DAR or Bust.

I know. It's been a while. I *have* been busy on my other blogs and guest posting, but just not busy here.

However, things are about to pick up. I've decided to actively work on obtaining my DAR [Daughters of the American Revolution] membership. Why? Several reasons. 

Unbeknownst to me last Saturday at my local genealogical society's meeting I sat by the Regent-Elect of one of the local DAR chapters, and as any good Texan does, she talked me up over Shipley's donut holes and coffee. [*snort* They say alcohol loosens people up. Please. It's donuts and coffee. And pie. Cherry pie. *clears throat*] 

Anywho. She got to talking about their next DAR meeting and how it was the following Thursday night, and that they'd be inducting new members and installing new officers. I mentioned then that I had a few prospects [Read alleged 'misfits'.] to work on for DAR membership, but hadn't worked on it for a while. So next thing I knew I was handing over my business card and she was saying she was gonna call me to get some information on Monday.

And as promised, then today, Monday, she called. Now I'll be attending that Thursday meeting/dinner, and I can't wait!

Why?  Cuz I'm not from where I currently live, and I've no family here. And other than Amy Coffin from the WeTree Genealogy Blog, I've no one locally who is interested in genealogy and history. I love being around people, yet I rarely socialize. I enjoy the fact that it'd been several months since I'd been to my genealogy society's meeting and our president came over and gave me a hug and said she'd missed me. Then everyone made sure I was going  be at lunch after the meeting with them where we talked about genealogy, local history, and how we were moving our genealogy society and our library to a nearby small town for reasons I cannot disclose. But? Dude. Why wouldn't I want MORE of that? I'd be crazy not too.

Secondly, I need some proper motivation to break through this horribly stubborn brick wall involving my Davis, Smith, and Blacketer lines. Once this wall is outta my way, many of the lines are much simpler, and will open up several DAR prospects, 3 Winthrop Society prospects, & some other colonial society prospects. Not to mention will open up my research for my relationship to the Roosevelts.[Yes. Those Roosevelts.] And while I'm not enamored with the thought of the title of being in these society's and relationships, I am damn proud of my ancestors. And they make good stories. And this is the way I'm choosing to express it. And I like the idea of someone from my local DAR helping me out and being supportive and encouraging with research I already need to do.

Besides, this particular brick wall, involves some alleged hanky panky, and we need a good alleged hanky panky family story on this blog right now that DOES NOT involve Big Paw Paw in any way whatsoever. His ego ~wherever he is~ is already big enough. 

Anywho. I've been secretly in touch with a distant Davis cousin, and she's given me some sourced information that's guaranteed to help me out. And actually we're double cousins cuz the Davis's and the Blacketers liked each other a lot.


No. I'm not scared about researching my Smith and Davis lines. It does irritate me that they had the audacity to marry one another in between the 1860 and 1870 census with their daughter ~Martha Jane [at least she's not Mary]~ being born in 1869, and the Baby Daddy Smith is not listed on the 1870 census, but Martha Smith is with her mama Estella Cordelia Davis, my 2nd great grandma.] and they're living with Estella's daddy.


No I'm not scared that Martha Jane Smith when she was older married her step-daddy [Harrison Blacketer], and it's not clear whether he married her mother before that. [But it sure looks that way.]


No. I'm not scared that all the Davis researchers that I could find really believe that Andrew Jackson Davis is the youngest son of Jacob and Eunice (Dixon) Davis, but no one has proof other than the fact that there aren't any other Davis families around where good ol' Andy [or should I say my 3rd great grand papa] was born.

I've not looked under every rock that there is to look under. Not by a long shot. Frankly, I was too stunned at the time that Harrison married his step-daughter. [And don't look at me like that. You would've been too.] I do have a lead on another Blacketer cousin who may have some family stories handed down about Harrison Blacketer, Martha Jane Smith, and Estella Cordelia Davis. And Andy had a Civil War pension. [Did I mention he was in the Civil War for Iowa?] In fact, I know what I've done, and I know what I need to do. I'm better off than most.

So. Yeah. I'm gonna take the DAR plunge and see where it leads. I'm fully aware that the toppling down of my brick wall may take me elsewhere. [I mean, if they were misfits, they're hardly DAR-worthy. Me-worthy. Story-worthy. Just not DAR-worthy. *snort*] That's cool. Just more family stories to tell. And if it does lead to DAR or some other lineage societies, then I will have redeemed all this alleged hanky panky that's been going on in the family tree by my alleged misfit ancestors. [And think of all the Davis, Smith, and Blacketer researchers who will be excited.]


But I'm looking forward to adding another local meeting to my calendar and having a chance to connect with some local folks with common interests.

And then there's the donuts and coffee, of course. [Duh.]


Then, not to be outdone by my misfit ancestors, I thought I'd work on my United Empire Loyalists [UEL] application at the same time I'm working on my DAR application. [My work on that is MUCH easier. They weren't as much of alleged misfits as the other lines, which is really, really funny if you think about it.] They are ALL who I am ~ misfit, loyal to someone or something, and patriotic. And, as my Gran used to say, "God love 'em!"


Therefore, I'll be chronicling everything here in my usual sarcastic fashion. [How else do you handle alleged hanky panky of the likes I've mentioned above?] I've a feeling these folks are gonna leave us saying, "Big Paw Paw who?"


~Caroline