(no subject)
You know what's addicting? Genealogy. My friend is letting me use her online account and its so awesome. I spent a good chunk of last night tracing back my relatives. For several of them, I've been able to get back to my grandparents' grandparents, mostly all on the paternal side. Its harder to track the females since a lot of my family didn't actually get married so even though they list the woman has having the man's last name, I know from family accounts that's not always true. Plus I got some great juicy stories from my maternal grandmother when I called her.
It will be really hard to get back past the 1860s for obvious reasons, but given that at least my father's side of the family has barely left SC in 150 years, it might be a little easier. For my mother's side its a bit more difficult since things a little more mixed up. I've already found evidence that at least one of my relatives changed her race from census to census (who can blame her at the time)? Plus, there are apparently several hundred McKelvins/McElvins/McKelvys (all variations that my family has said my have been our name) in Edgefield, SC. There is a record of a John McKelvin coming over from Scotland in the 1790s and buying land in that area. John McKelvin is a name that has popped up quite a bit in my family, but then again John is like on of the most common names in history. I know there's a connection, but I'm not sure what. Most likely John McKelvin from Scotland (or one of his descendants) was the landowner and that's just the name my family took after the civil war. But given some of the lighter skinned people that have popped up in that branch...that's probably not the entire case.
We now return you to the regularly scheduled packing marathon.
It will be really hard to get back past the 1860s for obvious reasons, but given that at least my father's side of the family has barely left SC in 150 years, it might be a little easier. For my mother's side its a bit more difficult since things a little more mixed up. I've already found evidence that at least one of my relatives changed her race from census to census (who can blame her at the time)? Plus, there are apparently several hundred McKelvins/McElvins/McKelvys (all variations that my family has said my have been our name) in Edgefield, SC. There is a record of a John McKelvin coming over from Scotland in the 1790s and buying land in that area. John McKelvin is a name that has popped up quite a bit in my family, but then again John is like on of the most common names in history. I know there's a connection, but I'm not sure what. Most likely John McKelvin from Scotland (or one of his descendants) was the landowner and that's just the name my family took after the civil war. But given some of the lighter skinned people that have popped up in that branch...that's probably not the entire case.
We now return you to the regularly scheduled packing marathon.