Your Quick Tips, 06 August 2007

View of Pottsville Taken from Sharp Mountain & respectfully dedicated to the enterprising citizens of the Coal Region by J.R. Smith, ca. 1833Place Names of Tennessee
Tennessee has a book entitled Place Names of Tennessee, by the Tennessee Division of Geology, and another book which lists all the present and former post offices in Tennessee. I own a copy of the former and I check the library frequently for the latter. Perhaps other states have similar books, if you check libraries.
 
Roy Howard, Chattanooga TN

Your Family History Landscape
I live in a rural county and do a lot of research for people who cannot come to our area. They frequently want to know what it was like. We describe the (lack of) roads, the flat land, etc.
 
I recently decided to develop the same thing for my children and grandchildren. Our roots are heavy in Pennsylvania. When one drives through there it is lovely to see the tiny communities tucked in between the mountains.  I am going to start taking photos of the areas our roots grew in from scenic outlooks to show this. Since we were there pre-Revolutionary War, I have started reading articles describing the hardships at that time.
 
My grandmother was born in Nebraska in 1903. Most of the homes there were sod houses. She and her two oldest brothers were born there. I have done some online searching and located photos of several types of sod houses and printed them off.
 
Families are so much more than names and dates. This is making ours come alive.
 
Sincerely, Gloria Hall

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Image: View of Pottsville Taken from Sharp Mountain & respectfully dedicated to the enterprising citizens of the Coal Region by J.R. Smith, ca. 1833. Click on the image to enlarge it.

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2 thoughts on “Your Quick Tips, 06 August 2007

  1. Gloria,

    I live in Pennsylvania and some of my great grandmothers family moved to Nebraska in the 1870’s from Huntingdon County PA which is a less developed part of the state but truely beautiful. They went to Freemont and Grand Island areas of Nebraska and like you I have become interested in what live was like at that time. In the obituary I found online, my great grandmothers sister who was born in 1844 went by way of Wagon Train to Illinois then Nebraska and she died in 1940. As a result I started reading books on Pioneer life in Nebraska around that time and since read many historical fiction and non-fiction of Nebraska. I was very happy to read that you have been doing something similar. What part of PA is your family from? I presently live in Washington County but my father was from Bedford County/Huntingdon County area and my husband is from York County.

    Sincerely, Kathy

  2. Gloria, You are so right about pictures giving us more than what documents can. I have one of my grandfather, father, and uncle outside their sodhouse in Nebraska. My Dad was born in 1909. His father had lived in New York before homesteading in Nebraska. Unfortunately, my grandmother did not like her picture and had cut her image out so I have no pictures of her when she was a young woman. Sincerely, Joanne

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