Got any roots in Union County, NC?

If so, you may want to check out this new online treasure trove of genealogical information:

http://history.union.lib.nc.us

Yours truly has been having a field day at the site as one of his great-gradmothers was born in Union County back in 1900 . . .

Touring ye Tarheel State

The early morning hours found me approaching North Carolina's capitol city: Raleigh.

Nice place. They call it the "city of oaks" for a reason. Lots of construction going on here, but that's not the reason for my visit. I was bound for the National Genealogical Society's annual convention.

Parking was easy to find, and much more reasonably priced than I expected after so many years of being at the mercy of parking garages in Central Florida.

The brand new convention center (opened in September) was amazing, easily navigated, and welcoming.

Saw a lot of cool things on the convention floor. Some of it wasn't even genealogy-related (i.e. "Happy Feet" insoles?!?) I have to congratulate my self-discipline in avoiding the purchase of any new books. But, in a moment of weakness, I did give in to the urge to buy a souvenir t-shirt.

Met some nice people, and received a pin for my volunteer work with familysearch.com.

Then, it was a jaunt a few miles west on I-40 to Greensboro to visit a site that played an important role in the history of our family: Guilford Courthouse Battlefield. It was there, on 15 March 1781, that one of my ancestors gave his life in the American Revolution. I've known that fact for a long, long time, but never imagined the site of the battle would look the way it does. It's not some remote field in the middle of the countryside. Instead, it is completely surrounded by urban sprawl.

The NPS rangers, though, did a great job of interpreting the site and were kind enough to look up my ancestor's service record to help me pinpoint exactly where he fell during the fighting. (Or, at least where his regiment was positioned.) Unfortunately, an horrific deluge ensued, and I was unable to walk the grounds.

If not for the rain clouds, the shadows would have been growing long by that point anyway, so the decision was made to head back east. I was surprised that we made it back as far as I-95 before pulling over at a Hampton Inn here in Dunn, NC.

Now, it's time to wind-down and get ready for the big Ghost Whisperer season finale . . .

On the road again . . .

Well, ye socks, yours truly is taking this rambling road show on tour once again.

This time around, the Carolinas are in my crosshairs.

I didn't manage to escape work-related entanglements til nearly noon, but eventually put The City Beautiful in my rearview mirror for awhile.

A quick jaunt up I-4 connected me to I-95 northbound in Daytona.

Least favorite part of the trip: Jacksonville (as usual). And, it wasn't nearly as bad as it usually is.

Favorite part of the trip: rolling up on a truck trailering a load of hogs and seeing their pink snouts, floppy ears, and curly tails poking thru the railings. Origin of said livestock has not yet been ascertained. Perhaps a little hog farm I've visited before in a remote corner of the Show-me state?

Anyway, made it to the connection with I-40 west bound, and am now just a few miles short of tomorrow's big doings: Raleigh.

Paid a little too much for a hotel room, but was fortunate enough to catch the tail-end of "Survivor." Glad to see Coach got the boot. Should be able to sleep better tonight, perhaps with visions of piggies dancing in my head?

More roadtrip posting to follow.

Why Huckabee is still a hero

I know this story won't get adequate coverage in the "mainstream" media, so I'll toss this one in the dryer for ye socks.

Our favorite former presidential candidate displayed some real heroism this weekend while attending a convention up in North Carolina.

That's right, Mike Huckabee was in that neck of the woods to deliver a key note address, when he noticed Robert Pittenger (a candidate for Lieutenant Governor) appeared to be choking.

Without skipping a beat, the Huckster leapt into action and administered ye olde Heimlich maneuver with the dexterity of a trained paramedic, doubtlessly saving millions of unsuspecting Tarheels from the horrors of another Democrat in statewide office.

This guy's building up quite a resume', isn't he?

Radio announcer, Baptist preacher, lieutenant governor, governor, bass guitarist, author, fitness guru, outdoorsman, and now lifesaving hero.

With credentials like that, it's going to be awfully hard for John McCain to deny him the vice-president slot!

Happy Birthday, Winnie!

Today, I received a wonderful handwritten letter from my Uncle Richard in Waynesville, North Carolina.

It's not often that one receives a handwritten letter nowadays, so I was impressed.

What impressed me more, however, was the newspaper clipping he enclosed. It was all about the recent 108th birthday celebrated by a lady named Winnie Morgan Crawford Cathey of Andrews, North Carolina.

Mrs. Cathey was born 22 August 1899 in Macon County, NC, to William and Mary Morgan, and now has about 150 living descendants.

My question, however, isn't about her descendants. Rather, I'd like to know about her Morgan ancestry. I mean supercentenarians are a rare breed, and I'd certainly like to know if this one may be included in our family tree . . .

I'll keep interested parties posted as I research the possibility.

In the mean time, Happy Birthday, Winnie!