Researching Ancestry

Lately I have been working on my ancestry....really on my father's side. I was fortunate that my aunt and cousin had done a spectacular job on my mother's side. They are making trips to Frederick, Maryland where many were buried and seeing headstones. Exploring my father's side has been difficult. Dad was born in Flomaton, Alabama to two people who were born in the nearby town of Brewton. Many of the local records were destroyed when during the Civil War the court house was burned down, not once but twice. We had to start out with family tales and work from there. My grandmother died about fifteen years ago (had Alzheimer's for five  years prior) and had never shown us family photos. I don't blame her, but myself for not asking many questions. She had told us that she Native American blood. I wanted to see if that were so. She had suggested numerous tribes. Her grandfather where this blood came from was rather quiet about this. He spoke the language fluently but refused to speak it or teach it to his children after he was threatened one night for speaking it. This was also the time (when he was older) that the Civil War was going on. My grandmother said he was in both Yankee and Confederate armies. This sounded impossible. What my research suggests was that he might have been a Yankee Scout. There were documents for the Confederate but not them. I was told that Yankee Scouts were paid in cash. Most could not read or write so no records were taken or kept.

According to a cousin Virgie my grandfather was a liberal before his time. He felt compassion for slaves and didn't want to support slavery. He had black folk in his house as guests which was frowned on by his neighbors. Native Americans had no prejudice and often married black mates. At that time there were no records kept of who was with what tribe. My grandfather was from South Carolina and I believe he was Cherokee. When he relocated to Alabama he was part of the Creek (or southeastern Muskogees. They shared their language with the Seminoles in Florida. He married a woman who it seems had some Ancestors who were at least part Creek. It is difficult because names were misspelled and often changed to other names: example Coatney and Courtney.

This has been so interesting and had led me to join a tribe. The tribe I joined is not federally recognized. This is in part because many of the members were not on the Dawes list. This is what the government went by. If you agreed to be relocated you were put on the list. My grandfather took his family and hid in the woods for a few years, along with others, who refused to be relocated. These people knew who they were, knew which of them had "Indian" heritage. Later the government agreed to come and take applications to recognize some of them. Many of those got federal benefits. I am not interested in that at all. To me, I just want the ancestral information. It's been a fascinating and at times frustrating journey but I have made strides. Best of all, I have met a wonderful group of people, members of the Perdido Bay Tribe. I love the people from the South. They are genuine. In the area that I live people are so materialistic. At one time I had the large house and shopped in Nordstrom's. Now I live in the small house and much of my income goes for medical bills. I am okay with that. I lost many "friends" when I couldn't keep up with them. Now my friends are people who struggle but will go online and spend a day helping me research. They will mail me a card when I am sick or call me on the phone. They keep in touch. They enrich my world and I am so grateful.

Boston and Frustration

I am usually a peaceful person. In the past I was a pacifist for the most part. I no longer feel that way. I am angry and very frustrated. I am so angry that a wonderful man, Mr. Richard lost his 8 year old son, will have to see his young daughter deal her entire life without a leg (she was an Irish dancer), and we don't know the extent of his wife's "head injury". All this hell and so much more created by these fanatical cowards. The anger comes from this: this family came to the U.S. under the guise of needing political asylum. We granted them that and we gave them welfare. These "YOUNG MEN" (not what I would choose to call them) took a scholarship, took up room in colleges while other decent kids were denied getting in. Their mother was convicted of shoplifting. The older brother I have read had a YouTube account promoting their fanaticism. This was for years. WHY were these people given the asylum in the first place? Why were they allowed to become citizens? Why didn't the FBI take the warning from another government seriously? Oh so many questions.

I have lived and worked hard and paid taxes in this country for nearly sixty years. ENOUGH of letting so many people (from questionable areas and backgrounds) in. Shut the doors. Lady Liberty says "Give me your tired and poor" She does NOT say "give me your fanatics and zealots". We need to wake up in this country. When I was younger the thought of a terroristic act in this country was unthinkable. Since 911 it's happened over and over. We can't protect the children in our schools right now safely. We need to padlock the doors for now and get our ducks in a row. Not sure how to do that but when 170 Americans and injured and 3 killed, along with the two police officers, we need to say "ENOUGH!" I also suggest deporting the remaining family members once someone from a "political asylum" family is found to be a terrorist.

You may feel I am overreacting but if so, look at the videos again. These boys WATCHED the victims. They told their friends they hated Americans. The next time a terrorist attacks it might be someone in your family who is their victim.

Waiting Patiently....

I've been so busy since I've been home from the hospital. Mainly going to the hospital to have my biliary tube flushed and dressing changes and to see all the doctors who are taking care of me which include a surgeon, my pulmonary doctors, my cardiology team, infectious disease doctors and an occasional visit to the radiology place for an x ray. Last week I had to see two doctors/facilities on one day a few times. My blood thinner has been way too high because of being on antibiotics so that has required extra visits to the cardiology office and/or lab.

Overall I think I am doing well for what is happening. I have lost another 18 pounds in the past month. Fortunately, I had extra weight that I could lose. I still have a few more extra pounds that I will probably drop over the next few months. My appetite just isn't there. When I do eat it's really small portions. Sometimes I think something sounds very appealing but when it comes to eating it, I just can't. This is especially true with meat. I can manage small amounts of grilled chicken or part of a burger but that's about it. I am existing on salads and toast or small sandwiches.

My biliary tube is quite a nuisance. It's sewn into the skin of my belly and if it gets tugged it hurts. When I go weekly to the hospital for them to flush it and change the sterile dressings it's quite unpleasant. Fortunately, I have had someone to drive me each time as when I leave I have to merge onto two major highways. This would be difficult to do while in pain.

I saw the surgeon last week and he said that when he sees me again on April 23rd we will set the surgery date. He wanted to wait the full six weeks because I have had a fever that has recurred along with a wheeze in my left lung and a cough. They want me to be in good condition for the surgery. I so look forward to not having the drain or the gallbladder anymore. I cannot shower while I have this tube either. It's too vulnerable to infection. Sponge baths just don't cut it. No matter how often you have them. I know this is just an inconvenience and a few months from now I should be back to normal. I can't wait. I took care of my taxes today. Trying to get everything in order so I can relax. Each day I get more EOBS and medical bills in the mail. When it's all said and done I will owe thousands. One day at a time.