North Carolina legislature, and yet he was a radical sympathizer with poor farmers that made up the ranks of the Regulators. The Regulators were protesting against corrupt officials in their local government by refusing to pay taxes long before the famous Boston Indian tax incident. He wrote extensively on the subject of self government. If you read his “Shew Yourselves to be Freemen", except for the old world grammar, you could be reading about our own times. He says “In vain will you search for a Remedy until you find out the Disease.” After being elected to represent his neighbors, he famously arrived at the first legislative session, threw down a bag of hard money and said here are your taxes. We refuse to pay corrupt government officials. Herman’s story is overflowing with many wonderful patriotic quotes.
When the Regulators got into a gun battle with Governor Tyron, Herman Husband fled instead staying and getting killed or captured as did many of his neighbors. Herman Husband fled back to Somerset County, Pennsylvania from whence he came, hiding out on land owned by his friend and relative, Isaac Cox. Being a famous fugitive necessitated a change of name for Mr. Husband. He choose the name Tuescape Death, to escape death. Isaac Cox later sold this parcel of land to Herman Husband.

In spite of being in fear for his life, as evidenced by his name, Tuscape Death did not avoid the limelight in Pennsylvania. He remained an active participate in local government, still raging against unjust taxes. His vocal participation in the Whisky Rebellion resulted in his being arrested and marched to Philadelphia in chains in 1794. Although he was released from prison in 1795, at the advanced age of 70 plus years, he did not withstand the imprisonment well and died soon after his release. He received a pardon signed by George Washington in July, 1795, a few months after his death.

Herman was almost a relative, and he was and is a famous participant in early American history, but now for the wanta be part. When I first started searching the net for Herman Husband, I found stories about a declaration of independence that pre-dates THE Declaration of Independence. You can google the Mecklenburg Declaration and find what may or may not have been the first declaration of independence that is noted on the Great Seal of the State of North Carolina. Weather this document is fact or mostly fiction, Herman Husband is still an almost relative to be proud of.
And, this is not the only wanta be in this particular family tree. Mary Pugh, no relative of ours as far as I know and the third wife of Herman Husband, had a brother name James Pugh. James Pugh famously took part in the North Carolina Regulators Battle of Alamance with his brother-in-law, Herman Husband killing many government troops with his excellent marksmanship. Unlike Herman, James Pugh, did not slip away and avoid punishment. He was arrested and sentenced to death by hanging. On June 19, 1771, James was escorted to the gallows where he was asked if he had any last words. The story goes that James Pugh had so much to say that, after 30 minutes of railing against injustice, he was silenced. His famously said: "The blood that we have shed will be as good seed sown in good ground, which soon will reap a hundred fold." Or did he?

Although this is the story that is repeated again and again by many of his descendants, other researchers have found that James was mentioned in his father’s will of 1794 as if he were still living and had a will of his own dated 1810 naming his wife Jane and his two known children. Odd that a man that went to the gallows in 1771 would have a will dated 1810. Either these two stories are of two different James Pugh’s, or, one of the stories is in error. The gallows quote feels like a wanta be ancestor story, but James is only an almost relative, so I am going to let him lay wherever his descendants wish him to lie.