Research Time!

Wow!  My brain is full!  

Friday, July 5, 2013

We left Chattanooga Friday morning (July 5) to head to Murfreesboro, TN and to begin one of the many reasons for our trip --- family history research.  

Frances and Gene were such gracious hosts it was hard to leave.  I'll be back to see the rest, Frances!!!!  And, of course she wore red, white and blue so she's a sister!

Our days at Lookout Mountain and Chickamauga were awesome and really helped us understand what our gggrandfathers, Walter Harrison, Rudolph Neff and Benjamin T. Van Cleave along with our gguncle, Carter Harrison, must have faced.  See Shirley's blog to get a better understanding of what it looked and felt like to walk through the battlefields.  Chickamauga was the first battlefield which allowed monuments from both sides.  In 1889 the first reunion of the CSA and the Union Army was held here.  The Visitor Center was decorated just as the Reunion Hall was in 1889.

We are trying to mind the signs we see at the National Parks!

We also continue to try to take pictures as we enter a state...it's not working out.

After stopping at the Albert Gore Public History Center at Middle Tennessee State University for a brief consultation we headed on over to the Rutherford County Archives.  Each visit these last two days have been marked by the "kindness of strangers" and people "paying it forward"!   Great life lessons!

  

At the Rutherford County Archives we started our first task -- sorting out our early Harrison line who came from Westmoreland, Virginia to Murfreesboro area in late 1790's to take advantage of land grants due to Revolutionary War service.  Sooo -- checking, checking, checking early tax records, deed abstracts, marriages, cemetery records, etc. to match up families.  With the able help of my sous chef, Sister Shirley, a stack of quarters, and running shoes for the copy machine, we began documenting our findings.  

There are historical markers everywhere and you must stop and read them and ponder.....and then, act!

And....Rutherford County Archives sent us to Williamson County Archives in Franklin, TN so off we went!  This was an amazing archive but we had a short amount of time before the doors would be locked for the weekend.  We read family histories, perused the flat files for The Harrison House (yes, a cousin!) where a Confederate General and a Union General died after the Battle of Franklin.  This is another house that was converted to a field hospital.  Be sure to check out Shirley's blog about Carnton Plantation.  Anyway, this archive sent us to the Williamson County Public Library Special Collections for a Saturday morning search!  But, not before I scoured their volumes on the War on Rebellion.  Hmm..I don't think my northern history books called it this....but I do remember Dennis explaining that to me!

Saturday, July 6, 2013

Well, we can't say enough about the Williamson County Public Library either!  Just as we were about to leave, we were offered a file on the Harrison surname.  Bingo!!!!  Tons of information on early Harrisons who had moved to this area from North Carolina and Virginia in the late 1790's to obtain land.  It will take a while to sort all we xeroxed, notated and discussed!  Thanks to their staff for being so interested in our surname and our project.  Incidentally, this Special Collection group along with one of their faithful researchers are the folks who helped out Alex Haley in his initial search for his roots and recently provided materials to a television show on some other famous sisters (not us...but, some other famous sisters!).

Tomorrow we visit The Hermitage and learn all about Andrew Jackson!  Then, it's on to Music Row in downtown Nashville for an evening before heading to Frankfort, Kentucky and Columbus, Indiana.

See ya!  Kay

Carnton Plantation

Do you have a QR reader on your phone or IPAD? Scan the image and read the history!

Kay shared a delightful story of meeting the author of The Widow of the South, Robert Hicks in 2005 at the "A Clean Well Lighted Place for Books" in the San Francisco Arts Corridor. This bookstore was located on the ground floor where their condo is and was a favorite place for Dennis and Kay to meet authors and share their love of books. This particular evening was rainy and few people were able to attend the bookstore event.  Between Kay's knowledge of the Hick's book and Dennis' Civil War historical understanding a lively conversation began as chairs were rearranged to accommodate this small group.

With this background we navigated to the Carnton Plantation and arrived just as a tour was beginning in the main house.

The next hour was spent with a knowledgeable docent showing us the beautiful home while we imagined the unimaginable happenings of the Battle of Franklin.  

The home has bloodstains on the floorboards from where it was used as a Confederate Hospital for one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War.

 

Walking through the gardens where a 160 year old Osage Orange Tree is still standing, seeing the grounds where slaves once lived and worked, and visiting the Confederate Cemetery where 1,481 men are buried is just part of the intrigue of this plantation.

Here are just a few of the beautiful plants from the Carnton Gardens.

Cracker Barrel in Franklin, Tennessee.

One of the most wonderful parts of our trip is connecting with friends and family along the way! This morning we met our brother Tom and his lovely wife Alanna at the Cracker Barrel in Franklin, Tennessee. They had the opportunity to attend the Church of the Brethren Annual Conference in Charlotte, North Carolina last week and visit friends in Tennessee on the way home.

We enjoyed a lively conversation while eating traditional southern items such as grits, biscuits and gravy, and country ham. What a delightful way to begin our day with good food and great family connections. Safe Travels to Tom and Alanna as they make their way home!

Car Noises

While leaving the parking lot of Middle Tennessee State on Friday, July 5th we heard an unusual noise coming from the front of the car. When I sped up the noise got faster sounding like a playing card in a bicycle tire. We continued on to our next destination which was the Rutherford County Archive building and each tried to share what we thought was making the funny noise.

Kay suggested she jump out of the car to look and see if she could find the source of the noise. She signaled to me to back up and then waved for me to stop quickly and turn off the car. Kay reached over and pulled this object from the tire!  It appears to be electrician's tape which was stuck to the front tire and hitting the wheel well! 
AHH Problem Solved!

Chickamauga, Georgia July 4, 2013

Happy fourth of July from the Chickamauga Battlefield in Georgia! We are standing in front of the 22nd Indiana Infantry Statue on the Battlefield. Our Great Great Grandfather Walter Harrison belonged to this regiment and fought in this battle.

The tour today began with a 26 minute video of the Battles in Chickamauga and Chattanooga. This amazing film set the tone for the sites we were about to witness in a 3 and 1/2 hour car tour around the battlefield.

The first place I got out of the car to get pictures was the headquarters of Confederate General Bragg. Walking into the woods to get the picture I was struck by the eerie sounds coming from the wooded area as small animals walked and raindrops fell through the dense trees.

 I came back to the car and shared these thoughts with Kay and so at the next stop she walked with me to a grave site where we again experienced the quiet hush of nature and a place that deserved respect. This grave is the only one in this battlefield and marks the remains of Col. Ingraham a confederate soldier from the Chickamauga area whose remains were cared for by the community.

This monument was created to honor Col. John T. Wilder and his men, nicknamed the Lightning Brigade. Regiments from Indiana and Illinois served under his command. This 85 foot tower has 136 steps in a spiral staircase leading to the top where you can view almost all of the field of battle.

Look carefully at the top to see Shirley holding a flag from her school! 
As I looked over these sites on our Independence Day, I thought about my three great great grandfathers who fought in the Battles of Chickamauga, Missionary Ridge, and Chattanooga, I was struck by the challenging terrain, terrifying noises of battle from the cannons, and the smell of death that certainly surrounded them. I am grateful to all of our veterans who fought for the freedoms I hold so dear. God Bless America!

Chattanooga, Tennessee

This morning waking up in Signal Mountain, Tennessee to the soft rain on the roof and the foggy view of the trees provided us with a lovely day to explore the Chattanooga area with our lovely tour guide Frances.

Our first stop was the Incline Railway and a trip up the side of the mountain followed by a walking tour of Point Park-Lookout Mountain Battlefield.

 The fog was so thick but dear sister Kay wanted a quarter to look at the scenery anyway!

As you can tell from our pictures this park was filled with foggy images as we toured the site of the Civil War battle fought in November of 1863. This is the 150th anniversary of the "Battle Above the Clouds" where we had 3 great great grandfathers and a great great uncle who fought in this pivotal battle.  

After visiting the battlefield we watched " Battles For Chattanooga" a video/geographical miniature display of the history of this battle. This provided the necessary information to help us understand how this battle was planned and the brave men who fought on both sides at this Civil War site.

After a picnic lunch in the car we headed to Rock City! This geological and botanical wonder has been known since the early 1800's as Rock City where the first documented claims of being able to " See the Seven States" from atop the summit of Lookout Mountain was recorded during the Civil War.

Again Sister Kay requested a quarter to find the seven states through the view finder!

We spent a delightful afternoon walking through the rocky paths and seeing beautiful flowers and plants.

At the end of the tour we smiled throughout Fairyland Caverns and Mother Goose Village.

Thanks again to Frances and Gene for being our delightful hosts in Chattanooga and Signal Mountain!

Tuesday, Tuesday -- Travel Day

Hi Sports Fans!

We didn't post last night because (drum roll), we were officially tired by the time we got to Chattanooga, TN!!!

We recovered enough today to  do some amazing sightseeing and Sister Shirley will be telling you all about that next!

Sooo, here's what happened on Tuesday, July 2.....

We slept in until 8 (the time change from California was getting to me!) and then packed and loaded (duh!) and started some last minute sightseeing in Memphis.  We had planned to go to the National Civil Rights Museum (housed in the Lorraine Hotel which is the site where Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated).  The museum was only about 7 blocks from our hotel but is undergoing extensive renovation so we were only able to take a picture.

That sort of set the tone for the rest of Tuesday!  As I mentioned in Monday's blog we decided that we would drive by Graceland...and we met that goal!

 His sign...

 His airplane

His fence!!!!

Then, it was time for some serious road time.....through the beautiful state of Tennessee.  Lots of gorgeous clouds, beautiful bridges, stunning trees and rolling hills plus the beginning of plantations.

Since we hadn't gone to Graceland, I dearly wanted to go to a quilt shop in Franklin, Tennessee.  It's called The Quilting Squares.  It...was....awesome!!!!  And, it turned out to be a fortuitous event.

 Kay, in prayer, after spending her souvenir money on fabric!

 So, right after we left we were continuing down Columbia Avenue when, much to our surprise, we saw an historical marker that said "The Harrison House"!  Turns out this was one of the lines I was to check out at the Albert Gore Research Center at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, TN this coming Friday and Saturday.  Yippee!  The house is not open to the public but now we know where it is and will try to take pictures this weekend.

The Battle of Franklin in the Civil War had an extraordinary number of casualties including six Confederate Generals and a Union General.  The house was commandeered as a hospital and one of the Confederate Generals and the Union General both died there and were temporarily buried in the gardens there until they could be moved to their final resting places in their home states.

 We were better at taking pictures of signs as we entered new states when our children were little.  Somehow this part of our road trip is not working out!

 Arriving on Signal Mountain, Tennessee!  Yes, that is a space ship house.....pretty darn amazing!

The biggest surprise of Tuesday was that Chattanooga is on EASTERN Daylight Time....we arrived at my friends' home (Frances and Gene) at 6:43 p.m. where we were met with open doors, open hearts, open minds....oh, shoot, that's the United Methodist saying......Ahhhh, but that fits!   It's great to be here...and we haven't stopped talking and catching up!  Pictures of these dear friends later!

A preview of Wednesday, July 3 --drenched hair and sweater-- Observing six states from the top of Lookout Mountain....in the fog!