Native American or just American?

As I was growing up I was always told that we were part Indian (in today's politically correct world that would be Native American), I took this information passed down from great grandparents to grandparents to my parents and then to me to be true and indisputable. Three of my Great Great Grandmothers were supposed to be  full blood and someone on another branch as well.

Fast forward to August 2010 when I started my family research and decided to track down these Indians and find their Indian names.  

Shock of all shocks, I cannot find one ancestor with a non-Christian name.  Well heck, what happened ? where are my Indians? who are they? 

Fortunately one of my cousins, on my dads' side, had tracked down an ancestor, Elija "Elihu" Debord, with a Roll Number.  Never heard of a roll number? ("During the Indian Removal beginning in 1831 extensive records were generated through the turn of the century...http://www.accessgenealogy.com/native/rolls.htm )   I had heard of roll numbers but I did not know how important they were, and truthfully I always figured my Indian ancestors had hid from any "Government" men and therefore would not have been on any rolls. Okay now that she had found an ancestor with a roll number all she has to do is apply to the Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma  to be admitted to the tribe, right? Wrong. Our ancestor never made the Trail of Tears, as far as our research indicates he never lived on a reservation either. Okay, fair enough, he lived free but he was still a Cherokee.  My cousin did more research over several years contacting tribes and historians finally finding a small group of Cherokee Indians in Kentucky who had never left Kentucky and that is the small poor tribe we are members of. Cool so we get admitted right? 

Hold your horses, just because you CLAIM this Indian on the rolls is your ancestor doesn't make it so. Now you must PROVE your lineage to said person. 

WHAT???  These hill people, farmers, independent people probably didn't leave any proof behind , how to prove?   Thankfully my cousin did finally get census records with names of the parents and children until she came to our Great Grandmother who actually had a birth certificate.  Of course by now we are into modern times and our grandparents and parents do have birth certificates we can use for proof.  Cannot thank my cousin enough for proving our lineage. 

But hey , what about the other three Indian ancestors?

Truthfully I am still searching, connecting with people who are also descended from the same "Indian" on my tree.  One of the first things I will ask a new found cousin is "Have you ever been told you were Indian on this line?" Some people will say "Absolutely NOT! Not a drop of Indian blood"  others will say "Yes I was told I am 1/4 Cherokee but the ancestors didn't want anyone to know they were Indian so they never applied for "Headrights" "
Eliza or Elizabeth Arnett told my grandpa that she was a Cherokee Indian but did not register because her husband was an outlaw.

 Great great grandmother, Dafayette "Dave" Kimbal-Kimble-Kimbrel (not sure how either of her names were spelled) some family members think she was Cherokee others Choctaw,  was disowned when she married my white great great grandfather, okay fair enough , she married white and lived white. 

 My great great grandfather, Albert Pitts,  expressed that if he applied for Indian rights he would never be free again, once again , fair enough , except.. what the heck tribe were you?  I know this branch used to live in a covered wagon and would spend about 2 months every year living on an "Osage" reservation , but were they Osage? Am I? 

My quest continues and I invite you to ride along. 

Genealogy or Addicted to the Past

About 18 months ago I joined Ancestry.com and my addiction was instant.
I thought I knew who my ancestors were and where they were from; England, Ireland, Germany and Native Americans- Cherokee, Choctaw and Osage, however my research would prove that most of what I knew was inaccurate.

First I assumed (and you know what assumed means) that my ancestors knew how to spell their names, umm NO!, that they knew their birthdays, again NO! and that they would be truthful about what country they came from- another big NO!

I have connected with a bunch of new relatives and discovered that my hubby's sister-in-law is actually a cousin to me. Whoo hooo. A whole bunch of family right here in the town I live in.

I am currently researching the following families: Holman from Oklahoma; Pitts from Tennessee, Missouri and Oklahoma; Arnett from Missouri and Oklahoma; Little from Missouri; Hathorn-Hawthorn-Hawthorne from Alabama, Arkansas and Oklahoma; Woods from Arkansas; Couch from Arkansas; Goodwin from Arkansas, Texas and Oklahoma; Williams from Arkansas and Oklahoma; Debord from Kentucky; Minton from Kentucky; Stice from Kentucky; Baggs from Arkansas just to name a few.
What a task, the spellings of names change from census record to death. Ages change; my ancestors claimed to be older in order to get married or work. As the years progressed they would start saying they were younger - can't blame them, but makes research more difficult.

Anyway this is an introduction to my journey into genealogy, I will be posting stories of my ancestors soon.

Concerts I have Attended

I love music and just wanted to list all the performers I have seen in concert, enjoy

Country and Western

George Strait
Ricky Van Shelton
Merle Haggard
Buck Owens
Dwight Yoakam
Conway Twitty
Barbara Mandrell
John Conlee
The Judds
Charlie Pride
Neil McCoy
Ray Price
Ronnie Milsap
Pam Tillis
Rita Coolidge
Anne Murray
Tracy Byrd
Billy Ray Cirus
Oak Ridge Boys
Statler Brothers
Marty Stuart
Johnny Paycheck
Mickey Gilley
Gatlin Brothers
Clint Black
Patty Loveless
---------------------
Rock

Earth Wind and Fire
Donna Summer
Mac Davis
Weird Al
Aerosmith
Journey
Ted Nugent
Foreigner
KISS
Paramore
Collective Soul
Pearl Jam
CCR
Paul Revere and the Raiders
Barry Manilow
Wayne Newton
David Cassidy
Harry Connick JR
Santana
The Platters
Billy Ocean
Iron Butterfly
Ben Harper
--------------

If you attended a concert with me and I missed a group or performers name please let me know.

The Abyss of Discouragement.

Just after my 51st birthday, a friend posted a picture of me on Facebook. I was SHOCKED!! When did I get so fat? Wasn't I wearing last years winter clothes?

This prompted me to begin a fitness lifestyle. Not some celebrities program, not Jenny Craig or Nutri-system, just walking and watching calories. The more I walked and cut calories the more discouraged I became at how slowly I was losing weight but being a rather hard-headed, stubborn individual I persevered.

Three months into my new lifestyle I am now walking 5 times a week, hula hooping, floor exercises and some very light weight-lifting. I feel much better, sleep through the nights and have lost some inches, not an entire pants size but enough for me to see a difference.

And still everyday I fight the urge to fall into the abyss of discouragement.

I Lie to Myself

I lie to myself.
I can eat this donut, cookie, piece of cake, second helping.
I lie to myself.
I don't have to lose weight just yet.
I lie to myself.
I will start my diet tomorrow.
I lie to myself.
I look good for my age.
I lie to myself.

In Search of..

I was given a book for my birthday titled "Banned for Life" by D.R. Haney. The story is about a former punk rocker, his life, his music and his quest to find a former punk rocker who changed his life.

While reading the book I found myself contemplating how important music has been in my life. Each stage of my life can be described by the genre of music I was listening to at the time.

A distant faded memory began to take shape , my dad had an aunt who was a professional musician, Opaline (Little Judy) Bacon who died while on tour in Canada in 1966. Opaline was a mystery to me, I was so young when she passed away I have no memory of ever meeting her but I have strong memories of her picture proudly displayed in my parents home, of a record of hers being in the "special" cabinet. Instantly I "googled" Opaline Bacon and was thrilled to find four links attached to her name. Of course I clicked each link, discovered a duet she preformed with Wayne Kemp , a recording with her brother in laws band Shorty Bacon and his Rhythm Rascals ,I believe she is playing the piano . In a blog article referencing Opaline playing in several clubs in Southern California. The article claimed her brothers were also in bands, which triggered more memories. My grandmother, Opaline's older sister, telling me that all of her siblings were musically talented, her siblings sang, played the piano and or the guitar, but alas my Grandmother did not. Memories of black and white photos of Great Aunts and Great Uncles playing the guitar, or sitting at a piano. Memories of seeing my older 2nd cousin's name on sheet music as the "arranger" when I was in high school.


In Search of Opaline Bacon I found a connection with an ancestor, one I have no personal memory of but who influenced my childhood with her legacy of music. A connection with my Grandmothers family and their talents. A connection with the past that lives in me and my children.

No Filters

People frequently ask me "Why don't you work?" and my answer is "I don't have any filters"

What does it mean to not have filters? It means saying exactly what I am thinking without editing first, without considering the consequences, it means apologizing, embarrassment and sometimes laughter.

One example of something I said at work, when I did work.
Several co-workers and I were chatting when I said "You know the difference between women and men?" nervous silence "Women know they can have any man they want ....... for 20 minutes."
Male co-worker "What you doing the other 15?" 2nd co-worker "Smoking a cigarette."
Entire room erupts in laughter.

As funny as this was, and believe me we all had tears running down our faces from laughing, it was inappropriate and if I had even the tiniest of filters I would have kept my mouth shut.

So this is why I do not work, I have NO FILTERS.