The Marranada: Feast of the Pig!

The editor of the El Paso, Texas Cathedral High School alumni newsletter is Jose Luis Sanchez who also happens to be my father-in-law. “Chacho”, as his friends call him, is well known for his wit and wisdom which is evident in the various captivating short stories he has penned over the years. Many of them are oriented towards friends and family and are definitely gems worth reprinting to include the one below.

A Ballgame, Tall Tales and a Chance to Meet Cousins!

Back in early August I had one of those rare opportunities to actually meet, for the first time, cousins discovered in the past two years while researching my family history. I was fortunate in that my business required me to travel to Arlington, Texas for a conference that coincidentally put me in close proximately to both Jim and John Slack. We are all second cousins from our common great grandfather, John W. Slack (b. Nov 23, 1873, d. Apr 5, 1959).

Gaining Pounds the Healthy Way!

Webster’s dictionary defines “serendipity” as “a surprising and unexpected discovery”. During the past few months, “serendipity” is more than adequate to describe the unexpected find of Albert Hersel Pound’s (b. 12 Sep 36, d. 18 Feb 77) family, and mine too! A small tidbit of information I gathered in April during a trip to St. Louis, Missouri turned out to be crucial in guiding me to four living aunts, an uncle and over 15, first cousins I never knew I had.

Henrietta E. Wright: Teacher and a "Grand Aunt"

Graduation time is upon us once again! In keeping with the season, here’s a graduation photo of Henrietta E. Wright (b. 8 Jun 1908 d. 6 Aug 1985). Henrietta was my maternal Grandmother Louise (Fisher) Slack’s half-sister, and my grand aunt. She went on to become an elementary school teacher and taught for various districts throughout Southwest Missouri for many years.

Louise Fisher: A Grade Card from the Roaring Twenties!

It’s May and that means one thing—the end of the traditional school year is upon us. Approximately nine months of lectures, homework, science projects and tests culminate into the dreaded grade card that some will recall reluctantly taking home for parental scrutiny. It’s an educational rite of passage that’s been around for generations. In line with the season, it seems fitting to post the eight grade report card for my maternal grandmother, Louise (Fisher) Slack (b. 24 Apr 1913 d. 9 Mar 1998).  Louise was a student at North Star school in Greene County Missouri for the 1926 fall and 1927 spring semesters. It’s one of my favorite family documents.

A Rainy Day at Wildwood

I have known of the final resting place of my natural father, Albert Hersel Pounds, for about 18 months now. I was excited to finally get the opportunity to visit his gravesite back on April 15. It would have been a struggle to find the actual marker, but thanks to the accurate directions provided by my stepsisters and stepbrother, it was easy to locate.

Albert H. Pounds: A Flag, More Clues, and a Memorable Evening!

It took several months, but I finally got the opportunity to visit my newly discovered stepsisters and stepbrother in the St. Louis, Missouri area during a trip to the Show-Me State.  We met at a restaurant in Ellisville, Missouri back on April 14 and traded stories about the one person we all had in common—Albert Hersel Pounds (b. 12 Sep 1936, d. 19 Feb 1977).

Court Records and my $59.50 Adoption Revealed!

Learning about one’s family history is full of ups and downs and usually full of a lot of fascinating discoveries. During the past two years of research, I have focused my family history and genealogy research on near and distant ancestors with a primarily interest on the dearly departed. Recently, however, my focus has been drawn to a curious and nagging subject that I vaguely remember, but one that has had a profound impact on my life—my adoption. I finally took a little time to research the court records that quite literally changed my name.

Col. Harry E. Wright, M.D.: From Chasing Bandits on the Border to Finding a New Cousin!

I received a very welcomed email several weeks back from a person who, while conducting a Google search, came upon my blog post of June 7, 2010 titled: “Harry E. Wright – Chasing Bandits on the Border!” The person indicated that we may be related and introduced himself as Dick Wright of Falls Church, Virginia. It turns out he is the last son of Harry E. Wright’s second marriage to Alice Irene Heidland (b. 13 Jul 1914 d. 6 Aug 2006), making him my first cousin once removed! What a pleasant surprise! Dick, on the other hand, knew very little about his father’s youth and first marriage. Needless to say, we have been helping each other fill in the missing pieces of the fascinating life of Col. Harry Elbert Wright, M.D.

Rosa E. Morgan: Another Cousin and Rare Photo Discovered!

A few weeks back I was doing one of many Google searches examining my “Morgan” family line looking for anything I might have missed in a previous search. The connection I share to that branch of the family tree is through Rosa Emma Morgan, my great grandmother on my mother’s (Slack) side of the family. My search yielded a twelve year old post on a website from a person looking for information on some of the same ancestors I was searching for. Whenever I see something like that, I can’t help but wonder if I’m on the trail of an undiscovered relative.

The Daisy Mine and a Connection to John W. Slack Discovered

A few days back I received a surprising email from Leslie Bergen of Thorold, Ontario, Canada. Leslie is located just outside St. Catherines about 15 minutes from Niagara Falls, New York. Leslie had been doing a Google search on John W. Slack and landed on my blog. Why she was searching for my great great grandfather completely floored me. Leslie had John W’s business stamp (shown above) in a small 1909 diary she purchased for $1 from an antiques store in Naples, New York about 30 years ago. She had been wondering for decades who the diary belonged to.

Deer Hunting in the Missouri Ozarks—A Slack Family Tradition

As far back as I can remember deer hunting has been a major part of the Slack family tradition in Southwest Missouri. The patriarch of the maternal side of my family, Ellsworth Woodrow Slack (b. 16 March 1914, d. 4 March 1996) shown above with a trophy buck taken in the late 1940’s or early 1950’s, was the undisputed pack leader when it came to the annual hunt based out of his humble little cabin in Taney County, Missouri. While my grandfather is no longer with us, the changing of the leaves and the first crisp breeze of fall still reminds me of his favorite time of the year, and the many deer hunting stories he loved telling anyone who would listen. Ellsworth loved fishing, but he lived for deer hunting.