The microfilmed newspapers of Booneville, Mississippi from 1881 to 1899 have not disappointed. Although I have yet to find the answers I seek to specific questions, I have learned a great deal about my great grandmother Lula Betty Boren‘s kinfolk. With each turn of the microfilm wheel I am offered a peek back into a time long forgotten. Death was no… More →

Miller time was very brief. If there is a silver lining to this genealogical predicament, it is that I believed that my 3rd great grandmother Matilda Jane’s maiden name was Miller for about a month. Poor Vester Garner, Matilda Jane’s grandson, probably lived his entire life believing it. And so he must not have given it a second thought when… More →

Breakfast was truly the most important meal of the day when I slept over at my grandparents house. It was “alone time” with my grandfather, Basil. My grandmother rarely roused from her slumber before 10 a.m. I think. She sat in her recliner working crossword puzzles and watching television into the wee hours after my grandfather had retired to the “front bedroom” where he slept and I to the… More →

Presidents, politicians, patriots, and pioneers adorn my family tree. And so does a porn star. Jennifer Massoli, a.k.a. Jenna Jameson, is my 6th cousin. She has been described as the “most famous adult entertainment performer in the world”. If you don’t know who she is and decide to look her up on Google, be careful because you may get results that… More →