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Birthdays from my family tree for the week of Nov. 16: Nov. 16 Nancy Davis Wilson, (my 5G aunt-in-law on my mother's side) b. 1804 in Kentucky; d. May 20, 1879, in Madison Lake, Madison County, Ohio. Nancy married Daniel Wilson, brother of my 4G grandfather Jeremiah Wilson, on March 1, 1822. I don't know a lot about Nancy, but Daniel Wilson was a botanic physician — a doctor whose practice is based mostly on herbs and roots. He settled in Somerford, Madison, Ky., in 1837. Dan

Birthdays from my family tree for the week of Nov. 9: Nov. 9 Samuel Webb Caudill and Sarah Maggard Caudill, his wife. Sarah Maggard Caudill, (my 4G grandmother on my mother's side), b. 1809 in Letcher County, Ky.; d. Jan. 18, 1898, in Rowan County, Ky. Sarah married Samuel Webb Caudill in Perry County, Ky., in 1825. She was 16. Sarah was born in Letcher County, where the Caudills settled after moving from Wilkes County, N.C. The Caudills had large families, and over time many

Birthdays from my family tree for the week of Nov. 2: Nov. 2 Levi Alfrey, (my first cousin three times removed on my mother's side), b. 1875 in Rowan County, Ky.; d. before 1930, Indianapolis, Ind. Levi is one of 11 children of Franklin L. Alfrey (1839-1918) and Jane Elly Hall Alfrey (1842-1915). I do not know a great deal about Levi's life, but his parents were integral players in one of the more infamous events I've uncovered in my genealogical research. Jane was one of nin

Birthdays from my family tree for the week of Oct. 12: Oct. 12 Matilda Wilson, (my first cousin three times removed on my mother's side), b. 1814 in Madison County, Ohio; d. March 21, 1890, in Madison County, Ohio. Matilda was one of six children of Valentine Wilson and the second of his three wives, Elanore Judy Wilson. Valentine was one of the wealthiest landowners of his region of Ohio. He married three times — his first two wives died — and had children by all of his wive

Birthdays from my family tree for the week of Sept. 28: Sept. 28 Myrtle Kidd, (my first cousin once removed on my father's side), b. 1917 in Rowan County, Ky.; details of death uncertain. Myrtle is the daughter of John William Kidd and Dora Kidd Kidd. Dora was the sister of my grandfather Elmer Kidd. Dora and John shared a surname and were second cousins. Sept. 29 Martha Susan Hall, (my first cousin four times removed on my mother's side), b. 1854 in Morgan County, Ky.; d. 19

Birthdays in my family tree from the week of Sept. 21: Sept. 21 Anna Martin, (my 4G grandmother on my mother's side), b. 1801 in Morgan (now Rowan) County, Ky.; d. June 1870 in Morgan County, Ky. One of the more interesting stories I've plucked from my family tree concerns Anna and her family. According to the 1870 census, she was widowed and living with her son, John Martin. Not an uncommon circumstance, then or now, right? But there's far more to the story. Anna was living

Birthdays in my family tree for the week of Sept. 14: Sept. 14 Wayne Monroe Wilson, (my second cousin three times removed on my mother's side), b. 1901 in Kentucky; I have no details about his death. Wayne's parents are William Monroe Wilson (1865-1908) and Ella Byron Wilson. His father died when he was just 7. Our common direct ancestors are Isaac Wilson and Theodocia Lee Wilson, my 4-G grandparents and his great-grandparents. Elaine Rose Pucko Thomas, (wife of Billy Ray Tho

Birthdays from my family tree for the week of Aug. 31: Aug. 31 Clarence Wills, (my second cousin three times removed on my mother's side), b. 1900 in Kentucky; d. Oct. 27, 1988, in Montgomery County, Ky. Clarence was the son of James Monroe Wills and Leonora Sanders Wilson Wills. Our common ancestors were Isaac Wilson and Theodocia Lee Wilson, my 4G grandparents and Clarence's 2G grandparents. Theodocia, incidentally, was the daughter of Major Burwell Lee of the prominent Lee

Birthdays from my family tree for the week of Aug. 3: Aug. 4 Melvina Manerva Catron Lambert, (my 3G aunt-in-law on my mother's side), b. 1842 in Wythe County, Va.; d. Aug. 11, 1876 in Moccasin Precinct, Elliott County, Ky. Melvina married Elias Lambert, who died in 1926 in Rowan County, Ky., at age 89. My paternal grandmother was a Lambert and likely a relative of Elias, but I've not established the connection. Rather, Melvina is the grandmother of Alexander Lambert, who marr

Birthdays from my family tree from the week of July 20: July 20 Dudley Boone Wilson, (my 3G uncle on my mother's side), b. 1865 in the Narrows, Rowan County, Ky.; d. Dec. 31, 1906, in Montgomery County, Ky. Dudley was born to Isaiah Wilson and Sarah Jane Wilson Wilson. His given name was Isaiah — he appears in the 1870 census report as "Isah," age 4, and several other genealogical sources say he was born Isaiah Jr. At some point, he changed his name, however. He was one of 14

Birthdays from my family tree for the week of July 6: July 6 Martha Ann Black Trent (grandmother-in-law of Allie Wilburn Williams, my great uncle on my mother's side), b. 1877 in Rowan County, Ky.; d. April 8, 1949, in Rowan County, Ky. Among the children of Martha Ann and husband Julius Ceasar Trent (cool name, huh?) was Theodore Trent. (Juluis and Martha Ann are pictured at left.) And among the children of Theodore and his wife, Clara Essie Conn Trent, was Geneva Trent Will

Birthdays from my family tree for the week of June 22: June 22 Emile Roscoe Brinson (my wife Deborah Renee Ray Kidd's great uncle on her father's side), b. 1917 in South Carolina, d. Oct. 13, 1959, in Charleston, Charleston County, S.C. Emile was the brother of my wife's paternal grandmother, Ruth Augusta Brinson Ray. I've heard at least two stories about how Ruth met her husband, Clarence Richard Ray, and one of them involves Emile. It goes like this: Clarence grew up in Ker

Birthdays from my family tree for the week of June 8. June 8 Willis Lambert (my 2G uncle on my father's side), b. 1898 in Sandy Hook, Elliott County, Ky.; d. Jan. 27, 1969, in Rowan County, Ky. Willis was the brother of my 2G grandfather, Henry J. Lambert. His mother and paternal grandmother were first cousins once removed, so Willis is also a third cousin. Ruby M. Kidd (my second cousin once removed on my father's side), b. 1925 in Rowan County, Ky.; d. February 1987. Ruby w

Birthdays from my family tree for the week of June 1: June 1 Andrew J. Winkleman (father-in-law of Saul Kidd, my first cousin once removed and my first cousin twice removed on my father's side), b. 1855 in Lawrence, Ohio; d. Feb. 6, 1941, in Elliott County, Ky. Andrew's daughter, Allie Fair Winkleman, married Saul Kidd. Saul was the son of Peter Fannin-Kidd and Sarah Ann Wilson and the cousin of my grandfather, Elmer Kidd. Anna Elizabeth Williams (my 2G aunt on my mother's si

Birthdays from my family tree for the week of May 25: My grandfather, Oliver Wilson, bounces me on his knee, not long after my parents adopted me. May 25 Oliver Wilson (my maternal grandfather), b. 1918 in Morehead, Rowan County, Ky.; d. Nov. 19, 1988, in Bath County, Ky. My papaw was never famous, never earned a college degree (or a high school diploma, for that matter), and couldn't bankroll a library or hospital. But he worked hard, loved his family and helped take care of

Birthdays in my family tree for the week of May 18: May 18 Delphina Kidd (my first cousin twice removed on my father's side and my first cousin three times removed on my father's side), b. 1926 in West Liberty, Morgan County, Ky.; d. Dec. 11, 1980, in Lytten, Elliott County, Ky. Delphina's grandfather, Peter Fannin-Kidd, was the half brother of Edmund Kidd, my 2G grandfather. May 19 Mary E. Jennings (wife of Marion Kidd, my first cousin twice removed on my father's side), b.

My family-tree birthdays for the week of April 13. April 13 Sarah Perry (my second cousin four times removed on my mother's side), b. 1850 in Rushcreek Township, Ohio; d. April 12, 1856, in Ohio. Sarah was the daughter of Mary Wilson Perry (1831 to 1907) and Solomon Perry (1832 to 1905). April 14 Lula C. Caudill (my first cousin three times removed on my mother's side), b. 1891 in Rowan County, Ky.; d. Jan. 14, 1925, in Rowan County, Ky. One of 11 children of William B. Caudi

Birthdays from my family tree from the week of April 6. April 8 Jacob Wilson (my 5G uncle on my mother's side), b. 1779 in Berkeley County, Va.; d. 1824 in Nevada, Mercer County, Ky. Jacob Wilson, the first-born of 13 or 12 children of Jacob Wilson and Mary Fritz Wilson. The younger Wilson was born in Virginia 13 years before Kentucky, at the time of his birth a county of Virginia, became a state. Berkeley County is now part of West Virginia. At some point, Wilson moved to Ke

There were no video arcades, no nearby fun parks and no cable television to keep a kid occupied at Granny and Papaw's. But you had three small ponds full of fish, a natural spring and about 60 acres of fields, woods and cliffs to explore. The farm where my mother grew up in a three-generation household is no longer in the family, but it remains my favorite place in the world. I loved eating the little green apples Granny picked in the front yard, fishing a pond with Papaw or

Birthdays in my family tree for the week of March 30. March 30 James Wooten Cornett (Husband of Jane Ellen Williams, my first cousin once removed on my mother's side), b. 1958. Jane Ellen is the daughter of my mom's Uncle Hobart Ray Williams, who passed away in 2003. My Aunt Vada, with my maternal grandparents, Leona Wilson and Oliver Wilson. March 31 Vada Louise Wilson Caudill (my aunt on my mother's side), b. 1953 in Rowan County, Ky.; d. Nov. 6, 1992, in Clearfield, Rowan