Wednesday, January 29, 2014
Take A Peek .....
Enjoy my Blog The Joy of Blogging in 30 Days on the Blog Worldwide Genealogy ~ A Genealogical Collaboration
Monday, January 27, 2014
My New Blog Introduction ~
I am feeling excited about being one of the new Blogs introduced on Geneabloggers., on Saturday, January 25, 2014
The Book of Me, Written By You ... Well It's Not Winter (Prompt 4)
Prompt 4: The prompt for week 4 is "Favorite Season" and these are the questions.
- Why?
- A Happy Memory.
Close your eyes and imagine your favorite season – write down what you see, feel, and hear.
It is not hard to imagine my favorite season when it is one of the coldest winters in Chicago and the city is being called Chi-beria. Today, it is minus 14 degrees with wind gusts at 40 MPH, and they are suggesting that if you do not have to go outside then don't. The weatherman is reporting that today Alaska is warmer than Chicago. With that said, I guess you can tell that winter is not going to be my favorite season. At least not today.
My favorite season is summer. That is not to say that I don't like the other three seasons. I would just prefer to run through them instead of sitting down and enjoying the weather. There is an energy of life in the summer months that doesn't exist for me during the other seasons. Let's just say, summer and me just have great chemistry.
My favorite holiday is the 4th of July. I enjoy the tribute to our country, not to mention, I love the cookouts and fireworks. The fact that it occurs on a warm summer sunny day is an added bonus.
Summer reminds me of oceans, sunsets, flip flops, sunshine and blue skies, flower gardens, sun-tea, Italian ice, outdoor concerts, movies in the park, carnivals, sun on my face, beaches, bare feet, toes polished, baseball, barbque, road trips, boating, cotton candy, and Frankie Beverly and Maze. All of them are my favorite things.
If I close my eyes to visualize summer .... I see an ocean beach under blue skies and billowing clouds with the rays of the sun beaming down on my face. The warmth of the sun feels so healing and replenishing. I can smell the salt water and hear the roaring waves of the ocean slamming into land. I feel the sand between my toes and a slight breeze in the air. The weight of the climate is light and delicate. It is a perfect setting for reflection and contemplation. I feel a sense of contentment, peace, and resolve. This is what makes summer my favorite season.
 |
| Chicago Fireworks |
Wednesday, January 22, 2014
The Book of Me, Written By You ... The 102nd Day of the Year (Prompt 2)
Prompt 2: The prompt for week 2 is "Your Birth" and these are the questions.
- Do you have any baby photos?
- Where were you born?
- Who was present at your birth?
- Dimensions?
- What day was it? Time?
- Did you have hair? Eye color
- Are you a twin?
 |
| Tina Marie Starks, August 1960 |
I was born on a Monday, April 11, 1960, at 12:45 p.m. in Chicago, Illinois. It was the 102nd day of the year. My father is Black and my mother is white. They moved north to Chicago from Chattanooga, Tennessee to have me. The 1960's was a very volatile time and Chattanooga was one of the cities where students were having sit-ins at the local five and dime lunch counters.
My mother came to Chicago two months before I was born and my father arrived a few months before my mother. She gave birth to me at Cook County Hospital and there were no complications. I was a single birth and I am the only child that they have together. As far as I know, other than the medical staff, she was alone during delivery. I weighed 7 lbs. 10 oz. when I was born. The little hair that I had was dark brown and my eyes were medium brown. The doctor stamped her discharge papers "live child" and we went home together on April 14th.
My dad told me that he named me. He said he liked the name Tina it was short and sweet. He felt it would be easy to spell and easy to pronounce - one less thing for me to worry about. My middle name Marie was taken from his sister's name, Doris Marie. As he repeated my names he smiled and said they have a ring to them. I could tell that he felt proud, and for a few seconds he returned to the moment when he was in charge of naming me.
The baby picture above was taken of me in August 1960 by my father. He took most of our family pictures. He gave me this picture several years ago and I cherish it, not because it is a picture of me, because it reminds me of a tender moment when my father shared my story with me.
A Blast from My Past
Storyline: A photograph can trigger a sentiment that can take you right back to that moment.
In 1969, our stereo resided in the living room
on the wall under the stairs. It was 4' x
3½', shaped like a rectangle, and stood about 3 feet from the ground. It was lifted off the floor by four 3 inch
wooden legs. The stereo cabinet was
completely wood. It was maple-wood, except for
where the speakers were enclosed.
The
speakers sat in the front panel on the right and left side of the cabinet. There was brown and tan netted material
covering them. Looking down at the right
side where the turntable sat was a wooden panel and if you slid it to the left
the cabinet would open. You had to reach
down into the cabinet to play an album on the turntable.
Next to the stereo was a shelf with about 100 vinyl records. There were a few 45's but most of the records were 33 albums. The 45's had these colorful plastic inserts that you would place in the center of the record so that it could play on the turntable. Those inserts were in a blue art deco bowl that sat on the shelf near the records. Each album rested in a cardboard sleeve with photographs or art on the front of the album cover.
My parents listened to all types of music but their favorite genre was jazz. There were albums from Cannonball Adderly to Lester Young. Each person in the house had a favorite album that was worn down from repeat playing. My favorite album was the Jackson 5's ABC. It had scratches on the vinyl that would cause it to skip or repeat a note when played. The album cover had secretly disappeared to my bedroom under the mattress because I often daydreamed over their photos.
The stereo was played often in our home but never on Sundays. It was a source of regular entertainment that became a tradition at family functions. Each album had its spotlight. Some albums lasted for the duration of the hit and others were classic repeat defenders. The chronic repeaters were Nate King Cole, Nancy Wilson, anything Motown, and the Fifth Dimension. Anytime I hear one of those songs today, it takes me right back to the past.
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
Tombstone Tuesday - Two Mothers
Faithie Lyons Wheeler and Gladys Wheeler Starks ~
Over the summer of 2012, I went on a genealogy research trip to the region of Tennessee where most of my family originated. It was not my first trip to Tennessee, but it was my first research trip. My itinerary started with a very personal visit to Highland Memorial Gardens Cemetery in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Highland is one of the first "colored cemeteries" in Chattanooga.
I made contact with the cemetery staff in advance and had gotten the burial sites to coordinate someone showing me the locations. I met with the grave diggers, as they called themselves, at the cemetery gates at 10 a.m. They guided me to six family graves. Only two, my grandmother and great-grandmother had tombstones to mark their burial site. I later asked my dad why were my grandmothers the only ones with tombstones and he said, "Because they were the Mothers". I didn't have to ask him what he meant, I knew. I had only brought flowers to place on the graves of the two Mothers.
Inscription
Faithie wife of Dave Wheeler
Sept 13, 1884 - June 10, 1936
My paternal great-grandmother is Fathie Lyons Wheeler. She was born 13 Sep 1884 in Tennessee. Her mother died when she was very young so she was raised by her aunt Mary Lyons. She married David Isaac Wheeler on 13 Dec 1903 in Chattanooga, Tennessee. They had three daughters Lovie, Gladys and Daisy Wheeler. Lovie preceded her mother in death. Fathie died 10 Jun 1936 in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
My paternal grandmother is Gladys Wheeler Starks. She was born 20 May 1908 (not 8 May) in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Her parents were David Isaac and Faithie Lyons Wheeler. She married LaGrant Starks on 23 Jun 1930 in Rossville, Walker, Georgia. They had nine children. Two children preceded her in death. Gladys died 22 Sep 1988 (not 24 Sep) in Chattanooga on her husband's 83rd birthday.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)