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Jessica Ferguson

Author, Writing Coach, Speaker

X is for Grandpa

April 27, 2012 By Jessica Ferguson Leave a Comment

I love genealogy and the NBC Friday night show called Who Do You Think You Are. Tonight actor Rob Lowe discovers an ancestor who battled against George Washington during the American Revolution.

I joined Ancestry.com last year after watching the season.

That’s where I first saw draft cards, registration and enlistment papers belonging to some of my ancestors–and what their signatures looked like. Sometimes the signature is an X.

When I first saw that X signifying a relative’s name, I felt incredibly sad to know that he couldn’t read the Bible or the newspaper, that he couldn’t write his name.  If I couldn’t read, I’d feel helpless, at the mercy of others.
My grandfather couldn’t read. I remember mom saying he was too mean to learn how. She was the oldest of 10 kids; the first born usually gets all the discipline. I don’t know that I ever witnessed any helplessness in Grandpa but he sure was at the mercy of others when it came to reading. He made his kids read the Bible to him, scripture after scripture, over and over again, and he listened to preachers on the radio. He was born in 1900 and when he was five years old, his father was murdered.

I have two cousins (twins) who can barely read. Their mom was pregnant with them when their father had emergency surgery and died. Who knows what they experienced inside the womb when she was told her husband was dead?  She never re-married. Being close to these two guys, I see how being unable to read or read well has affected their lives. They don’t use X for their signatures, but they struggle.

I wonder if growing up without dads played some part in my cousins and my grandfather’s ability to learn. I know their lives would have been different–so much better.

X marks the signature of many people–even today. I find that sad.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: A to Z Challenge, genealogy, Signatures, Who Do You Think You Are?, X

G is for Genealogy

April 7, 2012 By Jessica Ferguson Leave a Comment

Genealogy:   A record or table of the descent of a person, family, or group from an ancestor or ancestors; a family tree
.

I’m hooked on genealogy and have been for a number of years. I put it away for a long time but last year, after watching Who Do You Think You Are? on Friday nights, I dug out my disorganized notes and records, joined ancestry.com and started searching.

Genealogy is addictive. I struggle between writing fiction and wanting to devote all my time to writing my family history–at least, a few personal family stories like  the one below.
Me and Grandma
I was closer to Grandma than her other grandkids. Maybe because we lived right across the pasture and I saw her every day. When I was little, I stayed with Grandma while Mama worked. I watched her wring the necks of chickens, slam them to the ground and laugh while they flopped to death. There was something a little scary, yet fascinating about watching my old Grandma, long grey hair knotted at the base of her neck, killing chickens.
When I got older, I’d still hang out with Grandma. I thought she could teach me something school books, and my own mom, couldn’t.
Being at Grandma’s house always felt right.

But this story isn’t 100% true. I wasn’t any closer to Grandma than the other grandkids; I did live across the pasture. And I did stay with her when I was little while my mom worked but once I started calling my panties ‘drawers’ and the front porch a ‘gallery’, Mom put me in a kindergarten. I did watch Grandma (I really called her Mamaw) wring the necks of chickens, and she did twist her long hair in a knot. She laughed too. Yes, she fascinated me, so is the story a lie?

I wonder what keeps people from ‘elaborating’ their family history, stories about their ancestors? 

John Henry Roach is 18 years old. Mattie Mae Smith is 16 years old. Too handsome and beautiful to be wringing the necks of chickens.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: chickens, genealogy, Roach, Smith, writing

Reality Faith.
Reality Fiction.

"As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.”
Acts 4:20

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