collecting the seeds of a Smith tree
For more than two hundred years, a wooden chest has survived in my mother’s family. Made in 1823 by a man named John Blackman, it passed quietly from one generation to the next until it eventually came into my mother’s care. Its boards carry the scratches, stains, and softened edges of age, but they also... Continue Reading →
Donna Ruff was born on 4 June 1878, most likely in or near the small community of Borden Springs in Cleburne County, Alabama. She was the daughter of Louisa F. “Hester” Ruff, an unmarried woman born about 1849, also in the Borden Springs area. Hester was a daughter of Jackson R. Ruff and Phoebe Putman... Continue Reading →
Phoebe Putman was born circa 1814, probably in Barren County, Kentucky, near present day Tompkinsville. She was the daughter of Hiram Putman and Louanna Mercer. Her mother's given name has commonly been repeated in derivative family trees as Loamy or Louamy. However, a clearer entry in the 1866 Alabama State Census appears to record her... Continue Reading →
Born in South Carolina, Warrick Hazelwood left home with his brother in 1862 to answer the call of war. What followed was a remarkable journey through the smoke of Chickamauga and the choices that would test his deepest loyalties. Through it all, he carried the quiet strength of an ordinary man determined to survive and... Continue Reading →
Nancy Smith stepped into history in 1835 as simply “Nancy Smith” on her Houston County, Georgia marriage record — no parents named, no clear origins. For years she remained a brick wall. Through careful research, census clues, and the powerful voice of autosomal DNA, her story finally emerges. This video and article trace her remarkable... Continue Reading →
digging our roots 