Ernest In New York

I have mentioned before that several of my ancestors were scrapbookers.  Recently I find myself going back through their scrapbooks at a leisurely pace. I am amazed at the details I missed the first time.  Below is an example.

Among the most prolific was my Uncle Ernest.  Ernest Henry Carr (1920-1991) was the son of Winnie (Haley) and Silas Baker Carr.  He joined the navy at the age of 18 and went on to serve 20+ years. I found this photograph stuck in one of his two scrapbooks.

Ernest with NY skyline in background

On the back of the photograph is a letter he wrote his mother.

At some point it the photograph was glued into a scrapbook and taken back out again. You can see where it stuck to the page. I am not sure by whom or when.  It is still fairly easy to read.  Ernest always appeared to have good penmanship. (This is a trait that did not get passed down through the generations!)

Dear Mom,

     This picture was taken the morning we

arrived in New York. It was taken ___

the main _____ after  aft on the st________

the back _____the ship.  The water_______

Hudson River ____ part of the ______ the

backgr__ _____ the borough of Manhattan on

 the island of Manhattan.  The drive where

you see the cars is famous Riverside Drive.

To give you an idea of the size of the island

and the height of the Empire State Building, We 

are moored to a buoy in the Hudson River at

79th Street and the Empire State Building is on 

34th Street, a distance of forty five blocks, eacy

block being close to a quarter of a mile.  Just 

thought you might be interested.  I also saw the

Statue of Liberty, Wall Street, The U. N. Building

and the skyscraper skyline of New York ____ after

The empire State Building everything else ____ seem

small.  ____ hear from you.

         Love to All,

        Your Son,

          Ernest

I Had To Read The Directions

My old iron needed to be replaced recently.  It just was not heating up well anymore.  So, DH came home with this.....

My New Iron

....a super fancy iron and I love it. I do admit that the first time I went to use it the family laughed.  I had to pull out the directions to figure out how to turn it to the correct setting!  Adding water for the steam setting?  Back to the directions! Did I mention it came with lots of bells and whistles?

I don't think Grandmom Winnie (my great grandmother) had to worry with directions before she ironed. I also think she had strong arms.

Winnie Haley Carr's iron

I wonder if my Winnie would be offended if I used her iron in my home gym?

It's Always Nice.....

.....when I open up my e-mail and discover a cousin has sent me pieces of the family history.

Look what I found in my inbox last week.

While I already know most of the information in mu great grandmother's obituary, I have never actually seen her obituary.  I notice that Winnie Carr is listed as a member of St. Thomas Episcopal Church at Clarkton.  I find that interesting since the family moved away from the Clarkton area in Halifax County, VA  to Charlotte County, VA in the 1920's.  It was not so far away, but no longer close either.  The family began attending New Hope Methodist Church on what is now Scuffletown Rd in Charlotte County.  Later, Winnie and her husband S. Baker Carr moved closer to Halifax, Halifax County.  Apparently Winnie never changed her membership.

Thanks to my Haley family cousin for sending me this!

Talented Tuesday - Music In The Carr Family

Winnie Haley Carr
1891-1970

I think these photographs tell the story of how important music was in the Carr (and Haley) family. When the extended family gathered there was always music and dancing.

 Above is Winnie Carr, my great grandmother.  Not only did she play the guitar, she also played the banjo.  Her banjo is still in the family today.  Below is her oldest son Lawrence.

Lawrence Baker Carr
1910-1985

Lawrence also played the guitar and sang.   He and his younger brother Ernest even performed on the local radio station.  I believe this was in Danville, VA.  [Cousins -Let me know if I have the wrong location.]  Ernest had a good singing voice and sang in worship services while serving in the navy during WWII.

Carr and Haley Cousins - Do you have photographs of other family members with musical instruments? I'd love to share them here.

Scrapbooking is Not a "New" Hobby

Scrapbooking became a very popular hobby a number of years ago.  I admit to making my share of scrapbooks when my children were little. Craft stores began to dedicate whole sections to this new hobby. I collected the craft store coupons to purchase papers, stickers and other embellishments used in the design of my pages.  I got together with friends to socialize and create our scrapbook pages.

Since I began my genealogy journey, I have become the repository of many of our family's photos and mementos.  Among these items are five scrapbooks dating from the 1940's back to the 1920's and various baby books.

My ancestors' scrapbooks have taught me a few things:

Scrapbooking is not a new hobby, and it was not just for women.

This is my Uncle Ernest Carr's scrapbook from the time he was in the navy during WWII. Ernest enlisted in the navy in 1937 and went on to spend his career in the navy. He was primarily in the Pacific arena during the war. It is an absolutely fascinating read.  Ernest included a log of the ships on which he was stationed.  He included photos of the ports he visited and the people he met.  About those people he met....some were females.  (I do not leave this scrapbook out for general viewing.)

Scrapbookers in my family used what they had on hand.

Is this not part of the fun and essence of scrapbooking?  Using what you have to represent the memory?  This is the scrapbook of Elton Carr (Ernest's sister).  She did not have a formal scrapbook, so she used an old book and just pasted over the pages.  I first wrote about Elton's book here.

A Scrapbook is where you learn about what was important to your ancestor.

As genealogists, we rely on the records our ancestors generated as part of life to track them through time and through relationships.  Most of these records such as wills, censuses, and court cases were official and legal documents.  A scrapbook is a personal record of your ancestor where the reader can learn what was important to that person.  Who was important to that person.  Scrapbooks also record your ancestors' feelings. The sense of pride my grandmother had in her basketball skills was evident in the fact she saved newspaper articles of her games.

I encourage you as a researcher to read your ancestors's scrapbooks.  Read the words they wrote.  Read between the lines to the words they did not write.  Pair the scrapbook with oral history and learn who your ancestor was beyond the official records.

A Rare Photo

This is one of the few photographs of Elton Carr with her first husband Beverly Dixon. In her journal, Elton wrote the the date she met Beverly (August 1930) and his address on Leigh St in South Boston, VA. Beverly was born about 1914 to Nathaniel Dixon of Halifax County, VA. I have yet to find the date that Beverly and Elton married.  Unfortunately their marriage was cut short when Beverly was killed in a car accident soon after they married.  The above photo was taken at the Pheobe Ann Community House on Mountain Road outside of South Boston, VA.

Haley and Carr Cousins:  If you have memories of Elton and Beverly, please share.

The Iron

As I have pursued my family history over the past few years, I have gotten to know my ancestors through the records they left behind. As for all genealogists, the wills, deeds, court records, etc became part of the intricate puzzle that was the lives of my ancestors. One of the benefits of exploring my family history is becoming a keeper of sorts of the family heirlooms. I was attempting to bring a sense of order to my numerous heirlooms recently. I didn’t get very far in my organizing that day. I realized quite suddenly  that the letters, clothing, and ordinary household items told stories far richer than what I had previously found in the "official" records. I began to get a glimpse into my ancestors' lives I had never quite envisioned.


Consider Winnie Haley Carr’s (my great grandmother) iron. Actually she had two.

Ironing in my great grandmother’s day must have been hard. At the very least it could have been considered a workout! Her iron weighed about 7 pounds and two irons were needed to complete her ironing chores. While one iron was in use, the other was heating on the wood stove. The heat of the iron had to be monitored so as not to scorch the fabric. A thick pad was needed to grip the hot handle. I wonder if Winnie ever burned her fingers? Did she grow weary from the lifting and frequent changing of the irons? Can you imagine ironing on a hot summer day in southern Virginia?

Winnie’s iron tells of a woman who took pride in being a homemaker. It tells the story of a woman who took pride in her appearance and that of her family. She paid attention to the details. The iron tells me of a woman who persevered in her chores despite the heat and heavy work involved.

What stories do your heirlooms tell?

You Did Not Cuss Around My Grandma Carr

My great-grandmother Winnie Haley Carr was a devote Episcopalian. According to my grandmother, one did not cuss or say anything that might resemble a cuss word around her. So, her husband Baker Carr was often heard to say "Ding-it-all-to-grass!" in place of "darn" (or something else!).

This brought all kinds of laughter and giggles around the room and especially to the younger generations when my grandmother shared this.

Grandpa Carr

Winnie and Baker Carr with Baby Lawrence

Silas Baker Carr was my great-grandfather. He was born 17 Oct 1878 to Robert T Carr and Elizabeth Canada of Halifax County, VA. He died when I was three years old 24 Jun 1968 in South Boston, VA. As I have studied individuals in my family history over the last several years, I formed impressions about what that person was like. Grandpa Carr was no different. In visiting with my grandmother, his youngest daughter, I learned a few more things about him.

Grandpa Carr went by his middle name Baker. He was engaged to another woman before he married Grandma Carr. I'm not clear on whether he broke his engagement before or after he met Winnie Haley. I do know that Baker and Winnie married across the border in NC on 26 Sep 1909. (That was news to my grandmother.) I can't help but wonder if they eloped! I have gotten the vague impression that Winnie was not fond of her in-laws. I don't think she called Elizabeth "Betsy" Carr, her mother-in-law, "old Miss Betts" as a term of endearment. There's a story there I would really like to learn one day.

Over the years I have asked different family members what Baker was like. The answer was almost always the same. He was very quiet and didn't talk much. He sat and read his newspaper. In fact that's the main memory of his grandchildren. Even his photos show what appears to be a stoic man. Others remember that he was a very smart man. He was especially gifted with numbers. He did various jobs including being a postman and running a sawmill. He was frequently gone during the week while working and returning home on the weekends.

He also danced! Now that memory from my grandmother did not fit in with everything else I'd been hearing. His wife's family (the Haleys) were very musical and loved to get together on the weekends to sing, play instruments and dance. In the evening, the adults would put the children to bed and continue with the music and dancing. According to my grandmother Baker was quite a good dancer.

The other memory that relatives mention is that Baker was short. He was only about 5'4". Mmmm.....that might explain the lack of height in my family!

My Great Grandparents

Winifred Davis Haley and Silas Baker Carr

Baker Carr

1878-1968

Winnie Haley Carr

1891-1970

Wordless Wednesday -- A Page From Aunt Elton's Scrapbook

Nancy Carol

This is a page from Elton Carr Dixon Finley's scrapbook that she began in about 1927. This is one of several magazine pictures of Nancy Carol she cut and pasted into her book. A little Internet research revealed that Nancy Carol starred in silent movies in the 1920's.

The Phoebe Anne Community House

Phoebe Anne Community House

Halifax, Halifax Co, VA

The family of Silas Baker and Winnie (Haley) Carr lived in the Phoebe Anne Community House near outside of Halifax, VA. The house was owned by the Episcopal Church located down the road. The family was very active in the Episcopal Church and helped to run the community house. Notice the dog stretched out on the front porch? There always seems to be a dog somewhere in the family's pictures.

Elton Davis Carr, daughter of Baker and Winnie, wrote about the history of the this community house in her scrapbook. It reads as follows:

The Phoebe Anne Community House

A long time ago about 1840 or somewhere along there a poor widow with several daughters lived in a log cabin at this old place when the widow died and the daughters married and moved away. Mr Dabney Cosby bought this place and built a saw mill here and rented and finally sold it to Mr Milton Booth who built a small frame house here he married twice and lived there till the mill was blown up. He never finished paying for it and it Mr Dabney Cosby bought it back and sold it to his daughter Mrs Van Bluthuysen [?spelling] who built the present house when the old one was burned down. She painted it red. She sold it to Mr Henry Edmunds when she moved to Richmond. He painted it gray and had an orphan home made of it and named it after his mother "The Phoebe Ann House". Then he gave it to the church and called it the "The Phoebe Ann Community House". The big oak tree which stands out in the yard now at the mail box Mr Dabney Cosby cut it down for a post years ago and that is the reason it ________ and pretty now. Mr. Van [Bethuysen] came out here during the Civil War and meat up with Miss Cosby and married. He was the nephew of Jefferson Davis and that was his name.

By Elton Carr

Information from Mrs. M L C Edmundson

Both the Community House and the Episcopal Church still stand today. The church is today called the Emmanuel Episcopal Church. The Phoebe Anne Community House is a private residence and the intervening years have not been kind to it. The outbuildings are no longer there and the large building attached to the right side of the house is gone as well. I wonder if today's residents have any idea of the house's rich history.

Phoebe Anne Community House as it stands in 2010.

Emmanuel Episcopal Church 2010

Treasure Chest Thursday Elton Davis Carr Finley

Elton Davis Carr was the second child and oldest daughter of Silas Baker Carr and Winnie Davis Haley. She was born 27 Nov 1912 in Clarkton, Halifax County, VA. I was fortunate enough to have known my Aunt Elton. She always wore a smile just like in the above picture.

Aunt Elton was a scrapbooker long before it became the popular hobby it is today. It is through her scrapbook I have come to see glimpses into her life as a young woman.

Aunt Elton used what appears to have been an old Halifax County public works book from about 1925 for her scrapbook. In it she pasted photos and newspaper clippings of family and friends including movie stars of that day. I found many obituaries of her many cousins among the pages. A family historian's dream! In the front cover of the book she wrote as this interesting title:

The crape book of deaths and funny thing by Mrs S. B Carr and daughter Elton

Halifax Virginia

Phoebe Anne Community House

July 1, 1927.

I really like the following page documenting her meeting of her first husband Beverly Dixon.

Unfortunately, Beverly was killed in an automobile accident shortly after he and Elton were married. Aunt Elton did go on to live a very full life, eventually marrying William J Finley. Elton passed away 2 Feb 2000 in Kernersville, Duplin, NC.

Treasure Chest Thursday

This cute little cat is a door stop that belonged to my great grandmother Winnie Haley Carr. Today it holds a hall door open in my home and makes me smile when I pass. I don't know a lot about antique door stops, but this one is very heavy!

Treasure Chest Thursday Winnie's Glasses

These are the glasses of Winnie Haley Carr, my great grandmother. I was rather intrigued by these glasses when I found them among her things. These appear to be reading glasses.

Having worn glasses myself since I was a child, I couldn't help wondering what type of optometry services were around back then (i.e. the late 1800's/early 1900's). Where did one purchase glasses? Did children often receive glasses? What would life have been like if I had grown up in a time when glasses were not so common place?

I think my favorite part of the treasures I have received is the thought processes and questions they trigger for me. When I sit and ponder and blog about my ancestors' possessions, I get to know them better. I think a little deeper about their daily lives. I raise questions that lead to further discoveries in my research.

The best part: I get to tell their stories.

Treasure Chest Thursday Button Hooks

These button hooks belonged to my great-grandmother Winnie Haley Carr (1891-1970) of Halifax County, VA. I believe these hooks were used for her shoes. Thank goodness for slip-ons!

Confederate Money

Confederate $20 bill (Front)

Confederate $20bill (Back)

One of the wonderful things about researching my family history is that I have become the keeper for many of the family heirlooms. The above confederate money was in a box of my great grandmother Winifred (Winnie) Haley Carr's things. Initially when going through the box I thought someone had dropped a $20 bill into it. I was rather stunned when I discovered that I was actually holding confederate money. I don't know who the original owner of the money was. Winnie (1891-1970) was certainly not the original owner. It could possibly be one of her grandparents. It could also have been from her husband Silas Baker Carr's (1878-1968) side of the family.

The original ownership will likely never be known, but civil war era history came alive in a way I had not yet experienced.

Wordless Wednesday

Ernest Henry Carr (on the far right)

Son of Winnie (Haley) and Silas Baker Carr

1920-1991

Thursday's Treasure

This is my great-grandmother Winnie Haley Carr's iron. It's amazing how heavy this thing is. What a chore ironing must have been for her. I'm thankful for my electric one! Winnie's iron now sits on my fireplace as "home decor". I enjoy thinking about her when I see it.

Wordless Wednesday

Elton (1912-2000) and Lawrence (1910-1985) Carr

Children of Winnie (Haley) and Silas Baker Carr

Halifax County, VA

About 1914