Introductions

For my very first blog post, I thought it would only be appropriate to introduce you to some of the people who helped to make me who I am - literally.  Meet my ancestors (and a few cousins and aunts and uncles).  Well, some of them, at least.  The background image of this blog consists of a photo collage of many of the people who made me...me.  All four of my grandparents, who I was so incredibly blessed to have with me until my adulthood, are captured in these photos.  Many of my great-grandparents are here, and their parents and grandparents.  Oh, sure - I never even met many of them.  The majority of the people in these photos were long gone before I was even a twinkle in my parents' eyes.  But without them, I would not be who I am today.  I wouldn't be anybody at all!  They were and are resilient, strong, hard-working southern folks.  So it is my desire to remember and to honor them - to tell their stories so that they become much more than names, dates and records in my family tree.  That will all unfold eventually, but for now, please allow me to make some brief introductions:

Meet my ancestors.  Well, some of them, at least.

Top row, left to right:

1. My 2nd great-grandparents Columbus Cromwell Foster and Tecora Savilla Bryant Foster holding their sons Columbus Ransom Foster (my great-grandfather) & William Kenneth Foster.
2. My great-grandparents Ruth Beatrice Davis and Luther Earl Garrett with their three oldest children - Luther Earl Garrett, Jr., Betty Louise Garrett (my maternal grandmother), and Carroll Charlie Garrett.
3. Four generations of Parham men - standing in the back from left to right: James Jackson Parham, Jr., Early Artis Parham, and James David Parham (my great-grandfather).  The young boy standing in front is James David Parham, Jr., my paternal grandmother's older brother.
4. My 3rd great-grandmother, Elvina Mauldin Black.
5. My maternal grandfather, Vealon Elbert Foster, and his older sister Margaret Florine Foster (later Limbaugh).  "Aunt Margaret" was also a family historian, and her work was a springboard for a lot of my research.

Middle row, left to right:

1. My paternal grandfather, Everett Frank "Pee Wee" Powell, with one of his older brothers, James Edward "J.E." Powell, Jr. and their father (my great-grandfather) James Edward Powell.
2. My 3rd great-grandparents, Allen Aaron Jones and Corel Cymbaline Martin Jones. They were ages 19 and 17 when they got married.  Judging by how young they look in this picture (and the absence of children), I believe this may have been their wedding photo.
3. My 2nd great-grandfather, George Washington Davis.  "Grandpa Davis" owned a large dairy farm in Piedmont, South Carolina.
4. This beautiful lady is my precious maternal grandmother, Betty Louise Garrett Foster.
5. Sitting on top of the car are my great-grandmother, Annie Mae Jones Parham, an unidentified family friend, and my precious paternal grandmother, Eva Alma Parham, in a bonnet.  The license plate on the front of the car says 1929.

Bottom row, left to right:

1. William Jefferson King, my 3rd great-grandfather.
2. My father's older half-sister, Bonnie Rose Bryant, who died in infancy in Elberton, Georgia.  I never knew about Bonnie's existence until after my grandmother's death in 1996.
3. My great-grandmother, Lois W. Bell Powell, who died at age 32 during childbirth after already having given birth to seven children.
4. My precious paternal grandmother (again), Eva Alma Parham Powell.
5. My 2nd great-grandparents, Andrew Paul Black and Elvie Lenora King Black.

More on these folks will come later, I promise!

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