Tag: ancestory

Happy Anniversary, Mom & Dad

My mother and father were married during World War II.I could not have asked to be born to better people in the world.  You might not have been the best parents, but you were far, far, far from the worst.  You did the best you could.  I wasn’t an easy child to live with and train for the world, and for that I’m sorry.

Dad, you know how I feel.  I wrote a letter to you telling you just how much I loved and admired you before you passed away. I know Grandpa didn’t understand why I didn’t return home to take care of you after Mom died.  I’d like to think you understood, that you were proud I was serving my country, even after I left the Navy.

I’m sorry you didn’t get a chance to walk me down the aisle.  For years I felt the pain of never finding someone who loved me, but now it’s more a regret that you didn’t get to experience it.  Maybe you were right.  Maybe I was looking for someone “just like my old man” (as you put it).  That person just doesn’t exist.

Mom, you had a heart of pure gold.  You were the nicest, kindest person I ever met.  I mentioned this once to Margie’s sister-in-law; she said Margie had said the same thing.  (And you thought she didn’t approve of you!)  You left a legacy of good works in our little town, often behind the scenes and without glory. When Dad died, a woman came up to me at the reception and said, “You had such wonderful parents.”  And even though you’d been gone for several years, she added, “Including your mother.”

Continue reading “Happy Anniversary, Mom & Dad” →

Sunday “Surprise” Seven

Decluttering uncovers loads of surprises.  Most are trash, some are treasures, and some (almost) defy description.  And all within 15 minutes!

Seven Interesting Things I Found in My Den

  1. A picture of the Nautical Notes, a select offshoot of the Newport Navy Choristers, a choral group I sang with during my Newport days.  I’m the only woman in uniform (Mess Dress Blues).
  2. A cassette tape titled “Sigel Overholt: the First 100 Years,” a biography my Uncle Rod put together for Grandpa‘s 100th birthday party.  It definitely needs to be transfer it to digital.
  3. My father’s trinket box, which I remember from childhood.  In it I found enough items for another Sunday Seven.  🙂
  4. Four USB cords to various small electronic devices (camera, GPS, etc.) and a synchronizing cable for a Palm organizer.  A Palm!  Are they even still around?
  5. A USB mouse, highly valuable for when the batteries in the wireless mouse die—which seems to happen much too often.
  6. A Motorola flip phone, pre-Razr. Geez, how many iterations ago was that?
  7. Two 8×10 photos of Benjamin Bratt, from the Web 1.0 days when I ran a fan site for him.  One is from After the Storm and the other from Piñero (autographed).  I have no idea where I got them.

And that list doesn’t include the boring things!

Let’s end with a little eye candy.
Pinero, one of Benjamin Bratt’s proudest roles.

Thank You, NaBloPoMo

Mom and Aunt Marceille have a warm reunion on a cold day.
The Carter girls, home on the farm, c.1943

Thank you, NaBloPoMo for giving us our Daily Prompts.  WordPress.com also has one, but it usually entails more thinking than I’m willing to do today.  (Plus, I’m not crazy about today’s prompt:  Tell us about a thing you’ll never write about.  Um, no.  Then I’d be writing about it, right?)

From NaBloPoMo:  Are you interested in genealogy?  Do you have a family tree constructed?

Short answer:  No.  And no.

Long answer:  One of my father’s cousins was an genealogist.  He even wrote a book about it, but it was in “geneolo-eze” and I had a horrible time understanding it.  I’m not sure if I still have the book or threw it away.  Hopefully the latter.

My Uncle Rod also wrote a book about my grandfather.  (You may remember them both in word and picture from this post.)  In it, I discovered I could join the DAR, as one of my ancestors loaned his rifle to the Continental Army and followed it into the American Revolution.  I haven’t joined DAR.  Perhaps I will if I feel they’ve sufficiently atoned for not allowing Marion Anderson to sing at Constitution Hall.

I’m not sure about my mother’s side of the family.  I think her sister (Aunt Marceille, pictured above on the right) tried doing some research, but don’t know what became of it—or if she was even successful.  I think her family also dates back a few centuries in America, as she was a member of the DAR.  Or was she eligible by marriage?  Does DAR allow Daughters-in-Law of the American Revolution?   😀

My grandfather was a wonderful story-teller.  He always told of some incident from the past whenever the family gathered.  Unfortunately, being a kid and teen-ager, I didn’t listen very well.  I guess this means I need to do some research if I want to write a memoir of my parents.  I can think of worse pastimes.

Sunday Seven: Roots

How appropriate.  The theme for NaBloPoMo this month is Roots, so here’s a sneak peak of mine.

Seven People I’m Proud to Call Relatives

My grandfather and uncle were two of my favorite people.
Grandpa and Uncle Rod: two of my favorite people
  1. Marjorie Overholt, mother.  The nicest, kindest person you’d ever hope to meet.
  2. Owen Overholt, father.  Imminently fair and honest, a lawyer who loved the law more than money.
  3. James Roderick Overholt, uncle.  Phi Beta Kappa, and adored by everyone who met him.
  4. Connie McCutchon, first cousin once removed.  Listed in Who’s Who, she shares a birthday with my mother, and another hero of mine, Abraham Lincoln.
  5. Sigel Overholt, grandfather.  He lived to be 101 years, 6 months.  The six months is important because his older sister (Connie’s mother) lived to be only 101 years, 3 months.
  6. Henry Carter, grandfather.  He could be ornery and difficult, but he was larger than life.
  7. Cassie Carter, grandmother.  If I’d had one, I’d have named my daughter after her.

Honorable mention:  Debra Overholt, “niece-in-law.”  She wasn’t a relative by blood, but she was family.  Intelligent, talented, loving and kind, she died much too soon.

More to come…