If I were a a physic or a numerologist I could possibly find meaning in the numbers 1-1-11, or 1-11-11.  But they are just markers of time to me.  Time that is forever marching toward the future and away from our past; a past that will be forgotten by our families and ourselves unless we chronicle it for future generations.  I know you are saying, “No one in my family cares about what I did or who I am.”  But then why are we researching our ancestors?  Surely we know they existed, because we are the living proof.  I don’t believe, you researchers out there, only care about when they were born, or married or died; BMD.  I believe you want to know all you can about who they were and how they impact our lives today.  I know some people are very proud of their ”famous ancestors,” and rightly so, but there were many, many who were just hard-working Americans and foreigners, literally the makers of our country.  For them, shouldn’t our admiration be equal?  There were also a few who deviated from the rules of God and man for personal gain and profit.  Aren’t they just as interesting?

A distant cousin of mine paid me a great compliment a short time ago.  He called me the “Sherlock Holmes” of researchers, because I am always asking questions and not stopping until I get answers.  Many of you know how we came to be friends and acquaintances; I called you and e-mailed you and wrote you.  Some of these same friends and acquaintances have told me I am a “Genealogist.”  I don’t necessarily agree with that title.  I will admit, to being  a “Back-door Genealogist.”  I am not professionally trained or accredited.  (I have a cousin who has a degree and I usually beat her to the information.)  The success I achieve comes first and foremost from that fact that I use a non-traditional method, communication with a living person.

When you begin to research, talk to all the relatives you know and interview as many other friends of your family to help you climb the next rung of the ladder on your tree.  I, like so many ”children,” was not interested in the stories my parents, aunts and uncles told.   But, there came a time when most of them had passed on, and I really began to feel that soon I would be alone with nothing to connect me to my past or theirs.  My sister and brother died a few years ago.  Records were passed on to me by their children and I became the 1; the 1 in every family that becomes the family researcher and collector of memorabilia.

This task began 11 years earlier when my brother called to tell me of the death of a lady who was not related to us by blood, but who’s sister had been my mother’s sister-in-law.  I told him that we had to find a way to save our memories.  But what I really meant was, ”I needed to find family!”  I set about to do just that.  First, I made a list of who I thought might still be alive and who we had lost contact with since my mother had died a few years earlier.  I went through her address books searching for familiar names and called some, hoping they might still be living.  (My mother lived to almost 95.)

Next, since I was “new” to computers, I began my investigations on Family Search and Rootsweb.  Rootsweb had e-mail addresses and I contacted hundreds of people.  Now I had to organize what I had found.  I had filled yellow-legal tablets with notes and hand-drawn charts, but this method was confusing.  I decided to concentrate on one family at a time, from my maternal and paternal lines, and I focused on my father’s line.  At this point, I sound very professional, but the truth is that I did remember some of the things my mother told me.  She had a way of ”distorting” the truth and I wanted the real stories.   Most of her stories were jumbled with names and facts and it took awhile to sort them out.  I used to think she did it on purpose to make herself more important, and even though her mind was ”sharp” as she aged, I think she just wanted to tell a good story.

I was able to locate a second cousin who lived only 60 miles away and after out first meeting and with her guidance I felt more confident in my amateur abilities.  I won’t bore you with details, but I will tell you of a few things that have made this all worth while.  My father had been an actor in a silent movie serial in the 1920’s.  I have several 8×10 movie ”glossies” and knew a little about some of the other actors and the director, Irving Cummings.  I was searching the Cummings name one evening and found a man on-line in Arizona, who was selling videos of old silent movies.  I called him the next day to inquire about the “Irving Cummings Mountie Series.”   What he told me, about where they were filmed and the cast, brought me to tears.  (My father was 50 years old when I was born.  I had never seen him as a young man.)  I paid for a copy of 3 films and anxiously awaited their arrival.  After viewing them I called the seller to thank him and asked him where he had obtained them.  He told me from film vault in New York City.  I called New York and the owner sent me 2 more at no cost.  I have since received 2 others from the seller in Arizona.

Not long after this success, Dave Cheesman, no relation, but an acquaintance of my mother’s and one of the people I had called who was listed in her address book, contacted me about a man in England who was researching Cheesman’s.  I knew my grandfather had come from England and thanks to some old letters my mother had saved from my father’s cousin there, I had a bit of information.  I contacted the gentleman and  we “connected.”  He had no idea he had American cousins.  The next year I flew to England to meet him and his lovely wife.  They took me to important locations in the Cheesman family history and I was a guest in his home.  (A link to John Hoare’s website appears on the right side of our cover page under Other Sites.)

I have accomplished what I originally set out to do.  Two years ago I located the last two people who I knew might still be living.  I could relate more, because every success has brought me more family than I have ever had.  I have connected all  the dots, so to speak, and I am very proud of my amateur abilities.  I don’t presume to take all the credit, however.  There have been many others who have given me advice and the benefit of their knowledge and it is my pleasure to pass along this to others.  There are two other people who have stood at my shoulder every time I sit at this keyboard, my parents.  I have ”felt ” their guidance when sometimes I have not known where to look.

The best advice I can give for your success, is to sit quietly and ”listen” to your ancestors.  I believe we carry a little bit of them in each cell of our being, and they will ”talk” to you.  When we think about them, when we talk about them, and when we write about them, we are giving meaning to their lives.  When you write about your life for your children and grandchildren you are helping them to appreciate you.  Don’t let the good times and the not so good times be lost.  They are the fibers woven to make the cloth that is uniquely you.

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PEOPLE WE MET WHILE CLIMBING THE WARE TREE

And a mysterious relationship

Ray Ware

I had an experience at the grocery the other day, that caused me to remember some of the

nice, and not so nice, people we met on our travels, while doing family research.

We were at a large research facility in Ohio, a  college, or university, where the attendant insisted we pay the registry fee before he even introduced himself. The fee was nothing, but his attitude was insulting, to say the least. When asked about research material, he sat behind the desk, pointed at the row of books, gave a haughty, “Help yourself.” After gathering our composure, we apologized to the man for having disturbed him, and left.

On the other side of the coin, we went to Washington Courthouse, OH, where they happened to be remodeling the library. All the material had been moved outside to a row of semi truck trailers. Can you imagine the mess the curator, or attendant had to put up with, along with servicing patrons? Yes, there is such a place. Interesting history.

The two ladies on duty at the time were the most gracious, helpful souls you could imagine. Not only were they knowledgeable in their subject, they went out of their way to assist us. That facility should be proud of their expertise and conduct in such trying times.

‘

The lady attending the Kentucky Room at the Owensboro library, was a combination of both of the above. Bless her heart, she wanted to help to the point she was disturbing.

I know she meant well and we appreciated her efforts, and she was real sweet about the whole thing. Sort of like a waitress standing over you while you try to eat. Get the picture?

On one of our trips to KY, we wanted to pull sort of a census at the cemetery there in Habit. This was the trip when all the photos were taken. I decided to try to find some kin from the area that might remember our line. A quick check of the phone directory, yielded several Wares. I am not into using the phone, so I got two addresses and took off to locate these people. The first place the door was answered by a young man, who stated right off he wasn’t interested in anything I had to say, slam went the door.

On to the next address. The door was answered by a nurse, in uniform, who told me that Mr. Ware was seriously ill and cannot be disturbed. So much for person to person interviews..

On the way to the cemetery, we passed a mail box with the name Camp painted there on.

There happened to be a gentleman trimming a box wood hedge in the front yard..

My uncle Joseph Martin Ware married a lady, Mildred Camp. I remember meeting her, but that’s a story for another time.

We stopped to talk to the gentleman about the Ware-Camp connection, about which I know very little.

The man was very gracious and we talked a good bit about the Camp-Ware connections.

Then he said the most amazing thing I have ever heard. He was telling about Mildred and then said, “She fell in with the Wares!”  He said what? She fell in with the Wares?

My goodness, he made it sound like she had taken up with a band of outlaws!

Or, perhaps Mr. Camp had, shall we say, a stone in his shoe? If so, what put it there?

That statement alone, has made me wonder, many times, just what kind of people were my ancestors. I don’t think they were crooks, or anything, but their personalities, beliefs, general attitude, general characters, would be interesting to know more about.

After leaving Mr. Camp, and being somewhat bewildered, we went on to the cemetery at Habit.

We spent the better part of the afternoon taking tombstone tracings and photos. Cemeteries can be both morbid, and interesting, depending on what you are looking for.

Now, back to the Camps.

Iverson Joseph Ware, and Sarah Hannah Robinson Ware, 1842-1927, had a daughter, Mildred Elisabeth Ware, 1870-1943. Married Charles Camp, no information,.

Iverson and Sarah  are buried at Bethabara Cemetery, Habit, KY

I had some pictures of Sarah, she cut a fine figure, an elegant pose, regal, even.

I just have a gut feeling that she was a really nice person. I would have liked her.

Grandson of Iverson J, –Joseph Martin Ware, 1896-1968, mar, 1922, Mildred Camp, 1899-1952, d/o Oscar Camp. I have been told that Joseph married again, but could not verify. Joseph and Mildred are buried at Rose Hill Cemetery, Owensboro.

Joseph Martin left no children.

What WAS the relation between Charles Camp, and Oscar Camp? If any.

Maybe it was easier to say that Mildred “Fell in with the Wares,” than try to explain the set-up.

Fell in with the Wares? Right!

You should be so lucky!

RW

6/10/10

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SPECIAL ACKNOWLEGMENTS.

I want to thank, Cloe Holden, Susan Eaton, Roger Ware Jr., Joe Ware, Judy Ware, Marti Martin, Wayne Ware, Jim Ware, Ray Ware and his granddaughter, Rebekah Ranew Trinh, for taking time from hectic holiday preparations to share their Christmas memories and to preserve them on our website.

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NEW MEMBERS.

Roger Ware Jr., Richard Ware, Rebekah Ranew Trinh, and Victoria Ware Benitez are our newest members.  There are other sites and we are happy you chose us.   I sincerely hope we can help you to be prosperous in your research.

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NEW CATEGORY.

“Where to find Ware Families,”  is our new category.  Sometimes it is impossible to separate information on individual member of a Ware family who resided with or near others of their family in a specific location.  I decided it would be more beneficial with regards to researching a line to keep the family “together,” and they are listed by County and State.

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INTERESTING.

In case you hadn’t noticed, we passed the 10,000 views in late  December.  And Ken just informed me, we have over 200,000 pieces of information in the data-base.  We are a very popular website, so keep the information coming!