Here you can just click to go to what area of the page you want to speed to first. I would like first time visitors to take a moment and check out the pics and stories on this page. But if you've been here, done that use these links to quickly go to the areas at the bottom of this page.
Tips on viewing the family lines Links and their explanations to the various family lines. Abbreviations used in the family lines
But first, some old PICS I've run across to take us down memory lane and to remind us how important Family Trees and family's really are.
You can't read the type on this pic, but it's from December 1962. In case you don't recoginize them... It's Uncle Gilmer (Stiff Foster, Grandma Ruby, Paw Paw Odell and C.M. Bailey taking up the floor space.
This almost looks like it could be Aunt Millie. But it's Grandma Ruby pre-dye era LOL. Sorry, don't have a date on this one. But I think it's safe to say that this is in the old house. I recognize those walls.
Again no date, but Grandpa Odell's name is on the back so I think this one is from his 'really' young years. On his left shoulder you can see the head of what might or might not be Grandma looking on. According to Margie this was taken at the old Langston home.
Speaking of the old Langston Farm, here is a side view pic I got from Aunt Kate.
Wow, old memories here! Again, in case you don't recognize everyone. It's Grandpa Odell, Joe Booe, C.M. Bailey, Scooter Booe (Can't remember his real name) and Grandma Ruby. I'm pretty sure I recognize that table as being from Lib and C.M.'s. From my assumptions, Scooter looks to about 12 here so I'm 'guessing' this was early to mid 60's?
It's always nice to find old pictures isn't it? Takes you down memory lane. And in this case, back to a simpler time. When your neighbors were your friends and your vegetables came from the garden not a can. I miss those times. Anyway, I have more pics. But I've decided to link them beside of the name of who they represent. Some are real old, like the ones I got from Aunt Kate...so click away.
I bet your ready to get to the links now right? Well, not yet! First I wanted to share and document some old stories Grandma Ruby told me. But, if you want to by-pass this part you can just click here to go to tips or links or abbreviations at the bottom of the page.
When Odell me Ruby
It was at an old time family reunion of one of Ruby's friends. I think it was Edna Hartley. Anyway there was a young guitar picker named Odell (who would soon change her life forever) there as part of the entertainment. Ruby knew the other girls were ooing and ahhing over the young buck but she said she wasn't paying him much mind. She told of her and her friend passing by the make shift stage as he was singing "When the rose blooms again, I'll be with you sweetheart." She said he flipped that guitar around without missing a lick, then pointed straight at her and smiled. She said she was so embarrassed because that made everyone look at her. But she talked like she threw up her head and walked on determined not to be swayed by this fast boys plays. Ruby was sweet 16 and Odell was a more mature 22 years old at the time.
Well, It started to rain. Pour actually. As every scampered for cover her and her friend ran for the car. Odell saw his chance. He jumps off the stage, runs and taps on her window trying to get her to let him sit in the car with them. She says he tried to use such classic lines as "Where have you been all my life?" Ruby, being feisty gal we know her as, and thinking him full of himself, told him he could drown for all she cared. Well, Odell must have been a bit feisty as well because he wasn't going to take no for an answer. He ran to the other side of the car where her treacherous friend got out in the rain to let him scooch in between them. Little did she know that she would end up marrying that guitar picker. And the rest they say is history.
Odell and Ruby were married at the same time as her friend Edna Hartley, who married Henry Shoaf. Odell and Ruby started out with 1 1/2 acres of the Foster Farm on what is now Cedar Grove Church Road. They cut logs off the land to build a small cabin that still stands and is still being lived in. Their fire place was built out of granite rocks also found on the site. Later they purchased 43 more acres to add to their farm. When Odell's parents died they bought all the other inherited plots to retain the integrity of Foster Family Farm. They raised Tobacco and Cotton crops as well as a personal garden. They ended up moving across the street to the big house which as ya'll know has since been sold. I do miss that house.
A few other stories you may or may not know.
Another example of Ruby's fight and tenacity is when they were trying to get the road paved. Apparently she found out that the money was suppose to be there but no one was actually using it for what it was allotted for. She fought and fought till by dern that road got paved. The powers that be tried to name the road "Ruby Road" in honor of her bugging them to death to get it done I guess…lol. But being as she was humble she wouldn't have it. Though you can still find some county maps with it listed in her honor, the street sign is now "Cedar Grove Church Road" named for one of the few Black Church's in the area at the time. She felt this only proper to name a road after a Church, that's how things were done.
Grandma also told me about walking her mile and a half to her one teacher (Miss. Bess Bessent) school in her black bear skin stockings rolled to her knees. She attended there until she was promoted to the 5th grade and on to the Consolidated Cooleemee School that went to 10th grade when she graduated.
My last story is one of my favorites. It's about Grandpa. Grandma said he was a Christian man, going to church with his family until he developed empezema. The bad cough made him feel self-conscious in church. During the spring of 1975 he had what can only be called a near death experience, before anyone really knew what they were. One night breathing tubes had fallen off, as they often did, and Grandma Ruby had been dozing on her chair beside his bed. She said she tried to keep a watch on him because more than one night they would fall loose and he would stop breathing. Anyway, this night she had drifted off and when she woke up and caught it she put the tubes back in place, kind of routine.
Well, that next day he wanted to tell her about something that had happened to him that night but was afraid she would think he was crazy. He mentioned all the usual visuals we now know as common in near death experiences. Floating up, feeling whole and well, loved and elated. He spoke of the light and the tunnel and feeling so welcome and secure. He stated that though he had been some-what afraid of what laid ahead for him, that he was no longer afraid to die. He died that same year around Thanksgiving. And just like I know the rest of you do, I still miss him.
TIP: I strongly suggest you view the abbreviation list found at the bottom of every page as well as this one. So you can keep up with how I did things.
TIP: Starting at the top of each page you will find the furthest I got back in each line. Each generation is numbered, with 0 or 1 being the furthest name back in time and then it works its way to present day. The progression shows kids of previous number. So 0 is the father/mother of all the kids/people numbered 1, 1 is the father/mother of all the kids/people numbered 2 and so on and so forth. Each numbered line will have the name of the next lines parents in bold, a different color and underlined to denote"our" line. On my sites here... underlining will not mean a link as in most cases. Now, if a name that wasn't in our direct line had some stuff or I just had extra info on a direct line you'll notice indented areas for thier (c)hildren or parents. Again, knowing abbreviations will help you on these.
TIP: Now the above (as far as color) will not be true for links. I've colored my links "wine". So if a name reflects our line in a numbered sequence and is a link... it won't be the green you saw above... it will be wine.
TIP: For links to PICS I have of an individual... There will be a solitary "P" colored in wine. They will more than likely be beside a name that is also a link to that individuals family line/page. So you will have to click exactly on the "P" to get the PIC. I was so pressed for space on some of these long names and notes that a "P" is all I can get to fit into some of these places. Sorry, you'll just have to be good with your mouse...lol. For any who want a copy of these pics I have a suggestion. Right click on the PIC and save to your computer. Then save it to a floppy or, if your lucky enough to have a CD write, save it to a disc. Then take it to your local Kinko's or other photo shop and you can download the PIC and run off a lazer print of it.
TIP: The Family Tree pages are best viewed in full screen because of the formatting and spacing. There was just no way (that I knew of) to make it viewable in a smaller screen as well. Hell, I had enough trouble trying to get things to line up in a full screen. But! I FINALLY figured it out.
TIP: If you see two links with the same last name, say "Foster", they both go to the same page/link. So if you already have seen that page you won't have to click on each link of the same last name. I say this because I linked most all mentions to make sure you could associate one with the other. So a link for Odell Foster and a link on Jesse Foster will go to the same page.
TIP: On each family name site you'll find links to all the other family names at the very bottom of the pages. (Just like the set-up at the bottom of this page.) This section explains how that name is associated with our family tree.
TIP: If your wanting a print out of a line but don't want all the spacing and art work to use up your ink... email me and I'll email you back a printer friendly word document version for whatever lines you want.
Foster line represents Odell's Fathers Fathers line.
Owens/Caudle is Odell's Fathers Mothers line (Caudle is her Father). I haven't found much on the Caudles. I did however find bunches on Odell's Fathers Mothers Mothers line (Owens). So even if you are suppose to do the male lines once you get that far back I had to do this one since I had found so much. Hence they are combined. But you see what I mean about getting confusing? LOL
Odell's Mothers side:
Zimmerman is Odell's Mothers Fathers Line. I could call this Zimmerman/Shutt as well. Because the mother of this line (Odell's Mother's Mother) was a Shutt but I haven't found much on her yet so again, I just included what I did have on this one.
On Grandma Ruby's side:
Ruby's Fathers side:
Langston is Ruby's Fathers Fathers line. I haven't found a thing on Rubys Fathers Mothers yet. I'd welcome any help on this one!
NOTE: I had a nice paper on the history of the Langston Name. But I had to do a reformat on my hard drive and lost it. Roger has the only print out I did so as soon as I can get a copy I'll do put it on this site.
