Mud in the Water

There is Mud in the Water 

and the Magic is Gone.

Part I of II

Read Part II

There is "Mud in the Water" with my genealogy journey.   There are times when you hit a dead end and just can not find any more documentation.  At other times, you find too much aggression from others that refuse to work together or see past the family stories.   And, then there are times that others infiltrate and destroy lifetimes of work and/or destroy one's character just for ignorance or control.   Genealogy can be tough.   Secrets.  Labels.  Shared Ancestors.  Family Stories.  All of these can be contentious but none worse than being cyberbullied.

During May 2025, I was cyberbullied to the point of major anguish.

Being an advocate for Appalachia was always going to make me a lightening rod.  I knew that going in.  I can handle the attacks on Appalachia and Appalachians because I present facts vs Hollywood stories and social media lies which usually shuts down any argument.   It's the personal attacks from keyboard warriors, the brutal lies, scary threats, and the disgusting attacks on my character that I will not allow.  No one should.

52 Weeks: Oldest Story, The Cherokee Creation Story

 

this week’s theme is “OLDEST STORY.”   

The cherokee indian story of the beginning of the appalachians.  

Sometimes our oldest story is about where we are from and not about a particular person.  folklore is an important part of our stories.

The Cherokee Creation Story...

The Cherokee creation story tells how the world began as a big ocean, and all the animals lived in a place above the sky called Galun'lati. It was getting crowded there, so the animals wanted more space.

One brave Water Beetle offered to dive down into the water to see what was below. It swam all around but couldn't find any land. Finally, it dove to the bottom and brought up some soft mud. This mud started to grow and spread out in every direction until it became the land we call Earth.

Click on Read More for the rest of the story and a link to the video....

12 Photos: April 2025 Couples

  

April 2025

12 Months of Photos - "Couples"

Since April brings about our Wedding Anniversary (we eloped!), this month's Photo is myself and my husband, Mike, aboard the train headed to New Orleans, one of our favorite places.  

Our biggest joke is how much older Mike is than me.  I was in elementary school when he was entering high school but as adults, the age difference disappeared.

Train bound for NOLA, March 11th, 2025

The music video for this blog entry:  Nothin' but a good time by Poison.  

It's the way we met and the way we've made a life together for over 30 years.

Join the 12 Months of Photos at WikiTree.  Show off your Genealogy.

52 Ancestors Week 14: Language

 

this week’s theme is “Language.”   

Not all language issues are with source documents.  

Sometimes language barriers occur with accents and spelling in your own language. 

The Appalachian Dialect...

Appalachian English is American English native to the Appalachian mountain region of the Eastern United States.

The Unique Language of Appalachia: A Living Time Capsule

The Appalachian region, stretching from southern New York to northern Alabama and Georgia, is home to one of the most distinctive dialects in North America. Rooted in the early English, Scots-Irish, and German settlers who arrived in the 18th century, Appalachian English has retained many archaic words and phrases that have disappeared elsewhere.

A Time Capsule of Old English

I, for one, do not subscribe to the theory that Appalachians speak "Old English". 

It's been said that Appalachian speech is its preservation of Elizabethan English. Words like afeared (afraid), reckon (suppose), and britches (pants) date back centuries (and yes, we do say those words). The grammatical structures also reflect older forms of English, such as double modals ("I might could do that") and the use of a- prefixing ("He was a-hunting")—a feature found in Middle English poetry.

But, extensive research has been conducted since the 1930's to determine the origin of the Appalachian dialect.  Most would agree that it's an amalgam of Old English from original settlers, colonial 18th century English from the descendants of the original settlers, and a lot of Ulster-Scot dialect.

Without a doubt, Appalachians have always been taunted for their speech to the point of the Appalachian Dialect inferring poorness, laziness, and lack of education.  All of which is completely false.

Click on Read More to see samples on how Appalachians speak and what common words we use in sentences....

Video Blog: Apalachin Meeting – The Mafia in Appalachia

 Apalachin Meeting – The Mafia in Appalachia

The Appalachin meeting was a secret gathering of American Mafia leaders in 1957 to discuss illegal operations. The meeting took place at the home of mobster Joseph “Joe the Barber” Barbara in Apalachin, New York.

Join us as we discuss how this meeting changed the Mafia in America forever.

Prefer the Podcast version?  Click here.

Are you related or connect to any of these mobsters? 

Find out by visiting the Appalachin Meeting page on WikiTree.

Ancestry Roads and WikiTree: 

 Where Appalachian Stories and Genealogy meet.

View more Appalachian Stories at Ancestry Roads YouTube .

Ancestry Roads: https://www.ancestryroads.com/

WikiTree: https://www.wikitree.com/