Cousins All The Way Back Too........

Manila & Launa Hilley, cousins, 1920

Waddy Turner 1905

Harper cousins 1965

Turner Reunion 2005

One of the things I love about genealogy is the family get togethers, be it reunions or just a Sunday dinner.  If you are the history person in your family, it's important to find out about the current line as well as the past.  The more stories you have the more history is passed down.  And if you're like me, the stories are so interesting.

The first picture above is that of my Dad's Mom, Manila Hilley Harper and her cousin Launa Hilley.  It seems in addition to being cousins, they were best friends. This picture was taken in 1920.  I think it's a neat picture, a look into a frame of time. The outfits are rather indicative of that time, they were about 19 or 20, Manila was married and had children. She had my Dad in 1916. I look at this picture and realize she had a good friend and a good life, no matter how hard the times were at that time. I also realize that thirteen years later, she died after contracting measles during her pregnancy.  The little girl, Bertha, died as well.  They were living in Rising Fawn, Georgia at the time.

The next picture is from my Mom's side of the family, the Turners.  This is my great-grandfather's brother.  So his children are my cousins. This line in the family has been a hard one to trace. I have it back to 1814, my great-great-grandfather Esley (Easley) Turner.  

The next picture is that of me with my cousins (I'm the one on the far right in the plaid dress) in 1965. I remember some fun times when we got together.  Playing corn bins, barn lofts, hiding in corn fields and playing all kinds of games.  The boy standing behind me was my cousin Terry.  He was a hoot! He had polio as a child and had to wear a brace.  At some point though, he got rid of the brace, and even with his unusual gait, he could outrun us all. Once when we were all together at his house, they had a garden and in the garden was a plant that had what looked like a banana growing on it.  Which is what he told us it was, there were about 4 or 5 of us, between the ages of 5-8. We believed him.  It turned out to be a pepper so hot that we ran into the house crying and wanting wash clothes to wash out our mouths.  I still remember him laughing as my Aunt spanked him. 

In genealogy, it's so important to keep a history of past events so the current generation can enjoy their family and the roots where they came from.  Plus it's so interesting and fun to hear about them.