Wordless Wednesday: Old School Memories

REMEMBER THESE? I certainly do!  Photo of old school desks with inkwells.
Photo taken at the Cordova Museum, located at 1017 Sanga Road, Cordova, TN, on Jan. 24, 2013.

© 2013 Copyright by Carla Love Maitland



Super Sunday! Lineage Society Update...

DAR Marker for Charles Lee Dibrell
(Located at Beulah Cemetery in Union City, Obion Co., TN)

I just got word this morning that I have finally been accepted into the last of the four lineage societies that I applied for in 2012.  I am now a proud member of The National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution, the National Huguenot Society, the Huguenot Society of the Founders of Manakin in the Colony of Virginia, and the National Society United States Daughters of 1812.

I first wrote about some of those applications in my Society Saturday post back in June. At that time I had just been accepted into the Manakin Huguenot Society group and had my application turned in for the DAR.  Who knew how long that process would take?  Although the application should have been a 'slam dunk,' I ended up having to write a letter describing the reasons for the discrepancies on my Grandfather's death certificate. I recorded that frustration in my Freaky Friday! post later that same week.

Interestingly (and luckily) enough, I was able to use the same ancestral line for all four of those organizations.  Dr. Christophe (Christoffe/Christopher) DuBreuil was born in Lagny (now Lagny-sur-Marne), France sometime around 1680.  Because of his Protestant beliefs, he and his wife, Marianne Dutoi, had to quickly leave France, fleeing the Catholic Church's persecution of Protestants at that time.  They settled in a colony along the James River in Virginia that was named after a local group of natives who had lived in the area.  (See photo of the Historical Marker on this page.)

According to Henry H. Barroll on page 4 of his manuscript entitled Dibrell Genealogy (Washington, D.C., 1915) the birth of their son, Jean Antoine DuBreuil, was entered into the registry of the Manakin church on May 15, 1728:
 
“Jean Antoine DuBreuil was born, son of Christoffe DuBreuil and of Marianne, his wife.”

Jean would eventually change his name to Anthony Dibrell and married Elizabeth "Betsy" Lee, who was born in Virginia in 1736.  Betsy was the great granddaughter of Richard and Anne Constable Lee, the progenitors of the Lee Family of Virginia.

My descent from Dr. Chrisophe DuBreuil and his son Jean Antoine allowed me to qualify for membership in the two Huguenot societies.  However, it was Anthony and Betsy Dibrell's son, Charles Lee Dibrell, who guaranteed my acceptance into both the Daughters of the American Revolution and the U.S. Daughters of 1812.  Born in 1757 in Buckingham County, Virginia, Charles served under Lafayette and was at Yorktown for the famous surrender in 1781. On page 9 of Barroll's manuscript, the military prowess of Charles (which began as a Minute-Man in 1775) was described in full.

After the Revolution, Charles accepted a land grant in Wayne County, Kentucky and continued his military expertise by serving as Captain of the Kentucky troops in the Harmer Expedition of 1790. It was his service in the Revolution and in the Kentucky militia in the 1790s that made me eligible for membership in both the DAR and the Daughters of 1812, which recognizes military service from 1784 to 1815.

I'm very proud of (and extremely thankful for) my heritage from such a noble line.



Historical Marker for the Huguenot Settlement at Manakin.
(Photo found on the website for the Virginia Department of Historic Resources)

© 2013 Copyright by Carla Love Maitland



Choices

There are times when we take a step forward.
There are times when we step back and wait.
For some, those choices are so hard
they are often too difficult to make.
Some of us see life from one side.
Everything is black/white - no grays.
But others can see the big picture
and understand that there are many ways...
 

Choices.  I wrote the lines above last week after I had experienced a sincere heartbreak in not being able to visit with a certain family member that I had wanted to see over the holidays. I realized so clearly at that time that life is full of choices and that often we make decisions based on what we think others want us to do. Do we try to “push” ourselves into the lives of others, or do we “step back and wait?” I’ve never been able to resolve that dilemma - I guess because I’ve always been one of those people who can so easily see all sides of most situations. That’s both a blessing and a curse, I can assure you.

We all make choices each and every day. Many times, we don’t know that those choices can be life-altering in some way. I know that my ancestors made choices, too, and some of those most definitely changed people’s lives.

Choices.  My maternal Grandfather, Baxter H. Wallace, made the choice to leave my Grandmother and my Mother when she was only a very young child. I’ve often wondered why. Of course, nobody can really know or understand what goes on in the relationship of a couple; did he choose to leave or did she ask him to go?  Nonetheless, I do know that he missed out on knowing a wonderful daughter and two fabulous grandchildren.  Unfortunately, we were also denied the acquaintance of three aunts, an uncle, and countless delightful cousins. How sad for all of us that particular choice was.

Choices.  My own Mother, Evelyne Frances Wallace Love, made the choice to not take her children to their Father’s funeral. We were very young, of course, and there had also been a very ugly divorce. Needless to say, she was not on good terms with his family. I remember that she did tell us that if we wanted to go, she would take us. But, as I said, we were so very young, yet we knew that she really didn’t really want to go. We both said “No, that’s okay.”  Except it wasn’t…I’ve cried many times wishing that I could go back in time and be there. Another very sad choice, as it turned out.

Choices.  My paternal Grandmother, Huldah Norma Akers Love, made the choice to never see her grandchildren again after that unpleasant divorce. Did she ever ask to see us?  Did my Mother say no?  I’ll never know. I only know that I saw her twice again in my life, both times after I became a mother myself…and both times were strained. Perhaps her anger towards my Mother over the divorce spilled over onto me. She and my brother had a much better relationship, and I’m glad about that. But her choice left me without knowing a Grandmother whom I would have probably really liked and maybe even come to love. I also lost the chance to know even more cousins who were actually living in my own city.

Choices.  I could go on, but the truth of the matter is that each of us have made - and every single one of our ancestors made - choices that most certainly changed our lives in major and often unintentional ways.

Today is the first day of a new year, bringing us new beginnings and new hopes. I’m hoping, praying, and yes, resolving, to make the best choices I can from this day forward.

Will you join me?

Lorena Sanford Wallace, holding her daughter,
Evelyne Frances Wallace, sometime in late 1919. She and her
husband, Baxter Wallace, would divorce in September of 1920

 

© 2013 Copyright by Carla Love Maitland