Love and Respect–Our Family’s Cycle

In the Old Testament's book of Genesis, Noah was the tenth and last of the biblical patriarchs. He was chosen by God as the only righteous man of his time and is known infamously as the hero of the Flood story (2,000-10,000 BCE). The name Noah peaked in 2016 when nearly 20,000 newborn babies were …

Elderly Parents Say The Darndest Things

I posted the following scenario to Facebook on November 16, 2016, and decided it so typified the humor my parents shared with others that I am compelled to capture it in my blog about our family’s heritage. When caring for the elderly (our Matriarch and Patriarch who were 88 and 89 at the time), I …

We Start And End With Family, No Matter What Changes

After 75 years of family festivities, we missed our family's Christmas Day celebration. COVID had not even kept us apart. However, one share of pie before the big day sickened us, our family’s Matriarch and Patriarch, so we wouldn't risk possibly infecting others with our presence. In the past decades, however, the world has seen …

Celebrating America’s Veterans On This Day!

Our family's men after the colonial days became fighters in the Revolutionary, Civil, 1812, and yes, even the Indian Wars between 1850-1890). My maternal great-grandfather, John Carpenter Ford, was born January 15, 1864, (a Capricorn like myself), in Wake County, North Carolina (a Confederate state) in the midst of the American Civil War. According to …

Our First Thanksgiving in Plymouth

Pilgrims and Indians sat down to a feast peacefully around this time of the year in Plymouth, Massachusetts in the early 1600s as the "first" Thanksgiving. According to a letter from Plymouth colonist Edward Winslow dated December 11, 1621, the colonists wanted to celebrate their first good crop of corn and barley grown with generous …

Writer And Adventurer -I’m Still Going Strong!

I have authored three children's books since my last post here, and two of them have been released. My first book "If Only I Was Special" is about a little dog named Hashbrown, who has forgotten he is unique. His wish-filled quest for specialness is vividly illustrated in colorful images. My second book, "Hi I'm …

Uncommonly Close

This picture is not of our boys and their uncles, but it reminds me of some of their adventures and escapades. They were, in fact, uncommonly close like a band of brothers. They explored abandoned areas, on dares from neighbors, they walked on gutters across our roof, made their own backyard fires, and built forts …

Early Cocky (AKA Cocke) Emigrates To Virginia

In seventeenth Century Henrico County, Virginia’s most powerful families were the Randolphs, Cockes, Eppses, and Byrds. Research shows them all among my ancestors.   In fact, Lieutenant Colonel Richard Cocke (13 Dec.1597- 4 Oct 1665), was my paternal 10th great-grandfather. He was a graduate of Caius (sounds like “keys”) College, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, England. …

America’s First Murderer

I gathered the following information from Plymouth's Governor William Bradford's Bradford's History of Plymouth Plantation, 1606-1646, The Human Tradition in the Atlantic World, 1500–1850, and https://history.howstuffworks.com.  America's first murderer, his victim, and his execution are revealed in these histories: My 12th paternal great-grandfather, John Billington, was a Mayflower pilgrim.  As one of the 41 signers …

My Cousins Declare America’s Independence

Many Americans take for granted our annual July 4th Independence Day.  While working in my genealogical databases, I came across the name of John A. Hancock, a familiar name from America's history.  I decided to compare our family's John Hancock (my second cousin, seven times removed), to the list of 56 signers of the Declaration of …

Celebrating Our Family’s Men on This Father’s Day

Our daughter reminded me that my nearly 500 posts over these past 10 years have failed to describe our family's men's occupations.  Our men first migrated from Europe to America, many of them among the first voyagers to Virginia or on the Mayflower that landed in Plymouth, Massachusetts.  They were well-educated and used their intellectual …

Play Fair

In the early 1970’s the women’s rights movement was recognized as the “second wave” of feminism. Every aspect of women's lives, including work, family, and sexuality were included in this movement.  However, not everyone was on board with this equal rights for women’s evolution. In fact, some of the fathers and coaches on our Catholic …

From My Family Tree–

Founding Father Fables & Folklore I received three gifts from the Ages of Enlightenment (1700-1800) and Reform(1830-1850).  My family tree revealed that I am descended from three distinguished founding fathers -- our first, third, and 12th presidents: George Washington (1732-1799) My 6th paternal great-granduncle was Virginia's Robert Bolling IV. His wife, Sally Washington, was the …

Boyhood Adventures

The picture shown here is not that of our boys and their uncles, but it reminds me of some of their adventures and escapades. You see, our two sons, Bobby and Jeff were born in 1966 and 1968. My brother, Frank, the eldest uncle was born in 1958 and my younger brother Johnny was born …

Language Isn’t About Being Perfect…It’s About Creating Authentic, Human Connections

Let it be known that I excelled in English and writing course assignments despite the English language's ranking as one of the most difficult languages to master. Because of its unpredictable spellings and difficult-to-learn grammar, it challenges native speakers and second language learners, too. The poem below is a prime example: In contrast, language experts …

” FUNNY AND NOT SO FUNNY MOMENTS “

Our son-in-law, Brian, turned 50 on January 30, 2022! Our daughter, Jennifer, first introduced Brian to us 31 years ago. Our introduction to Brian's father, Bill, (who happened to be 50 years old when Brian was born), gives way to an amusing story. Jennifer's dad, Bob was on call at Maryland's Forestville Volunteer Fire Department …

More Memories of My Brother, Frank Roy Boling

I spent most of today responding to expressions of sympathy and condolences from neighbors, friends, near and distant relatives, and many people that I don't believe I knew, but that my brother, Frank Roy Boling, did. It's amazing how uplifting a few words can be--just to know that others thought much of him, too. Thanks …

Obituary: Frank Roy Boling 03/16/1958 – 01/20/2022

Frank Roy Boling, age 63; of Chesapeake Beach, MD; childhood resident of the Berkshire Community within District Heights-Forestville, MD, passed away on Thursday, January 20, 2022, at the Anne Arundel Medical Center, Annapolis MD.  (Frank just learned on December 7, 2021, that he had late stage lung cancer. Three hospitals and 20 doctors later he …

Bless Their Little(?) Hearts

This post was originally published on December 28, 2021, and received 19 views at the get-go but lacked the podcast listening option which required me to republish. Sorry for any inconvenience. Know that the original content remains unchanged. In the Old Testament's book of Genesis, Noah was the tenth and last of the biblical patriarchs. …

Together We Make A Family–Let’s Celebrate!

This post is a follow-up to my somewhat somber December 5 post; "Our Friends, Family, Feelings, and Future". After reflecting on my pre-holiday frustrations, preparations, and in general, the chaos in the world today including the COVID pandemic's social distancing and isolations, my key takeaway remains the importance of my family to me and how …