Finishing The Task

Genealogy is a way to find our family's past.  The roads we follow to discover this past are often full of curves and bends that seem to block our way.  Family stories give us some direction in this tree climbing process, but they may not always be correct.   My own genealogy experience has followed a lot of family stories told me during my childhood.   One such story was "W.C.". 

The kitchen table was the location of my grandmother's family stories.  She could remember that the first JONES was named W.C.  She did not know what the W.C. stood for, but she was certain that he lived and was buried at the mouth of the Red River.  It would take me some 20 years to find this family cemetery, and discover the "W.C." stood for William Carter.

In 1999, my father and I managed to walk back the road to the ground that contained this cemetery.  It was a rainy day, and my plan to chalk his head stone was dampened by the rain. [My chalk and paper were wet.]  The head stones were buried, and it took a good effort to raise the stones.   The following picture shows me and ground that surrounded our family cemetery.

Lots of grass, lots of dirt, and a cast iron fence kept us company.  After raising the stone, and cleaning its surface, I used my t-shirt to make a impression of this headstone.  This impression now hangs in my library. [Along with several other impressions of grandfather's headstones.]

The following picture shows this headstone as it came up from the ground.

 "Peaceful be thy silent slumber" it reads.  For me, it was finishing the task.

A Genealogy Bed And Breakfast

"We close in 5 minuets"...was often heard when I had just gotten everything lined up and ready to go.  "What ... you've got to be kidding me..." would flash through my head.  "I can't leave now...I've only just begun...", but what was a fellow to do?  I may never be able to come this way again, and I have just found what I needed.   How can one keep this from happening...over...and over...and over again.     A genealogy Bed & Breakfast was my answer.  You can come....research all night if needed...and keep going until you've climbed all the branches.   Wow, how does one go about setting up a Bed & Breakfast for the genealogist?

 Some ten years in the making, a Bed & Breakfast dedicated to the JONES surname exist.  It is called "The Golden Lion", named after my families' coat of arms.  It contains my personal research library on the JONES surname [some 52 years of research], a Jones Surname Museum, and all the time that is needed to break down some of those brick walls so common to the surname JONES.  A picture of the B&B is shown, along with information on how to contact us.  A "genealogy" Bed & Breakfast...who would have guessed.

Come...stay a while...we are not closing in five minutes.