genealogy

President Lincoln writes a letter of thanks for “a pair of socks so fine”

January 28, 2021 by Randy Majors

On 4 Dec 1861, President Abraham Lincoln wrote a letter to my 5th great grandmother, Susannah Crume Weathers, thanking her for a letter and gift she had recently sent him: “a pair of socks so fine”. It seems quite funny and odd on the surface of it, and yet how quaint, charming, and even noble it is. The letter is inspirational to me, as it exemplifies President Lincoln’s unpretentious and accessible character. Below is the letter as reproduced in The Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln, Volume 5 (Wildside Press, 2008). How I’d love to see the original letter Abraham Lincoln had … Read more

Unexpected Name-Change Brick Wall Busted!

January 28, 2021 by Randy Majors

The man who wasn’t John Charles Brown? Secrecy, Genealogical Research, Hunches, and DNA Testing Lead to Answers For 130 years – from 1880 to 2010 – John Charles Brown’s past was hidden in veils of secrecy. John’s children and grandchildren didn’t know who his parents or siblings were. It was the proverbial genealogical brick wall. Therefore, since this was one of my most difficult family lines I could research, I researched it. JOHN CHARLES BROWN APPARENTLY DIDN’T EXIST BEFORE HIS MARRIAGE For many years, the first confirmed record found of John Charles Brown was of his marriage to Catherine Connors … Read more

Majors and Moore family histories published

January 28, 2021 by Randy Majors

Majors and Moore regional family histories were recently published in the book Great Sage Plain to Timberline, Our Pioneer History by the Montezuma County Historical Society. I submitted the article on the Majors family, which is shown here. The William Andrew “Andy” Majors Family Settled in McElmo Canyon from the Oklahoma Indian Territory in 1887 Having crossed the plains in a wagon-train, William Andrew “Andy” Majors arrived in McElmo Canyon 17 Aug 1887 from the Oklahoma Indian Territory, along with Henry Bowdish and George Edmonson. The following summer, Andy Majors ran the plow teams building the Lone Pine and Hermosa ditches … Read more

Photo Detective write-up on tintype of my 4th Great Grandfather

January 28, 2021 by Randy Majors

Back in July of 2009, Maureen Taylor, the Photo Detective, did a write-up on a “photo” I discovered of my 4th Great Grandfather, William Riley Majors. In the photo with William were his two children from his first marriage: my 3rd Great Grandfather William Andrew “Andy” Majors and his sister Martha Etta Majors. The photo was at the house of a 2nd cousin 2 times removed in Cortez, Colorado, but she had not known who was in the photo until we met in October 2008. So we both made a fantastic discovery that day! “Electronic files are wonderful for sharing pictures, … Read more