by Sharon Hall | Feb 4, 2014 | Tombstone Tuesday
The first thing that intrigued me about this cemetery were two gravestones which are said to have been carved by the decedents’ son. They are unique in that the faces of his parents are carved into the back of each tombstone – the primitive art is striking. Thomas...
by Sharon Hall | Feb 1, 2014 | Surname Saturday
The Lawson surname has “truly ancient origins”, according to The Internet Surname Database (ISD). Originating in the Holy Land, it was brought back to England and Scotland by the crusaders of the twelfth century in the form of “Lawrence”, and the baptismal name...
by Sharon Hall | Jan 29, 2014 | Digging History Magazine, Ghost Town Wednesday
The American West has hundreds of abandoned ghost towns, but east of the Rockies some refer to towns that may still have a few residents as “quiet towns”. These towns have diminished over the years as residents moved away to bigger cities, post offices and schools...
by Sharon Hall | Jan 28, 2014 | Tombstone Tuesday
John Baptiste Priquet, according to his death certificate, was born in Paris, France on April 18, 1843. Curiously, his gravestone (added later) says that he was born in 1846 and various family research sites indicate an April 14, 1846 date as well. His daughter’s...
by Sharon Hall | Jan 25, 2014 | Surname Saturday
This was a difficult surname to research – what with the Google results of “blemish control advice” or “family history of acne” interspersed and all. I came across the surname “Pimple” on a list of Revolutionary War soldiers last week when I was researching the...
by Sharon Hall | Jan 24, 2014 | Feisty Females
Mary Fields, a.k.a. “Stagecoach Mary” was born in Tennessee as a slave. Nothing much is known about her early life, except that she was orphaned and, unlike other slave children of that day, she learned to read and write. One important person in her life would be...
by Sharon Hall | Jan 22, 2014 | Digging History Magazine, Ghost Town Wednesday
In the early 1920’s, James Albert Chambless of Arkansas settled in the Amboy area, near the intersection of Cadiz road and the National Trails Road. The family built a store in the late 1920’s after the National Trails Road was renamed Route 66. In 1932,...
by Sharon Hall | Jan 21, 2014 | Digging History Magazine, Tombstone Tuesday
In 1754 three sons were born to Charles and Sally (Weathers) Pierson in Culpeper County, Virginia. The boys were named, perhaps in order of birth, Shadrack, Meshack and Abednego. Charles and Sally were the parents of at least one other child, Charles. My internet...
by Sharon Hall | Jan 18, 2014 | Surname Saturday
The Pierson surname originally meant “son of Piers” – possibly from French “Pierre” or “Peter”. The Greek origin would be “Petros” or rock (in the Bible Simon was given the name “Peter” by Jesus). The surname is of early medieval English origin with various...
by Sharon Hall | Jan 14, 2014 | Tombstone Tuesday
Absalom Baker Scattergood was born on July 11, 1822 in Dolington, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. I was unable to definitely determine who his parents were, although one source lists his parents as John Head and Catherine (King) Scattergood. I believe, based on the...
