Just when I thought I had it all figured out and had learned as much about my paternal family as I possibly could, today's autumn winds blew in yet a new direction and led me down an unexpected path not before taken. We were returning from our local dog park with our pet "Cinder," when … Continue reading Family Secrets Are Funny, Aren’t They!
Boling-Chambers
Family Ties
After 33 years of searching for my estranged paternal great-grandfather who disappeared without a trace to his wife and family, I was given my answer through a delightful and unexpected Christmas gift in 2013 from a stranger, who we later learned was family. Maynard Nelle Chambers was this gift giver who on a whim and … Continue reading Family Ties
Another Visit to Lottie’s Cardboard Box of Momentos
It's been six years since I tried to identify people or places in my paternal great-grandmother Lottie Taylor Chambers' photo box. On my last visit, (July 1, 2014), I wrote about a poem that I knew had been written by Lottie's hand. In many instances these photos and momentos are over 100 years old. Until … Continue reading Another Visit to Lottie’s Cardboard Box of Momentos
Are You Committed to a Cause Greater Than Yourself?
This week's message at church was the last in a series called "The Kingdom," and today's sermon focused on "Kingdom Living." Our pastor of nearly 30 years, Robert Hahn, told us how he came to our church and to his calling as a minister right here in Calvert County, MD, in 1987, as a visitor … Continue reading Are You Committed to a Cause Greater Than Yourself?
What’s All This Fuss About a Groundhog Named Phil and Punx’a’what?
Our local Calvert County weather forecast for Friday, calls for a mostly cloudy day, which in Groundhog Day terms means if Punxsutawney Phil were here with us locally he wouldn't see his shadow and we would see an early Spring instead of six more weeks on Winter! Wel, guess what? Punxsutawney's forecast also calls for … Continue reading What’s All This Fuss About a Groundhog Named Phil and Punx’a’what?
The Killing Spree . . . Our Ancestral Legacy
Attributing our traits to our ancestors Some days when I look at myself in the mirror, I can see glimpses of my ancestors. My once beautifully brilliant blue eyes; I remember seeing these same eyes in my maternal grandfather, Roy (a Ford from Raleigh, Wake County, North Carolina). Unfortunately, I also get my thick midriff from either or both--my … Continue reading The Killing Spree . . . Our Ancestral Legacy
100th Anniversary–Opening of the Panama Canal–August 15, 1914
If You Build It--Apparently, They Do Come! When the 48-mile long Panama Canal was finally finished in 1914 it was described as the "eighth wonder of the world" and observers said it would have an impact akin to "shifting the nations on a map". August 15, 2014, marked the 100-year-anniversary o the Panama Canal opening. And, … Continue reading 100th Anniversary–Opening of the Panama Canal–August 15, 1914
Nearly 75 Years Later – A Family’s Unanswered Questions and Unsolved Mysteries Unravel
My Family of Secrets A year ago, nearly exactly to the day, I wrote a rather long and personal post about my paternal grandparents and great-grandparents--the Bollings and the Chambers. From its title, you can infer that there were some unanswered questions and mysteries surrounding these people and their relationships that dated back years before … Continue reading Nearly 75 Years Later – A Family’s Unanswered Questions and Unsolved Mysteries Unravel
What’s All This Fuss About a Groundhog Named Phil and Punx’a’what?
From my May 26, 2013, blog post, Busted "Brick Wall" Reveals More "Chambers" "…So again yesterday morning, I decided to start over once more with basic research techniques for the elusive Chambers within our family's ancestors. Among my review of earlier research and findings of Frank Maynard Chambers, through my contacts with the Las Vegas Bunker … Continue reading What’s All This Fuss About a Groundhog Named Phil and Punx’a’what?
My Family of Secrets
This morning, I received an alert about a new comment to a post of May 24, 2013, on my blog site (joannedi.wordpress.com), “My Family of Secrets.” The subject post tells the story, as I know it, of my paternal grandparents Helen Louise Chambers and Jesse Burton Boling and their parents Frank Maynard Chambers and Lottie Taylor.
And much to my surprise this morning, the best Christmas present of 2013 arrived online at my site. From a great uncle, Maynard, that I never knew existed was a message that knocked down several more bricks from my Chambers family genealogical wall. It seems as my post alluded to in May, that Frank Maynard Chambers, in fact, did father additional children after he relocated to Las Vegas. Maynard advises that he is the eldest of three and that he has two sisters. So, my grandmother, Helen Chambers, who died before I was born, was actually the first of four children fathered by Frank Maynard Chambers. In my great excitement I quickly responded back to Maynard to say, “definitely, yes, I’d like to exchange stories and to learn more.” I next went to FaceBook and easy as that, I found Maynard’s page. I can’t wait to explore more and share the unfolding saga as it happens. So, stay with me, folks, there will be more that follows.
Helen Louise Chambers Boling (1 Jul 1911 – 16 Mar 1944) My Paternal Great Grandmother:
| Obituary On Thursday, March 16, 1944, at Baltimore, MD., Helen L. Boling, the wife of Jessie Boling, mother of Frank, Dolores and Barbara Boling and daughter of Frank and Lottie Chambers. Services at the Chambers funeral home, 517 11th st. se., on Wednesday, March 22, at 1 p.m. Interment Columbia Gardens Cemetery. Washington Post (1877-1954) Mar 23, 1944; page 12 |
| Burial: Columbia Gardens Cemetery Arlington Arlington County Virginia, USA |
I expect this post will be one of my more personal and difficult to write. There remain many blanks to my paternal grandmother’s (Helen Louise Chambers Boling) life that we cannot fill in and some of the answers we have found aren’t what we had hoped for by any means. Helen was estranged from her family and living in Baltimore City, Maryland, when in March 1944…
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My Family of Secrets
Helen Louise Chambers Boling (1 Jul 1911 - 16 Mar 1944) My Paternal Great Grandmother: Obituary On Thursday, March 16, 1944, at Baltimore, MD., Helen L. Boling, the wife of Jessie Boling, mother of Frank, Dolores and Barbara Boling and daughter of Frank and Lottie Chambers. Services at the Chambers funeral home, 517 11th st. … Continue reading My Family of Secrets
Our Unbounded Heritage: 12th Century & Beyond 