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The Silicon Valley Computer Genealogy Group recently sponsored the Lore Galore contest, encouraging family historians to research family lore to track down the real stories behind the junk genealogy. Good research can turn uncertain family stories into family gems. The two 2008 contest first-place winners' entries are excerpted below, with full-version links in the titles.
The Neely Tapestry: Family Lore Involving Four Young Women from Neelysville, Ohio
Jean Tirohn Heinz
[excerpt]
“The mail is here!” Doesn’t that quicken your step in anticipation? “It’s a box of stuff from Mom.” I ripped open the box and found two old napkin rings, a bunch of lace hankies, some tintypes, and a piece of weaving. There was the following note from Mom.
I remember Mom telling about this material before the box arrived. She said that it was a tapestry that had been cut into four parts to be given to the four Neely girls so that each would have a memory of the family tapestry.2 So, in the box, I found one of the tintypes was signed “The Neely girls” and of course there were four of them! The other tintype was inscribed with “Lissie Neely, Raymond Eberwine’s mother”. Sure enough, Lissie was one of the four Neely girls and the mother of my Grandfather. So, the story seemed to be that my great grandmother was one of the four Neely Girls who received 1/4th of the tapestry and that I now had this piece in my hand. ... [read the rest]
Indians Capture Silas Bowker—1781
Margaret Thompson
[excerpt]
When I inherited the Bowker family research there were references to Silas Bowker having been taken prisoner in New York State by Indians during the Revolutionary War. Over a period of many years I have tried to find more about this.
There were two men by the name of Silas Bowker, father and son, who both served during the Revolution from New York State as Indian Scouts. [Note that in some records this older Silas is confused with a slightly older cousin of the same name who stayed in Massachusetts.] Silas Sr. was born in Hopkinton, MA, in 1739, and his son in Concord, MA, in 1763. ... [read the rest]
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