Back on the Porch

 Sister and I made it back to my home in Pottsville from the eastern side of TN.   Took us 10 hours to get home. We stopped several times.  Fleta drove but I was head sign watcher. This quilt was on the wall of the old Rhea County Courthouse.  

Rhea County, TN

Sister inside Rhea County Court House where the Scopes Trail was held.  She under Thomas Jefferson here.

Court House was built in 1891.

Clarence Darrow defended Scopes.  Spencer Tracy in the Movie.

Here comes the judge!
 

Campbell and Claiborne Counties

Today we visited two counties and copied a lot of records.  We have not found any new important facts but have loved seeing the land and meeting people.  One young archivist stated he had an ancestral line of one of the surnames we named.  Later that evening I checked my dna file and he and I matched a small amount of cm’s and we connect to the same ancestor born in 1757!

Our excitement today was Sister’s car keys went kaput!  The one she had me carry was dead as a door nail and the other one barely had any juice left.  We found a Chevy dealer early and they fixed us up.  Sister says everyone one feels sorry for us as we are two OLD ladies. 

One more day of exploring then we head home Saturday morning.
 

Anderson County, Tn

This is Clinton, Tn.  Today we’re going to check the court house for records.  Maybe the library.

 

Grainger County, TN

Crossing the Clinch River today and we visited the Grainger County Archives.  We found some records but Fleta wants to find who Benjamin Cooper wed.  Year was about 1805.  I am thinking we’re not going to succeed in that quest but other things will be discovered hopefully! 

This is downtown Clinton Tn.  We are starting here each night and going to places.  Coming back here each evening before dusk.  Clinton is the county seat of Anderson County but only 10,000 people.
 

Mission Not Going as Envisioned

 

Here we are at Sparta, TN.  This is the old Courthouse that was torn down and a new uglier building replaced it.

We took these before going inside.  We really made no earth shattering discoveries.  But we received free rein in the deed vault.  Those books were heavy lifting!  The old courthouse is were Eli Cooper and Elinda Adcock got a license to marry and where they lived until little James died in a fire when their cabin burned.  They are in Missouri shortly after this event. 

Trippin’

Sister Fleta and I are off on an adventure.  I have not been on a pleasure trip in 40 years.  I have worked and toiled my entire life. We are traveling across the top of Tennessee searching for our dead grandfather’s people.  Tonight we are in Cookeville TN.  We had to work together to get through Nashville as we are two hillbillies.  I said together we total one brain.  My Erin said Fleta was more than half our brain.  

Tomorrow morn we are off to Sparta County, Court House.    Today I thought about Ben Cooper traveling that 500 miles in a wagon and he was an old man.

 

Lucky Number 7

Lucky number 7 got to start today in her soccer game.  They won too.  Greta loves sports.

 

Up Early

Sometimes you get up so early that you need a nap by 7!  Scene in the pasture after a long morning graze.  I saw them eating at 5 and then they rested.

 

Ada’s Class

 Ada loves school and her friends and teachers.  Today was polka dot day.  She’s pretty lucky she only has to know two letters to spell her name!  She wanted tennis shoes with “ties”.   Her new ones have laces.  Her teachers may not appreciate them.  

Meadow Blooms and Get a Shovel

The magenta Missouri Iron weed is almost gone!  They are an aster.  Since they bloom late they are great late pollinators.  I split open a persimmon and found a spoon.  Get ready to shovel snow this winter.  I love the pink False Foxglove.  The blooms are like tiny bells!  The yellow bloom is an Ashy Sunflower!  You can tell them by the ashy look to the leaves!  They’re an aster, also.  I am thankful today to live in a beautiful meadow full of wildflowers!

 

Cut Your Grocery Bill

I spied these pretty wild Asters today.  I think they’re called Nahanni Asters.

How to save money on your grocery bill—don’t buy sodas!  It robs you of other nutrients and wastes money.  One 20 ounce drink has as much sugar as 6 donuts or 18 cookies!  It won’t help me ‘cause I don’t buy them, but I was amazed at the comparison.  Diet ones are even worse.