Living in rural Kansas, Grandma Nellie and Grandpa Joe had very few conveniences of modern life. Over the years, they raised a large family.  To do so, the family farmed, gardened, kept house, sewed clothes, cooked, and more without electricity, running water, or many mechanical devices. Electricity   The family used gas and oil lamps for years, but lighting was one of the first things to be modernized in Nellie and Joe’s home.  They moved

Independence Hall William Hurrie was probably in a “hurry” when he ascended the stairs of the State House in Philadelphia (Independence Hall) on July 8, 1776.  He was going to ring the bell now known as the Liberty Bell to signal that the Declaration of Independence had been finalized and would be read.   He may also have been in a “hurry” to help get the Liberty Bell out of Philadelphia when the townsmen removed

McCracken Family (Photo: Rennett’s Studio; copyright now owned by L. Thomson) Although others were born after him, my dad was the last of his generation to stand.    He was one of eleven kids in the McCracken family. He outlived all his siblings and their spouses.  He also outlived mom, her siblings, and her brother’s spouse.    As a middle aged man,  Dad would have told you that would never happen. It never crossed his

The Joke Dad always joked that Mom was related to everyone east of the Frisco Railroad.  She wasn’t actually related to everyone.  It just seemed that way.   They probably aren’t even my most populous family, but with so many of them concentrated in one area it felt that way.  Back when I started taking photos for for Find-A-Grave, I started by taking photos of relative’s graves.  However, Clarksburg Cemetery (east of the Frisco) changed

Revolutionary Soldiers are buried in various cemeteries and graveyards with some near battle grounds and others near lands where they moved after America gained its independence from England.  When traveling in Pennsylvania, we visited two graveyards that, although not dedicated to Revolutionary War soldiers, contained the remains of numerous men who fought for independence.  They are very different graveyards.  Yet, both are intriguing. Newtown Presbyterian Church Graveyard   The Church The reason for our visit