Betty Dolores Huyler (52 Ancestors)

     I'm participating in the 52 Ancestors Challenge in Ahnentafel order, so week seven is about my maternal grandmother (Grandmama).

     Betty Dolores Huyler was born in Atlanta in 1931 to Very "Mack" Huyler and Ruby Lee Waters.  Her parents separated almost immediately after her birth, and Betty was raised in large part by her maternal grandparents, aunts and uncles.  She grew up partly in Atlanta and partly in Greenville, South Carolina, mainly in mill villages.  At some point in her childhood she was hit by a car and almost killed.  This affected her memories of her younger years.

     Betty married young, at only 15 years old, and did not finish school.  She was a homemaker, but she also wanted to work and help support her family when money was tight.  When her husband, Roy, was away working as a truck driver, Betty actually got a job a time or two.  But Roy would come home and find out and, at least once, actually when to her job and brought her home.

     She was a woman of many hobbies.  Betty often taught herself new crafts, such as crochet, gardening, and ceramics painting.  The homes of her children and grandchildren are now home to many of her creations.  She was also a fan of science fiction, in books, tv and movies.  She got her various children and grandchildren hooked on Dr Who, Harry Potter and Robert Jordan.

Squad No. 10

     Throughout the Sesquicentennial of the Civil War, I've been researching my soldier ancestors.  There are a few men in my family tree who were of the right age to fight, but for whom I have not found any record of service.   One of those men is David Jefferson Witt, born 1833 in Abbeville, South Carolina.

     In 1864, David would have been a 31 year old farmer with a wife and three sons.  Given his age, if he didn't volunteer, he would have been conscripted unless he could afford to buy a substitute.  Considering that in the 1860 census he was listed as an "overseer," I doubt that he could afford to do so.  David never reported a physical or mental disability on any census record, so I just don't think he avoided joining the war.  Considering this, I occasionally search for evidence of his service.

     Today, I ran a search for David in the newspapers of Chronicling America.  I came up with an interesting, but confusing result from 1865:

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     I'm pretty sure that the David J Witt mentioned is my guy.  But what is Squad No. 10 of the Supporting Forces?  Is this a local militia?  I'm going to have to put in some time and research what David was up to.

DAR Meeting and an Application Update

     I attended my second DAR meeting this last weekend.  It was much like the previous one, and I'm really getting the feel for how things work.

     Last time I attended I was confused about signing in, but this time there were clearly labeled sign in sheets for members, guests and perspective members.  I'm still filling out a "Hello, my name is" name tag, but I now know a few of the other ladies to say hello to.

     This meeting's speaker was Tom Poland, a writer who specializes in the south, and more specifically the area from Lincoln County, Georgia to Columbia, South Carolina.  I have family from Lincoln County, so I'm going to look into his work to see if he might have written anything of interest to me.  He gave out some tips and suggestions for writing, such as how to find topics: get in your car and drive the back roads; the highway is generic and boring.

     Two more members were inducted during the meeting and apparently there are 11 applications that have been sent in for review, including my own.  The registrar thinks I'll have my member number by May, which is longer than she originally thought.  All this bad weather seems to have kept the DAR offices closed more than is normal.  I won't be attending next month's meeting, which happens to fall on my birthday.  Instead, I'll be at a living history weekend at Andersonville NHS.

Roy Vernon Albea, Sr (52 Ancestors)

     I'm participating in the 52 Ancestors Challenge in Ahnentafel order, so week six is about my maternal grandfather (Grandaddy).  And once again, I'm getting behind!

   They say that twins run in the family, and if so my Grandaddy, Roy Albea, Sr, is the reason that I'm a twin.  He and his brother, Ray, were born in 1926 to Charles Vernon Albea and Auline Witt in Greenwood, South Carolina.  He and his brother contracted pneumonia when they were only six months old.  His brother succumbed and the doctor told Auline that Roy would not survive either.  Auline wasn't willing to loose both of her sons, so she told the doctor to leave and took care of Roy herself.  Thanks to his mother and older sisters' care, Roy survived.

     His parents worked in the textile mills throughout the area, and, against his mother's wishes, he quit school at 16 to work full time.  When he was 20 years old, he first met Betty Huyler and that very day declared that he would marry her.  The couple moved around for a few years, with Roy moving from job to job (as his father had always done) before Betty put her food down and demanded that Roy find a job and stick with it.  He found a job as a truck driver in Atlanta and stayed with the company until retirement.  He had a perfect safety record.