As a continuance of yesterday's post, I wanted to continue of the subject of ancestral history and the treasure I once received that has a volume of information regarding my family's past. A paternal grandparent thought that it would be a good idea a long time ago to write it all down so it couldn't be forgotten. While the information is useful, the bigger picture was that it led me to discover so many more aspects of my life's beginnings. Had I not opened the pages and researched the names, I would never have discovered that my great-grandfather had fought one of the hardest battles in the first World War at Argonnes, France. I would not have known that my Woolfolk and Mehaffey fore-bearers actually lived next to each other in South Carolina back in the 19th century after immigrating from Scotland and Ireland. It would have never led me to find my ancestors that fought valiantly in the bloody Civil War for North Carolina and continued the family growth that led to my mom being born. It was in my college years before I began to fully understand where I came from and the mysteries surrounding my birth name. My parents had decided to make a highly personal and very painful decision to completely change their names from their given ones to another one that better suited their situation then. It was a decision that always seemed to bring roadblocks to understanding why I couldn't find any "Levia" ancestors in my bloodline. Of course, understanding the words in the family bible's ancestral registry, it became a passion to bring it all together. I applaud the efforts that a grandparent had to ensure that my daughter would have a source to go to in order to understand where her family tree branches out.
No comments:
Post a Comment