The past and present meet

My grandfather was a tall, lanky man who topped well over six feet. His mother was small and we don't know what my great grandfather looked like but I am going to make the assumption that he was also tall and lanky. My dad and his brothers were all over six feet as are my sons. 

John Carter Rhea was my great grandfather. He served in the Confederate Army, Company D, Tennessee 29th Infantry Regiment. My son is a Civil War reinactor. He is the one in the foreground. I was taken with this photo because with a little imagination, this might have been my great grandfather 150 years ago.   

2013 Family History Vacation

It is not everyday that I willingly post a picture of me that is not composed to show only my smile. However, this is a 1848 Hawkens rifle that was used in the Civil War. My son bought this rifle recently and while he and my brother are gun collectors, my interest is centered around family history. The Hawkens is a muzzle loader and was made in St. Louis, Missouri. My great grandfather was murdered using his own rifle. I don't know if it was a Hawkens but it was a popular gun used in the war and very common in Eastern Tennessee. I was surprised at its accuracy but can't imagine having to reload it for each shot. The picture was taken on our family history vacation in Missouri. Christopher is showing me how to use it while Niles is loading one of the pistols in the background. Chris is my youngest son and Niles is my grandson.

View of downtown Eldon, Missouri. This is where my grandmother grew up. In terrain, it is similar to Sneedville, Tennessee although not as green. The area is more rocky and I imagine that farming was a little more difficult. I have a better understanding of my grandma's background after visiting the area. I have no idea where she lived, (it wasn't in town) but there was a town to go to for supplies and not as cutoff as my grandfather in Tennessee.

This is the courthouse in Carthage, Missouri. In 1914, my grandparents came here to get their marriage license. I had seen pictures of this courthouse but pictures don't do it justice. It sits on a square surrounded by Victorian and Craftsman homes.

We had a great trip. We met new family (my husband's missing siblings), spent time with my family and got a better understanding of the history that made my grandmother who she was.

The Greens of Tennessee

As I write this, I can look out my window and see the dried vegetation in the field across the street. Further out, our hills are covered in tan and the mountains that loom over our small valley, are different shades of brown. Except for the trees and plants watered daily in our valley, our summer colors are brown and tan.  

Tennessee was a revelation. Never do I remember seeing so much green. Everywhere you turn, the greens are overwhelming. It was like being transported to a different planet.

This is the view from where the home place stood. This is where my grandfather would have played as a child and farmed as a youth. All of the land between the road and the house to the river was planted. In the center of the picture is the Clinch River. I didn't have a visual from the older pictures but now see that the river was very much a part of their lives. My great grandmother talks about flooding and now I see why.

 

This photo was taken in 1982. My dad, on the left, is with two of his cousins. This was his first trip to Tennessee and the first time he saw the home place. Somewhere between then and now, the house burned and is no longer there. What is left is the foundation. 

This appears to be what is left of the pump house, which was on the left in the picture above. The forest is taking back its own and this is all that's left. What struck me is that although the house is gone and those who lived here are gone, the foundation of our family still stands. And while the forest may eventually obscure all,  the mark they made on this land will never diminish.