CollectIn Texas Gal

Famous Blog's Fourth Birthday

2012-05-26T09:34:00.000-05:00

How Sweet The Sound's Pink Saturday

Pink is a Sensational Color ~ Here's to PINK...

Brighter pinks are youthful, fun, and excitng, while vibrant pinks have the same high energy as red...

they are sensual and passionate without being too aggressive.

First Lady Mamie Eisenhower, who loved and wore pink so much it became known as "Mamie Pink".

Pastries taste better when they come out of pink boxes or served on pink plates.

The Pink Ribbon is an internationally recognized symbol of hope and awareness in the fight against breast cancer.

In 1947, fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli introduced the color SHOCKING PINK to western fashion.

Popular Pink Phrases

Tickled Pink...to be happy~~In the Pink...good health-good fortune

Pinkie Finger...smallest finger on the hand~~Pink Slip...so long JOB.

Pink is the color of happiness!!!

Pink encourages Friendliness and Good Will!!!

Pink Saturday is ALL this and MORE!!!

And That's the Truth, Ya'll !!!!

As Always...Thanks Beverly for making Saturday's Pink!!!

Pink Saturday's Fourth Birthday Party

How Sweet The Sound

FotoFriday ~ Blooming Cactus ~ OoooOuch!!!

2012-05-25T07:26:00.000-05:00

Just Look...Don't Touch

A is for APRON Sewing and Collecting

2012-05-24T09:51:00.003-05:00

Grandma's Apron

I don't think our kids know what an apron is.

The principal use of Grandma's apron was to protect the dress underneath, because she only had a few,

it was easier to wash aprons than dresses and they used less material, but along with that,

it served as a potholder for removing hot pans from the oven.

It was wonderful for drying children's tears,

and on occasion was even used for cleaning out dirty ears.

From the chicken coop, the apron was used for carrying eggs, fussy chicks,

and sometimes half-hatched eggs to be finished in the warming oven.

When company came, those aprons were ideal hiding places for shy kids.

And when the weather was cold grandma wrapped it around her arms.

Those big old aprons wiped many a perspiring brow, bent over the hot wood stove.

Chips and kindling wood were brought into the kitchen in that apron.

From the garden, it carried all sorts of vegetables.

After the peas had been shelled, it carried out the hulls.

In the fall, the apron was used to bring in apples that had fallen from the trees

When unexpected company drove up the road, it was surprising

how much furniture that old apron could dust in a matter of seconds.

When dinner was ready, Grandma walked out onto the porch, waved her apron,

and the men-folk knew it was time to come in from the fields to dinner.

It will be a long time before someone invents something that will replace that

'old time apron' that served so many purposes.

Grandma used to set her hot baked apple pies on the window sill to cool.

Her granddaughters set theirs on the window sill to thaw.

They would go crazy now trying to figure out how many germs were on that apron.

I never caught anything from an apron....But LOVE.

(Author Unknown)

Linking To

Jenny Matlocks Alphabe-Thursday

Round Five

Letter A

Vintage Thingie Thursday

Frames~Friends and Fickle Time

2012-05-23T08:47:00.001-05:00

Which is better...two...click...or three?

Three!

...click...click...and now, three or four?

Three!

Now what's the smallest row of letters that you can read?

OMG...the last row... i c a n s e e

Your distance vision has improved.

That's good news...how can that be...I thought the older you get ... yada yada yada!

Your CATARACTS are thickening.

My WHAT?

Walking out of TSO (Texas State Optical) the first thing I said was, "Mama, look how big my shoes are." Right after that I nearly fell flat on my face stepping off the curb....it suddenly was two feet higher and my shoe laces looked like ropes.

Holy Cow, everything was gigantic and I felt like heaving!

"Sue, take off the glasses and put them in the case. You only need them for reading," Mama said as she pulled away from the fat curb.

But, mama, I want to wear them all the time. My friends do.

Really? Cataracts? Are you sure?

The older you get....yada yada yada!

Tombstone Tuesday~Mordecia M. Pittman

2012-05-22T07:45:00.000-05:00

Mordecia Monroe Pittman

Born October 15, 1828 in Jackson County, Georgia

Fifth child of Pleasant Owen and Susannah Benton Pittman

Brother of Archibald Benton, Noah Taylor, Pleasant Cicero, Pricilla Lucinda,

Teresa Elizabeth, Susannah Morina, Martha American, Timothy Thaddeus

Ann Cassandra and Letitia Gracie Pittman

Husband of Mary Jane Boggs

Married February 6, 1853

Mordecia and Mary had thirteen children.

Their farm was located between Commerce and Brockton Roads in Jackson, County, Georgia.

Mary Jane Boggs Pittman

April 6, 1836 ~ October 5, 1905

Lieutenant Mordecia M. Pittman

Enlisted Confederacy May 13, 1862

Company E 34th Infantry Regiment of Georgia

Surrendered at Greensboro, N.C. April 26, 1865

Jackson County Attorney and County Court Judge 1875-1877

Died on May 3, 1896 at age 67

Cause of Death...Horse and Buggy Accident

On his way home from the Jackson County Court House, Mordecia M. Pittman was fatally injured when his horse was frightened by an umbrella falling from the buggy. The funeral was held at the First Methodist Church of Jefferson, Georgia where the Pittman's were members. Mordecia and Mary are buried in the Woodbine Cemetery, Jefferson, Georgia.

Pittman Family Tree Relationship of Mordecia M. Pittman

2nd Cousin 4xRemoved

Photo Acknowledgement

Confederate Headstone by D.Bagwell-Sept. 16, 2010-Find A Grave Memorial

Click HERE for More

Family Tree Stories/Posts

Forever Number Fourteen~BackInTheDay Monday

2012-05-21T06:51:00.001-05:00

Coach said, "Line up, Varsity Girls. Seniors first, Juniors, Sophomore's and then Freshmen. Get the same number you had last year. Try everything on to be sure it fits, and don't leave any of the uniforms in the locker room. Be sure and tell me your number...and remember...it's forever.

Last in line, only Freshman, and last to get a uniform. At least I could see over everyone's heads at what was left on the rack. There's some advantage to being the tallest on the team, but that's not much consolation when you're a freshman and all your Basketball Uniform dreams are about to come true.

Just think, Sue, it all started way back in the seventh grade when you signed up for basketball because Mama played in school, everybody else was playing, and Coach Moore said, "You are in Athletics. See you on the court".

By the end of the eighth grade, I was hooked on basketball, still growing longer legs, and realizing that eighth grade boys were forever going to be short.

Such a nincompoop! Silly eighth grader with a tall girl complex. Who needs boys you can dribble circles around, out play, out shoot and out score every single, short one of them!

Boy Howdy, was I ever glad to get to high school. Tall guys...well at least taller, and several taller than me, and to my surprise, some of the eighth grade guys had grown over the summer. So, here I am standing in line thinking about all that silly eighth grade stuff and remembering my parents words of wisdom. "Sue, always do your best, practice like you play, listen to your coach, stand up straight and never LET ANYONE beat you."

Finally, my turn. Slim pickins. Oh, how I've looked forward to the red shiny satin shorts..."Coach, can I take these up?" From his office next to the uniform closet he replies, "What's your Number?"

"I'm Fourteen"

"Yes, I know your age...What's your Number?"

"Forever Fourteen"

1961-1962...It was a Memorable Year!

Click HERE for more

Back In The Day

May I...Be Away In May? Yes, You May!

2012-05-01T08:36:00.000-05:00

While I'm away for awhile this lovely month of May,

please make yourself at home to roam/browse through the Archives and Pages

of CollectInTexas Gal and Tracks of My Texas Ancestors.

A collection of Posts about My Texas Ancestors...The AtoZ April Challenge

{click on photo}

Olivia's Secret...Proverbs 31

A new Journal Entry from Emma at The Texas Boarding House

While I'm away this lovely Month of May....I'll return your visits and comments via email.

The worlds favorite season is the spring.

All things seem possible in May.

Edwin Way Teal

ZippityDoDa...There's Z's In My Family Tree

2012-04-30T07:14:00.000-05:00

A to Z Family Tree...The Letter 'Z'

Her name was not Zinnia, although I'm willing to bet she wished it was at times. Zilpha was the seventh child of John and Mary Polly Rowe Pittman, my 5X Great Grandparents. Of their twelve children, daughter number seven appears to be the only child given a really uncommon name. Their other children had relatively simple and traditional names like Martha, Grace, Timothy, and Lucy...so how and why Zilpha? As I looked down the list, I noticed several of their children had names found in the Bible like John, Sarah, and Mary. I had never heard of a Zilpha in the Bible, but I gave it a 'Google' and ~~BINGO~~...~~EUREKA~~...ZILPHA!!!

Zilpha was the handmaid of Leah and the concubine of Jacob. Her sons Gad and Asher were the founders of two of the twelve tribes of Israel. It is Hebrew in origin and means dropping or sprinkling. Now I know that John and Mary were not of Hebrew descent, and perhaps they could not come up with another girls name so to the Bible they went. We've all done it, ya know....the closed eyes and stab a finger to a verse and the first name that pops up is the one. Can you imagine their hesitation? I'm sure I would have said, "Once more...for heavens sake".

Zilpha was born January 16, 1762 in Amelia, Virginia. She was a young girl during the American Revolution. Her father and brothers were soldiers and Virginia Patriots. Zilpha was with her mother when the Tories raided their home and threw Mary Polly off the porch leaving her with a broken hip and a cripple for the rest of her life.

When Zilpha married in 1782 at twenty years of age, I imagine she had thoughts of at least getting a new last name with a different letter of the alphabet other than 'P'. But, no....it was not to be...she married Simon Peacock. Her initials remained the same...ZIP.

Zilpha and Simon had fifteen children. Two of them had names that started with Z...Zadock and Zilpha.
Bible Naming history repeated!!! Bless their hearts!

Zachariah Andrew Marley, the brother of my Great Grandmother Martha Jane Marley Carroll, was named after a long line of Zachariah Leatherwoods...his Mother's Family name. The first Zachariah Leatherwood was my 6X Great Grandfather born on November 5, 1735. Zack the First did not give the 'Z' name to any of his thirteen children, but his son George Holland, my 5X Great Grandfather honored his father by naming my 4X Great Grandfather Zachariah Perry born in 1807 in the state of South Carolina.

Zachariah Andrew Marley was the first Texas born Zachariah. My Great Great Uncle Zachariah was six years younger than his sister, Martha Jane, my Great Grandmother, having been born on December 15, 1883. He is pictured above with his bride, Mollie Ideliah Jacobs on their wedding day May 4, 1909.

And although, they don't look overjoyed as newly weds, things must have worked out okay as 2XGreat Uncle Zachariah and Mollie had seven children..two girls and five boys. None of them were given the 'Z' name. So ends 277 years of Zachariahs in the Pittman-Carroll-Marley-Leatherwood Family Tree...or so I thought until recently.

Zachariah Andrew Marley was 'Googled' by someone other than me. So thanks to the Letter 'Z', I have a NEW COUSIN to add to my Family Tree. Texas Zack's Grandson found Me through my posts about The Pittman-Carroll-Marley-Leatherwood Family Tree on CollectInTexas Gal~Tracks of My Texas Ancestors. He and I are First Cousins 3x removed, and from what I gather, there is the possiblity that 2XGreat Uncle Zack will not be the last of the Zachariahs born in Texas.

Always regard with esteem the name you were given with praise and renown that it should endure.

To View All AtoZ Posts....click on Apple.

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X and Y...It's All About Genes and Skirts!

2012-04-28T17:19:00.000-05:00

A to Z Family Tree...The Letters X and Y

Perhaps nothing is more of a determination of one's Ancestorial Branching of the Family Tree as the Letters X and Y. Before the Science of Genetics and the XY Chromosomal discovery, ancient scholars believed that the sex of an infant was a matter of male and female insemination.

Whew...I was dreading this 'Birds and Bee's explanation of my Family Tree's ~~Genes~~ Jeans and Skirts, and I only had to use the 'S' word once. It's pretty well know that the 'S' word was not used in the explanation of the 'Birds and Bees' during the times of my ancestors and that X and Y were known primarly as Letters of the Alphabet. The Letter X was more versatile in that it could mark a spot or serve as a signature.

The X's and Y's of my Great Great Marley Grandparents resulted in eight boys and five girls with all living to adulthood except for a set of infant boy and girl twins and a one year old boy. I doubt if they ever heard of the X and Y Chromosome Theories and were more than happy to have each and every one of their children...regardless of whether they wore pants or skirts.

Oh wait....the pants or skirts thing!!!! It's not always the way to tell!!! Here is the oldest daughter of the above mentioned Great Great Marley Grandparents and my Direct Descendent Martha Jane Marley Carroll with her husband...my Great Grandfather Stephen Bennett Carroll and their three children. When first this photo was found in Martha Jane's Photo Album their identities were not known, and I tagged it "couple and three daughters".

This photo, also in the Album, had written on the back "sons and daughters of MJ Carroll". So, let's do some 'Photo Detective" work and compare the above photo with this one.

*First...look at the background. The photos were taken in the same studio.

*Now look at the faces of the two boys in pants here and the two girls in skirts standing beside their father. Same eyes, same faces.

*I'm looking at Stephen B. and Martha Jane's June 14, 1900 Census Record now...hope you are still with me...it says:

Stephen (27) and Jannie (23) Carroll, married 3 years, Othella (2) daughter and Merritt (1) son.

Well, that explains ONE of the skirts and makes the above photo a strong maybe as being Stephen, Martha Jane, Merritt and my Grandmother Estella born June 22, 1900...she's the baby and the photo was probably taken late 1900 or early 1901.

'To make a long story short' or 'short work of 'Photo/Census Research', I'll tell you that the 'couple is indeed Stephen B. and Martha J. Carroll and their three children taken in 1901 before my grandmother's first birthday. And that Othella is really a boy that the 1900 Census Taker mistakenly put an A at the end of his name instead of an O. One look at him in that skirt, and I'd have done the same thing.

The photo labeled 'sons and daughters of MJ Carroll' was taken in the fall of 1903 after the death of their father, Stephen, on June 23, 1903 at 30 years of age. The fourth child, Mary Ella was born the year before on July 14, 1902.

I imagine that my widowed Great Grandmother was very grateful to have these four children, and never gave a thought to the 'How's and Why's of their X's and Y's.

I know...I sure am!!!

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Womankind - My Paternal Grandmother Kind

2012-04-26T08:37:00.000-05:00

A to Z Family Tree...The Letter 'W'

If you trace your Direct Ancestor Line back to your 5X Great Grandparents you would come up with 128 Grandparents. Sixty-four of them would be your Grandmothers. Thirty-two of them would be your Paternal Grandmothers.

I didn't growup knowing my Paternal Grandmother. I met her only once. I held her hand for this picture and everytime I look at it I wonder why she wasn't holding mine. Her story: The Grandmother I Met Only Once.

In the search and research of my Pittman-Carroll-Marley-Leatherwood Family Tree, I have been able to trace back to my Paternal 5XGreat Grandmothers on three of the four Family Names.

The Pittman Grandmother Line

5X Great Grandmother...Mary Polly Rowe Pittman

Born: 1730 in Isle of Wrights, Virginia

Died: May 1, 1810 in Kiokee Creek, Georgia

4X Great Grandmother...Lucy Eunice Marshall Pittman

Born: July 18, 1760 in Wndsor, Connecticut

Died: October 17, 1821 in Gwinnett County, Georgia

3X Great Grandmother...Frances Jackson Stone Pittman

Born: January 6, 1783 in Franklin County, Georgia

Died: January 28, 1857 in Pauylding County, Georgia

2X Great Grandmother...Mary Anne Howell Pittman

Born: January 28, 1822 in Cobb County, Georgia

Died: August 22, 1890 in Queen Mills, Georgia

Great Grandmother...Emma June Howell Pittman

Born: August 20, 1849 in Georgia

Died: May 4, 1895 in Mapleton, Georgia

Grandmother...Effie Estella Carroll Pittman

Born: June 22, 1900 in Jack County, Texas

Died: April 29, 1962 in Anchorage, Alaska

Womankind...My Granddaughters Kind...Their Great Grandmother and Grandmother Kind!

I can't imagine not 'Holding Her Hand'.

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Uncle MD and Aunt VI

2012-04-25T10:58:00.000-05:00

A to Z Family Tree...Letters U and V

Uncle MD and Aunt Vera Irene were my Dad's brother and sister. Both older siblings and both had a special place in our Family Tree.

If ever there was a favorite Uncle, MD was well loved by all his nieces and nephews. He was funny. He made us all laugh from the time we were children to grown adults with our own children...who thought he was funny, too!

His name was MD. He liked to tell the story of how the Army insisted he could not have initials as a name. The letters M and D had to stand for something. So, he let them decide what it should be, but always stood by his birth certificate. He was named after his mothers brother Merritt Douglas Carroll and no one ever questioned that just the initials of his namesake was recorded on his birth certificate....except the US Army.

Through out their lives MD and Willard, my Dad, stayed close as brothers. They stayed close to their Pittman Family Pioneer Roots in Ward County raising their families within fifty miles of where they were born and raised.

MD was the fifth child of Chappo and Stella Carroll Pittman and Vera Irene was the first.

Vera Irene Pittman Sinks 1917-2000

Beatrice Ruth Pittman Sanders 1918-2000

Chapel Bennett Pittman 1920-1981

Maudie Mae Pittman 1922-1998

MD Pittman 1924-2011

Willard Carroll Pittman 1927-1988

Pictured:

Above...Vera Irene and MD

Right...Ruth Beatrice and Vera Irene

MD..between his sisters

Chappel Bennett..center back

Willard Carroll

Pictured here in the mid 1980's at Pittman Place in Grandfalls, Texas where they were born and raised...Ruth Beatrice, Vera Irene, MD and Willard. Vera Irene spent most of her life in California, but came back to her roots in Ward County for several years. It was at this time that she shared her 'Collection of Pittman-Carroll-Marley-Leatherwood Family History' with me.

I am honored to carry on as The Pittman Family Tree Historian.

Posts on CollectInTexas Gal and Tracks of My Texas Ancestors about my Aunts and Uncles.

A Sister Is A Sister Forever

Aunt Bea...A Vast Violet Veranda

Aunt Irene...She's A Keeper

Two Boys and A Donkey

EXTRA EXTRA!!! Read All About It

FIND A GRAVE MEMORIALS

Vera Irene Pittman Sinks

Ruth Beatrice Pittman Sanders

Chapel Bennett Pittman

MD Pittman

Willard Carroll Pittman

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Tracks of My Texas Ancestors

2012-04-23T06:50:00.000-05:00

A to Z Family Tree...Letter 'T'

Welcome to Tracks of My Texas Ancestors

A Collection of Family History and Genealogy Research

of my

Father's Texas Pioneer Families

Pittman~Carroll~Marley~Leatherwood

Our Family Mesquite Tree has grown deep roots in Ward County Texas where my

Great Grandfather journeyed in a covered wagon from Georgia in the 1890's.

Mesquite trees grow in twisted and intertwining branches, survive in a difficult environment and produce a bountiful crop of beans, so the comparison to the Pittman/Carroll/Marley/Leatherwood Family is appropriate. Two of these Family names became intertwined with the marriage of Pittman Brothers to Carroll Sisters which produced a bountiful crop of 'Double Cousins', and a long line of descendents throughout the state of Texas and the Southwest.

My siblings and I are the 5th Generation of these West Texas Pioneer Ancestors. We were raised where our great grandfather, grandfather and father put down roots. Our Family Geneaology Study and Documentation began with my Aunt Irene who spent countless hours researching Historical Societies from Georgia to Texas. Her many pages of 'Family Group Logs', notes, letters and memorbilia have given me an unprecedented head start.

Tracks of My Texas Ancestors serves as a Data Base for the Collections of Family History

which is first posted or announced on CollectIn Texas Gal.

The Two Blogs are Linked and Intertwined together much like our

Family Mesquite Tree through the Posts, Pages and Sidebar Links.

Twenty years ago, or so, I began writing short stories based on Aunt Irene's notes and collections of family history. Mostly, though, the stories stem from hours of listening to my Great Uncle Mert, Dad's brother MD, and several 'Old Timers' who knew my Great Grandfather, Grandfather and Dad back in the day. It's one of the advantages of growing up in the same small West Texas Town as ones ancestors...'Everybody knows you and All your Family, their business and history'!

One of my first stories was based on this photo of my Dad and his brother MD who was two years older than Dad and was a great story teller. I'll begin the introduction of 'The Stories' with

Down The Dusty Road...Two Boys and A Donkey,

and invite you to view and read the other stories which are just a click away on Tracks of My Texas Ancestors.

In creating and maintaining Tracks of My Texas Ancestors, my hope is that it will preserve our Family History, be a resource for others tracking our Texas ancestors, and inspire future generations to become Family Historians. It is a rewarding and amazing journey made possible through Twenty-First Century Technology.

From Colonial America to Georgia to Texas!

We HAVE come a long way, Baby!

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Sisters Are Forever

2012-04-21T08:25:00.001-05:00

A to Z Family Tree...Letter 'S'

The Marley Sisters

Lou Ida and Anna Etta

Sisters of my Great Grandmother Martha Jane Marley Carroll

A sister's a sister forever,
A bond that diminishes never,
A friend who is kindly and caring,
A sibling God chooses for sharing.

The Plate Sisters

Maude and Edith Plate

Sisters of my Grandmother Minnie Martha Plate Klemish

Minnie Martha Plate Klemish and Maude Plate

Few ties as deep and profound
And with so much affection abound
Though some thoughts are seldom expressed
Love endures and survives every test.

The Klemish Sisters

Clara and Martha

Sisters of my Maternal Grandfather Joseph Thomas Klemish

Of the constants that rest in the heart,
A sister's a primary part.
She'll always be there when you need her-
You listen, you value, you heed her.

The Pittman Sisters

Beulah Magnolia and Mattie Maude

Sisters of my Paternal Grandfather Chappo Pittman

As growth, independence you ponder,
Your feelings grow deeper and fonder;
And life tells you one thing thats true:
A sister's a large part of you.

The Pittman Sisters

Connie Marie and Sandra Sue

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The Rattlesnake Whisperer and The Sidewinder Rider

2012-04-20T07:34:00.000-05:00

Ato Z Family Tree...Letter 'R'

The days passed into weeks and the weeks into months, and as time had a way of doing, the months added up to a few years since Bob Offield* had seen Willard and MD. Those Pittman boys were the closest folks he could call family.

“Lordy, how I regret losin' Martha Jane*. We should have worked out our differences,” Bob thought as he sat rockin’ on the same porch where Willard and MD regularly stopped to tell him about their school day. “Yep, those two rowdy boys growed up purt near right before my tired ole eyes. I reckon Chappo* misses those two broncs, too, livin’ by hisself down there by the ‘Ditch’.”

Last he’d heard MD joined the Air Force. Now that was somethin’ to think about. Air Force. It taxed his mind to understand them new fangled flyin’machines. He marveled at the planes flying overhead as they took off and landed at the Rattlesnake Air Field* over in Pyote. “Why, I remember the days when the only thang flyin’ over hot dusty West Texas was buzzards,” he mused as he looked to the sky.

Down the dusty road a mile or so before crossing the ditch, Willard wondered if ‘Old Bob’ would be porch sitting. It had been six months or more since he’d had a day off from the Wristen Ranch*, and today he was on his way home. Sure enough, ‘Old Bob’ was on the porch sittin in the same old chair, looking at the sky. As soon as Bob saw the cowboy, his hand went up in greeting and he leaned heavily on the arms of the rocker as he stood to meet Willard at the edge of the porch.

Git down from that wild lookin bronc, Willard, and I’ll fix us something to drink. Thanks, Bob, but I just came from *Grandma Elsey’s, and you know how she can fill you up on pie and coffee. “Well, then have a sit down and catch me up on what’s happenin’ at the ranch. How’d you git a saddle on that twistin son-of-a-gun ole bronc,” he asked as he lowered himself back in the rocker.

"He’s a might more accommodating since Gid* had a talk with him about his buckin’ habits,” Willard laughed as he flipped open the flap of his Sunday white western shirt pocket and pulled out the bag of Bull Durham. Offering Bob a smoke and a light, he recounted the psychiatry session Gid had with the bronc.

This dang bronc has thrown every cowboy on the ranch including me more than once. We were one more pitch into the dirt away from sending him out to pasture, when Gid* drove up in that old truck he’s so proud of. He asked us if that sorry mount was too much horse for all us broken down bronc busters. A couple of the older wranglers swelled up and said they’d have the black devil broke before the week was out. Gid looked me over as I was knockin off the dirt, and commenced to walkin' toward the snortin' stallion. He began talkin’ real quiet and soothin’ like, all the time inching closer to the horses’ head.

We was all gettin’ a spot on the corral fence thinkin’ we’d be seein’ that ‘Old Man’ hit the dirt like the rest of us had done tryin’ to break this black beauty. It was somethin’ to see, I’ll tell ya that. That horse was bewitched or somethin’. He never twitched a muscle as Gid stroked his neck and talked in his ear. I had a hell of a time getting the saddle on him not an hour earlier, and there he stood as docile as an old broodin’ mare after pitchin’ everyone of us in the dirt.

In no time at all, Gid gathered up the reins, and handed them to me and said he guessed that the Black Devil was just the horse for me. I’ve been riding him ever since, but anybody else gets near him with a saddle and he goes to pawin’ the ground. Bob nodded his head and said, “Yep, I seen Gid do the same thang once when he was a young man over in Fort Stockton. It shore enough gits you thinkin’ bout man and his relationship with Gods creatures. Did you know that ‘Old Man’ has been known to have live rattlesnakes under the seat of his old truck? I seen it once myself or I wouldn’t have believed it. Gid said the rattler found it's way into the truck one day while he was on a surveying job over by the Pecos River. He guessed it’d git out when it got to where it was goin’.”

“Yeah, I heard that story, but I’ve never seen any rattlers in there, and you can bet your life I look before I step into that Old Man’s truck. Daddy told me that when Gid was a young boy, an old woman gave him the Mystic Power, and when he died he should pass it back to a woman. Kind of interesting to think about…the type of woman that would cotton to a thing like that. I don’t guess it would be one of his own, since he never married.

The black stallion started pawin' the ground, and the day was getting on into evening when Willard said, “Guess I’d best be getting on down the road, Bob. Dad should be home from riddin' the ditch. There's enough daylight left for us to have some supper and talk awhile before I have to get back to the ranch. We got a couple of dozen wild broncs to break next week, and I don’t think we’ll be able to count on Gid to be there to do any horse witch-docterin’.”

Bob, slapped his knee and said, “Speakin of Rattlesnakes, I heard MD joined the Air Force. Is he trainin’ to drive one of them‘Flyin Contraptions’ over at the Pyote Rattlesnake Base?” As he stepped in the stirrup, Willard said, “Naw, Bob, MD joined the Army. He’s trainin’to march and shoot one of them bolt-action rifles. I doubt he’ll be shootin’ Diamondback Sidewinders where he’s goin’.”

Well, I’ll be dogged, I was jest thinkin’ bout you two boys as youngin’s, and how ya’ll are the closest folks as I can call kin. I shore hope MD is as good with that rifle as he was with that ole pistol ya’ll used to shoot rattlers. I’ll be prayin’ he comes home safe and sound. What about you, Willard, are you goin’ to join up? I betcha you’d be right good at flyin’ one of them Rattlesnake Flyin’ Machines.”

As Willard settled himself in the saddle and took the reins in his hands, Bob said, “By the way son, what did you name that bronc?” With a flick of the reins and a wink at Bob, Willard said, “Let’s go, Sidewinder”.

*Bob Offield was a cowpoke in Grandfalls, Texas around 1915 when my Great Grandmother Martha Jane Carroll arrived in Ward County..
*Bob Offield and Martha Jane Carroll married April 1, 1916 and seperated in July that same year. It is not known if they ever legally diviorced, but Martha Jane never went by the name Offield.
*Columbus Chappel 'Chappo' Pittman married Effie Estella Carroll August 11, 1916. Estella was the daughter of Martha Jane Carroll. Chappo and Estella were Willard and MD's parents and my grandparents.
*Rattlesnake Air Force Base was a World War II USAF training base located in Pyote, Texas. It was nicknamed the Rattlesnake Bomber Base for the numerous Rattlesnake dens that were uncovered during its construction. Ruins are still standing today and a museum is housed in nearby Monahans. References: Wikepedia and Texas Escapes Online Magazine
*Wristen Ranch located between Grandfalls and Monhans where Willard worked as bronc buster and cowhand. Still in operation and Wristen Family owned.
*Grandma Elsey's Diner was a train dinning car turned into a cafe'. It was located on the main street of Grandfalls and run by Grandma Elsey who really did make the best homemade pies in Ward County.
*Gid Reding a surveyor by profession and a man with many talents. It was said that he had a photographic memory and could tell you about every plot of land he surveyd and where every rock pile marker he made was located in and around Ward County. He is pictured in this story at the 100 Year Celebration of Ward County in 1992...he was 92 years old. He was a great story teller and I was a good listener.

Dedicated to the Memory of

Willard Carroll Pittman.......March 14, 1927 ~ April 1, 1988
MD Pittman......March 6, 1924 ~ April 2, 2011

Gideon Lowe Reding ..... June 3, 1900 ~ March 6, 1993

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Families Are Like Quilts...

2012-04-19T08:06:00.000-05:00

...Stitched Together One Piece at a Time.
AtoZ Family Tree...Letter 'Q'

When the wind mixes with a driving sleet in West Texas, a cow, a calf and a young girl should be someplace out of the bitter cold. Preferably someplace warm. Stella's thoughts about someplace warm kept her going in the driving sleet.

The cow was having a hard time of it, too. Stella could tell by the tension on the rope that kept the mother as close to her newborn as she could get. The calf, barely four hours old, was draped across her saddle sharing the slicker that was doing a passable job of keeping the rain and ice from soaking them both.

Stella looked up just before her horse crossed the road through the gate where the sign was covered in snow and dripping with ice sickles. Just able to make out Wristen Ranch through the blowing sleet and snow, she peered beyond the sign to make out the house and barn down the snow covered wagon rutted tracks. Holding back on the horse so the cow could keep up, she spoke softly to the shivering calf, "Hang on little one, we'll get you warm and fed real soon. Dear god, let there be somebody here who will take us in for the night.

The answer to her prayer was standing beside the barn swinging a lantern. As she neared the barn door, Stella allowed the cowboy to take the reins and lead them inside. For the first time in what seemed like hours, she took a full breath of air without the wool scarf filtering the cold and ice.

Numb and shivering, she handed the calf to the out stretched arms who quickly rubbed the calf down with a toesack, laid it beside it's mother and returned to the girl as she nearly fell from the saddle.

"I bet yore Stella Carroll," said the cowboy as he helped her to the pot bellied stove in the tack room of the barn. "I'm Bob Offield. I met yore Mother, brothers and sister today when they was stuck in a mudhole jesta mile or two down the road from here. Can't say I'm surprised to see you. Yore Mama said you were jest a few hours behind with a cow and a newborn calf. Looks like you did a right fine job of getting all of you this far. Now let's get you unfroze a bit before we git on up to the main house where Miz Wristen will fix you somethin' to warm you up".

With her chattering teeth, Stella was having a hard time saying her thanks, but managed to nod her head in agreement as Bob motioned her to the stool in front of the fire. He threw in another log and stoked the embers as Stella pulled off her gloves and hat, and unwrapped the shawl she had covering her head and shoulders. Bob noticed that she had the same color hair as her Mama, and the young girl seemed to have that same proud stance and determination that he had witnessed earlier in the day.

The following day dawned with the sun shining on the snow drifts that had piled on the window sill of the room Mrs. Wristen had insisted Stella take for the night. Stella hadn't had the luxury and comfort of a real bed since leaving Grandpa and Grandma Marleys place. It seemed like a long time ago, but it had been less than three weeks since she had left Borden County to travel to Grandfalls in the covered wagon she watched roll out of sight so many hours ago. Now she would have to catch up with her Mama...oh how she wanted to stay under the warm scrap quilts, eat hot food and wait for warmer weather before venturing out again.

"My Daddy died nearly thirteen years ago. Mama, my brothers and sister and I have been living with my Grandpa and Grandma Marley on their farm in Gail. Mama heard that Ward County was offering homesteads to farmers who could make it for two years. So we started off and when we got to Monahans, the storm hit and the cow decided to have her calf. I'm very grateful to you, Miz Wristen, for your hospitality. I couldn't have gone much further. "Stella found herself telling Mrs. Wristen, who was busy making a pan of biscuits and stirring gravy for the ranch hands that would be sitting down to the long oak table for breakfast.

"Your Mother must be a determined woman to take on homesteading in this part of West Texas without a husband. It's a tough life, and God knows, it takes a mighty strong will and strong back to make it work. I wish you and your Mama well. Stella, I can see that you are strong, young Texas woman. You'll make it."

I am a 'Scrap Quilt Maker' and collector of Vintage Quilts and Scraps.

Stella Carroll was my Grandmother, and this story is one of the 'Scraps' pieced into my 'Family Quilt'.

I hope you have enjoyed this story and the others of my Pioneer Family in Grandfalls, Ward County, Texas. They are all based on real folks, and real events in the Lives and Tracks of My Texas Ancestors.

Sue

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Pittman Place

2012-04-18T06:28:00.000-05:00

A to Z Family Tree...The Letter 'P'

Amongst the family names emerging through the mists of time from Holland and Belgium was the ancient posterity of Pittman. The distinguished history of this surname is closely entwined within the colorful tapestry of the ancient chronicles of Britain.

Members of the family name Pittman sailed aboard the armada of small sailing ships known as the 'White Sails' which plied the stormy Atlantic. From the port of entry many settlers made their way west, joining the wagon trains to the prairies and to Texas.

Willard and Thelma Pittman purchased 21 acres in Grandfalls, Ward County, Texas in the early 1960's. On the land sat a shotgun, four room house with an add-on back entry room and a front bedroom. A red barn stood to the back of the house and a 'Trap' area was fenced off to the right of the house which ran the length of the acreage from the road to the back fence.

Hay and grass was grown with water coming down from Red Bluff and was irrigated from the ditch that ran the length of the back fence. The ditch was cleared by Willard using a Maintainer Tractor. The irrigation was a slow process of opening the ditch at intervals with a shovel and flooding the rows.

When the row was flooded the opening was covered and the next row opened. It took all day and all night of opening and closing the ditch from the neighbors fence line to the Pittman fence line to complete the irrigation. The Pittman Place land was Irrigated out of the same ditch that Willard's father, 'The Ditch Rider' had worked Fifty years earlier.

Willard Carroll Pittman ~ Pittman Place ~ Grandfalls, Texas 1982

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Ol Timer Offield...Short Timer GGranddaddy

2012-04-17T14:12:00.000-05:00

A to Z Family Tree...Letter 'O'

The old man spit apple seeds into the dust and watched as they landed beside the cast off spiral peel that the hot afternoon sun was quickly turning the color of cinnamon.

Apples reminded him of the boys that once upon a time stopped everyday on their way home from school. It had gotten to be a habit, buying apples at Eudalys Store. Especially when staples were needed more'n apples, but he got alot of pleasure telling the boys stories that most folks weren't interested in hearing.

Too bad, too, as they were the stories of a time long gone. Ones that should be heard and told for future generations of the family he had been a part of for too short a time.

Rocking back and tugging his worn straw hat down over his eyes, the old man allowed his mind to roll back the hands of time. There she was standing beside the wagon. He would forever remember the sight of her. Hands firmly gripping the pole that was wedged under the wheel that had sunken several feet into a mud hole, telling her younguns at the back of the wagon to push as she placed all her weight on the pole.
.

"Looks like you folks could use some help," he'd said to her as he stepped down from BigUn. "We'd be obliged," she said as she pulled off the gloves to introduce herself and the children. "I'm Martha Jane Carroll, and these are three of my four chldren, Merrett Douglas, Mary Ella, and Othello. Stella is some miles back waiting for our cow to have a calf. She'll be along soon." He quickly peeled off his worn gloves and stuck his calloused hand into her offered one, and told her he was Bob Offield, a cowhand, on the ranch that she was passing through.

"Let's see if we can get you nice folks on your way, before nightfall. It's shore gonna be colder than a cow's teat. Oh, pardon me mamn, I only meant..." She waved him off as she pulled her gloves onto cold reddened hands and said, "I know about cow teats Mr. Offield."

She instructed Ella to climb into the wagon and take the reins, the boys to the back and Bob to take charge of the pole. She joined her sons and on Bob's count of three they all did their jobs and were rewarded with the wagon slowly moving forward onto solid ground. As the children scrambled back into the covered part of the wagon to get out of the cold, Bob questioned their destination. "We are on our way to Grandfalls. About how much further do we have to go , Mr. Offield, " she answered with her quick question. "Well, now, your jest a few miles from there. This here's the Wristen Ranch Road that leads right on into Royalty, and Grandfalls is bout two miles on past. I jest came from there, and the the road is purty clear all the way in. You shouldn't have any more troubles. Do you folks have a place to stay once you get there?"

He'd never forget the pride in her stance and the determined look she gave him when she answered saying, "We have this wagon that we have come all the way from Tom Greene County in, and I reckon it'll have to be home for a while longer. But, thank you for asking Mr. Offield, we are much obliged for your help and directions." At that she climbed aboard the wagon, took the reins and set the team of mules into motion with a flick of the whip. He watched her pull away with his unspoken request still on the tip of his tongue, and his hat in his hand. Not much left to do now, he thought to himself, but put youre hat back on youre old bald head, git back in the saddle and head for the bunkhouse.

The sun was dropping in the west and as it filtered through the battered straw hat, Bob realized he'd dozed off. As he pushed himself up and out of the rocker he paused a minute to get his balance on legs that hadn't straddled a saddle in many years, but still longed for and missed those days. "Oh, Lordy", he said talkin to himself, " I sure was hopin' to ask her if I could call on her once she was settled in. Never even entered my mind that she might have a man. Strong, determined woman like her. I figered she probably didn't need or want one, but those were hard times for everybody. Four children, a cow with a new calf, dead o'wnter, and she thought that old wagon would hold out a while longer." Shaking his head at the wonderf of it all in his memories, Old Bob, let the screen door bang behind him.

Bob Offield was a cowpoke in Grandfalls, Texas around 1915 when my Great Grandmother Martha Jane Carroll arrived in Ward Counnty, Texas.

The above photo is from Martha Jane's Photo Album and is thought to be Bob Offield. Taken in front of Ott's Blacksmith Shop, C. Hale's meat market and the Grandfalls Hotel. This photo also appears in the Ward County History Book 1887-1977, pg.181.

Bob Offield and Martha Jane Carroll married April 1, 1916 and seperated in July that same year. It is not known if they ever legally diviorced, but Martha Jane never went by the name Offield.

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Nate and Nancy's Shotgun Nuptials

2012-04-16T14:58:00.000-05:00

A to Z Family Tree...Letter 'N'

You know, Olivia, I wasn't always such a lady, in fact my mama, a true Southern Belle from Georgia, was quite certain I would never be a proper corset, bustle and bonnet lady. I could see Olivia's raised eyebrow over the rim of the rose tea cup, and as she set it in the saucer, she laughed and said, "Nancy, you must have been quite a sight as a lady wearing a proper corset, bustle and bonnet and armed with a Winchester."

The Sheriff thought so, although on our first meeting he wasn't the sheriff, but a cowboy on my Daddy's ranch. Hardly any of the hired cowboys realized the Bosses son was a girl. Much to Mama's dismay, I appeared every mornin' dressed to ride, rope and wrangle with my hair under an oversided sombrero, legs in chaps and feet in high heeled boots.

Olivia had tears running down her face as I lifted my proper ladies skirt hem and propped my booted foot on the table. Bout that time 'The Sheriff', Marshall Buckner, Ranger Tom and Sarah walked in the kitchen. "MOTHER," Sarah gasp as she looked up to see her beau's reaction to seeing his future mother-in-law in such an unlady like pose...not to mention wearing high heeled cowboy boots. The Marshall had out his bandanna trying to cover a smile while looking at my husband standing in the doorway one hand resting on his holster and the other slapping his hat against his leg.

"Hells Bells, Nan, are you tellin' the Courtin' Story'?

"I was just gettin' to that, Nate. Ya'll have a seat, I'll put on a fresh pot of coffee. Go ahead, Sheriff, I always like hearing your version of the story," I said as I lowered my boot and hem to the floor and began filling the coffee pot. Sarah, why don't you warm up the muffins and set out the mugs.

Oh Lordy, the Sheriff began, I'd been workin' on Nancy's Dad's ranch for a month or so when he came to the bunk house one Saturday mornin' and invited me to dinner up to the main house. He told me to hitch up the buggy and come round five o'clock. I thanked him for the invitation and said I'd have the buggy ready for him and the Missus to take a ride after diner. As he walked out of the bunkhouse I thought I heard him say somethin' about his daughter. I sure didn't know anything about a daughter, so I went on about my business of gettin' the buggy ready and thinkin' about a real home cooked sit down dinner.

I couldn't get 'the daughter' comment outta my head. The only kid I knew about was the skinny boy who always wore that oversized sombrero. He was a hard worker, could throw a loop and took orders from the boss just like the rest of us hands. He made me real nervous though. Everytime our eyes met I got kinda jittery. Once we were roundin' up some strays and his horse stepped in a gopher hole. I jumped off my horse to give him a hand seein' as how he'd been pitched off and landed in a prickley pear. I tell you when our hands touched it was like a bolt of lightening went straight threw me. We jerked apart like we'd been bit by a rattler. I could tell he was hurtin' from all the spines as tears were threatening to spill down his face, and all I could think of was comforting him.

After that, I avoided that kid like the plague. Like I said, he made me real nervous and confused. Anyway, after polishin' the buggy, spit-shinnin' my boots and dressin' in my Sunday best I drove the horse and buggy up to the Ranch House anticipating a home cooked dinner and polite conversation.

Lordy, was I surprised to see the 'Skinny Kid' wearin' a dress and lookin' like she'd like to throw me in a patch of prickley pear, which she threatened to do if I dared mention a word about her gettin' pitched off her horse. Her Daddy got a real kick outta my astonishment that the Bosses son was in fact his daughter.

After dinner the Boss insisted I take Nancy for a buggy ride. She protested. Her Mama, shooed us right out of the house, practically pushin her daughter off the porch. Reluctanly, Nan agreed, but not before she disappeared back into the house. When she came out she was wearin' her Sombrero and carryin' a Double Barreled Shotgun. I offered my hand to help her in the buggy and quickly backed off as she swung both barrels around which were pointed at my gut, hiked up her hem and stuck her booted foot on the Step-up.

"So, Sheriff," said Sarah's Ranger, "I guess that's when she feel head over boot heels for you".

I looked over at Sarah who was restin' her elbow on the table with her hand coverin' her beet red face, shakin' her head and mutterin' under her breath, "Oh, Lordy, here it comes". Her father looked around the table and settled his gaze on the young Texas Ranger and said, "Hell No, young man. You see that Shotgun hangin' right there over our weddin' picture? It's the same rifle she had acrossed her lap on that first buggy ride when she told me....

Mister, you make one wrong move and I will fill your sorry butt with buckshot!"

I had a Great Grandmother named Nancy.
I'm purty sure she wore high heeled boots and owned a shotgun.
If not, well, it sure makes for a good story.

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This 'Old Mare' Is Goin' Home

2012-04-14T07:38:00.000-05:00

A to Z Family Tree...Letter 'M'

The Marley Mare and Mert Carroll's Story

'Don't pick up this 'Old Mare'. She is goin' home'

October 1908
Dear Mama,
I am fine. Don't worry. I am workin' at the Cotton Mill in Post City. Stayin' with Aunt Annie and Uncle Oscar. Don't know when I will be home.
Your son,
Mert
PS...Tell Grandpa, I am sorry bout taken' Delsey. I knew she'd find her way home.

Merritt Douglas Carroll was but a boy of ten years old when he hung the cardboard sign around Delsey's neck with the note to his Mama, Martha Jane Marley Carroll. The year before, Mert, got all the way to Snyder, Texas, before he was picked up by Sheriff Frank Christopher.

The Sheriff knew exactly who the boy was, and that the horse he was riding was stolen. Delsey belonged to Elisha Marley over in Borden County. Sheriff Christopher knew the Marley's pretty well since his brother Oscar had married Anna Etta Marley in October, 1901.

The story goes...Mert was pickin' cotton in his Grandpa's cotton field on a clear day with blue skies above when he dumped out his half full sack, threw it over Delsey's bare back and took off. He made his way as far as Scurry County by pickin' cotton along the way for 50 cents per hundred pounds. When Sheriff Christopher picked him up he had $2 in his pocket.

When asked why he took off with his Grandpa's horse and cotton pickin' sack, he said, "We need the money."

Mert was a man of few words with a work ethic that went back to his days as a 'Cotton Picker' on his Grandpa's Farm in Gail, Borden County, Texas. From Post City, Texas he worked his way to California and then on to Canada. His Mama didn't see him again until around 1915 when he returned home to help her move to West Texas.

Mert was the second child of Stephen Bennett and Martha Jane Marley Carroll.

Pictured here with his parents and siblings in 1900.

Mert is the first little boy...standing next to his older brother Othella.

Sister Estella in her mothers lap.

Their father, Stephen B. Carroll died in June 1903....three years after this photo was taken.

Mert was my Great Uncle.
I was fortunate to know him quite well in his Golden Years as he lived with my parents on their Farm in Grandfalls, Ward County, Texas.
Dad was Mert's nephew by his sister Estella Carroll Pittman.

Mert was stricken with Glaucoma in his fifties and by his seventies was only able to see light and dark shadows. His blindness slowed him down, but didn't keep him from working everyday of his life. He spent many hours in the fields of the 'Pittman Family Farm' grubbing mesquite with a pick axe. He found his way from the house to the field by following a 'Line of Chimes' he created from 'Hub Caps and Tin Cans'.

He Rests In Peace, but probably still 'Grubbing Mesquite',
in Tamarisk Cemetery, Grandfalls, Ward County, Texas
He was true to his Epitaph to the end of his life.
Merritt Douglas Carroll was a great story teller and I was a good listener.
Thanks Uncle Mert for sharing your Life Stories,

Sue

Photo Credits

T J Brown's Cotton Gin...Photo from Martha Jane Marley's Photo Album

Othella and Mert Carroll about 1918...Mert (standing)

Carroll Family Portrait...from Martha Jane Marley's Photo Album

Mert Carroll's Headstone...from my Collection...taken 2011

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Leatherwood-Pittman Myths Debunked

2012-04-13T10:48:00.000-05:00

A to Z Family Tree...Letter 'L'

Vera Irene Pittman Sinks..."Okay, Sue, raise your right hand and repeat after me".

Me..."I, Sandra Sue Pittman do swear, on a 'Stack of Family Bibles' to continue and maintain The Pittman-Carroll-Marley-Leatherwood Family Tree.

I accept the Title as Family Historian, bequeathed to me by Vera Irene Pittman Sinks, The Barefoot Genealogist and sister of my father.

As the daughter of Willard Carroll Pittman, Granddaughter of Estella Carroll Pittman, Great Granddaughter of Martha Jane Marley Carroll, and Great Great Granddaughther of Mary Josephine Leatherwood Marley, I do promise to prove that Rene Marion Pittman came to America from France and Mary Josephine Leatherwood descended from a Great Apache Chief."

And so, began my journey as Family Historian. Armed with my Aunt Irene's collection of notes, letters, novella's and stories told to me in conversations about our family. Aunt Irene's family history was gathered the 'Old School' way...through libraries, historical societies, court and city records and passed down word of mouth from family members.

At the TOP of the Pittman Family Branch, Irene had traced as far back as Rene Marion Pittman from Alsace Lorraine, France who came to America and married a Black Dutch woman...according to her notes. Right off the bat, I'm wondering how a Frenchman...which could be with a name like Rene, got a surname like Pittman which I knew was not French, and how his wife could be Dutch and black.

Rene Marion Pittman Myth .... Debunked

Rene Marion Pittman was Born, Raised and Died in Georgia, USA!

His wife, Mary Anne Howell Pittman was Born, Raised and Died in Georgia, USA...was not Dutch or Black.

Rene Marion Pittman ~ Notable Ancestor

~DeBunking The Leatherwood Myth~

OMG!!! It has to be Mary Josephine Leatherwood. She looks Indian!

After years of conjuring up stories in my head about how an Apache Princess must have lived her life married to a 'Trapper' or a 'Texas Lawman', you can imagine my excitement to find this picture in my Great Grandmother Martha Jane's Photo Album. So, I proclaimed the 'Apache Princess' story as a part of our Family Tree, and set out to claim our American Indian Heritage. Then I found....

...this photo on an Internet Search for the name Leatherwood.

Oddly enough it was the same folks pictured in a newspaper clipping in Great Grandmothers Album.

After some 'SueHolmes' detective work on the www, ancestry.com and Find A Grave,

I was rewarded with the black and white photo of Mary Josephine Leatherwood's father

John Moore Leatherwood, Jack County Pioneer

and her Siblings...none of which were Apache.

The photo explained the newspaper clipping from the Album, and I later found out that Miss Alice Doss

was the daughter of Minnie Lee Leatherwood Doss.

Unfortuately Mary Josephine was not pictured with her Family as she had married and

moved from Jack County to Borden County, Texas.

Mary Josephine Leatherwood married Elisha Smith Marley

January 5, 1878 in Jack County, Texas

Pictured here with sons (standing L-R) Jesse Simeon, James Benjamin, George Holbert, Zachariah Andrew and

William Samuel seated next to Elisha Smith Marley.

Daughters Anna Etta, Lou Ida and Wardie Bell standing next Mary Josephine Leatherwood Marley.

Martha Jane Marley Carroll and John Henry Marley....not pictured.

Mary Josephine Leatherwood Marley is buried in 'The Plain View Cemetery' not far from the Family Farm.

So, she was the wife of a Farmer, not a Texas Lawman or a Mountain Trapper. She was the daughter of a Texas Pioneer and Civil War Veteran, not an Apache Chief. She was the mother of my Great Great Grandmother Martha Jane Marley Carroll.

She was a Leatherwood...a surname dating back to 1680 when an English couple John and Martha Leatherwood arrived in Colonial Maryland.

Leatherwood Myth Debunked!

This woman!!!! Turns out to be Palmyra Akin Thedford!

My Great Great Aunt from Tennessee...her story

Palmyra~Bride of the Desert

PS...Dear Aunt Irene, I thought you'd like to know the reason we can't seem to get the hang of speaking French, and why the thought of buckskin makes us itch. Hope you are not too disappointed!

Love, Sue

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KINSHIP

2012-04-12T09:44:00.002-05:00

A to Z Family Tree...The Letter 'K'

KINSHIP, some might think is 'Relative'...as in...

'We are 'Kin' because we are 'Family'.

If only it were that SIMPLE!

Take this woman, the subject of my second most intense search as 'SueLock Holmes'. First, let me explain the reason for the photo...I'm a 'Visualist', and having a Face to go with a Name makes a person more relative to me, no matter how distant our KINSHIP...so from my Vintage Photo Collection...

...Meet my Affinity-Kin...by marriage...my Great Grandfather's second wife. I wish I could say her name was KATE...that would tie in nicely with this post as focusing on 'The Letter K', however, her name letter is 'N'...and I may need it later, so for now, she works as the lead in to...

The COMPLICATED Issue of KINSHIP.

In General Genealogical terms, KINSHIP refers to folks who are related by 'similarity' (blood) or 'affinity' (marriage). And in even more General/Simple terms based on Lewis Henry Morgan's Systems of Consanguinity and Affinity of the Human Family, our system of English-language kinship falls in The Eskimo Kinship Pattern. Which generally classifies, describes and distinguishes Kinship in terms of Sex, Generation, Lineal (related by Direct Line of Descent) and Collateral (related by blood, but not directly by line of descent) terms thus distinguishing siblings from cousins.

That is all well and good on PAPER! However, if one wants to undeniably prove their KINSHIP to an Ancestorial Blood Line there is Y-DNA Testing, Patrilineal or male-line ancestry. This test is useful in determining a line of Kinship because the Y chromosome passes down almost unchanged from father to son....simply stated...it's a bit more complicated in scientific terms. Anyway, a man's test results (done by a 'buccal swab'...cheek-scraping) are compared to another man's results to determine the time frame in which the two individuals shared a most recent common ancestor. If their results are a perfect or near perfect match, they are related within genealogy's time frame.

Like I said...It's Complicated! And to complicate things even further in my 'Affinity Kinship' with Step-Great Grandmother 'N', I discovered a 'Blood Line KINSHIP'. I'll save that for 'The Letter 'N'.

For now, I'm off to 'Scrape my Brother's Cheek'....he's the little guy sitting in our Granddad's lap. That's our Dad next to them. Surely, his Y-DNA has fully matured since 1950...I know his cheeks have.

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Dear John...You Are NOT Number One

2012-04-11T09:11:00.000-05:00

A to Z Family Tree - Letter 'J'

Dear John, John, John, John, John,+ Ten More,

As the 'Number One' most given 'Given Guys Name' in the Pittman Family Tree, it is my duty as 'The Family's Genealogist' to inform All Fifteen of you, despite popular 'Moniker Statistics', Ya'll are NOT Number One.

Since the First John Pittman born in America in 1726, your name has been held in high esteem and an honorable tradition in the naming of 'First Born Sons' who are destined to be called Junior.

From Colonial John through Civil War John, the Pittman John's led the nation as the Number One Given Guys Name. This trend continued through the 1920's. During these Trend Setting years, William ran a close second in the US and in our 'Tree' with Eleven Williams. True to Trend, James, George, Robert, Charles, Joseph, Frank, Henry and Thomas were 'Tree Toppers' as well as 'Chart Toppers ' across the nation.

Dear Jane, Jane, Jane, Jane, Jane + Fifteen More,

Ya'll are Number One in The Pittman Family Tree. Never mind that Jane as a Given Gals Name only made Number Twenty-Two on the All Time Popularity List.

Jane The First, Jane Calvert Leatherwood 1746-1764, believed in the 'Family Namesake' tradition. Her son's were John, William, James, George, and Thomas. She named two of her daughters after herself or possibly her mother...one was Jane and the other Janey.

Jane The First in 'Our Tree' was the Direct Ancestor and 4XGreat Grandmother of her namesake Martha Jane Marley Carroll, my Great Great Grandmother.

Janie as she was called, has become 'My Family Tree Focus Female'. Her grandson, Willard Carroll Pittman is my father, and through his lineage Martha Jane Marley Carroll's 'Family Photo Album' was 'Passed Down' to me.

The discovery and photo detective work of Janie's Album has led to many of

'The John's, James' and Jane's in

The Pittman~Carroll~Marley~Leatherwood Family Tree

The Photo Album can be viewed HERE.

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The Legend of Ichabod

2012-04-10T08:42:00.001-05:00

A to Z Family Tree...Letter I

Who does that...names their children Ichabod!

My 4xGreat Grandparents John and Lucy Eunice Marshall Pittman...that's who!

Their son Ichabod Byrd Pittman was born in 1780 in Richmond, Georgia.

Forty years before Ichabod became a household name in

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.

The Legendary Ichabod's in The Pittman Family Tree began with

John Ichabod Pittman, Senior

John Ichabod Pittman, Junior

Ichabod Byrd Pittman

Family archives state John the first's 'I' initial could have been for Isaac.

Obviously according to the 'Family Tree', his descendents liked Ichabod and passed the

Legendary Moniker down through three generations.

The Legend of Father and Son - John Ichabod Pittman

American Revolutionary Soliders

Notable Ancestors - Tracks of My Texas Ancestors

Ichabod Byrd Pittman, last of the Icahabod's, died at the young age of 47 years.

His wife, Frances Jackson Stone Pittman, in all likely hood put a stop the 'I' name in the Pittman Family Tree. Their children were named:

Thomas Augustus...Rene Marion...Selina Ann and Joseph Marshall

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Howell Family Hallowed Ground of Stones

2012-04-09T06:40:00.000-05:00

AtoZ Family Tree...Letter H

The Howell Family Cemetery was established in 1860 with the death of Isaac Howell.

Located in Cobb County, Georgia on land Isaac and his father Joseph won in the

1827 and 1832 Georgia Land Lotteries.

Isaac Howell

Born on Christmas Day, December 25, 1784...Cabarrus County, North Carolina

One of eleven children of Joseph Howell, Jr. and Margaret Tucker Howell.

Died on November 9, 1860 in Cobb County Georgia

Cause of Death...Cussin' President Abe Lincoln

'Bloody blazes, I'd rather die than see that boot-lickin' Republican Abe Lincoln as President."
Right then and there my 3X Great-Grandfather Issac Howell dropped dead!

...according to Family Legend...

The Howell ~ Pittman Lineage

Mary Anne Howell Pittman ~ 1822-1890 ~ Daughter of Isaac Howell

Married on December 20, 1840 to

Rene Marion Pittman ~1812-1873 ~ Son of Ichabod Byrd Pittman

Rene Marion Pittman and Mary Anne Howell Pittman Stones

Howell Family Cemetery

Rene Marion and Mary Anne Pittman...Great Great Grandparents

Their Story...Rene Marion Pittman...Notable Ancestor

The Howell Family Cemetery is listed on Find A Grave Website

List of Howells and Pittmans Interred there on Howell Research Room

Issac Howell on Find A Grave Website

Photo Acknowledgement

Carolyn Troillett...3XGreat Grandaughter of Issac Howell

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EXTRA EXTRA!!! READ ALL ABOUT IT!!!

2012-04-08T17:25:00.000-05:00

JIMMY HOFFA FOUND....on The 1940 Census Blog!!!

You heard it first right here on CollectInTexas Gal!

I heard it straight from the 1940 US Census Blog....and I knew you'd want to know!

READ ALL ABOUT

Thomas MacEntee's Step by Step Search

Jimmy Hoffa Found in the 1940 Census

This is just one of the Informative Posts found on the 1940 Census Blog!

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Sergeant Chapel Bennett Pittman

US Army 1942-1945

1938th Engineer Aviation Utilities Company

~Tour of Duty~

Camp Chafee Arkansas

French Haven New Guinea

Luzon, Phillipines

Okinawa and Tokyo Japan

~Decorations and Citations~

AP Theater Ribbon

Three Bronze Stars

Good Conduct Medal

World War II Victory Ribbon

American Theater Ribbon

~ Brother of ~

MD Pittman Willard Carroll Pittman

All three brothers were in the US Armed Services at the same time.

Willard Carroll Pittman...CollectInTexas Gal's Father.

Disclaimer: This post written in support of the 1940 US Census Community Project. As a part of the 1940 census.com Ambassador program this blog post enters me into a drawing for an iPad."