A Thicket of Many Trees

Ruth Adell Nesmith, born Nov 10, 1901 in Natick, MA.

A Thicket of Many Trees 
              ~Family Roots~


    Inspiration comes from many directions. When I try to recall the "why" of me beginning research on family roots, I can't put my finger on just one inspiring moment. It could be when my sister Linda, unearthed a box of photos from our Uncle Jess's home to share with me and I first laid eyes on the exquisite beauty of our maternal grandmother, Ruth Adell Nesmith Terry, in her christening gown.






    It may have been when my father handed me a huge box of treasures and I found a photo inside of my paternal grandfather, Thomas Lee Lowe, standing next to the train engine that he was conducting.

Thomas Lee Lowe (center man in center group, wearing overalls and gloves) St. Marie's, ID

    At one point I held a photo, torn in half, of my maternal grandfather, Jesse Wall Terry, Sr., and his parents and two brothers. It took persistence and the help of my husband to repair that photo and then share it online for others to see.

Jesse, Norman, Norman's wife Beulah Ditton, Harriet, Lewis and Claude Terry

    Or, it might have even been when I re-read the hand-written family tree that was stored in my hope chest these past 30 years, showing the family of my paternal grandmother, Lillian Lee Taylor Brown Grochow.

On the reverse of this handwritten document is a photo copy of the Wm. I. Taylor farm in Marion Co, MO.

  Each of these treasures took hold of my heart and my mind. Each intrigued me with possibilities of learning about my past; and piecing it together to share with others. As the oldest living female in this particular family group, I feel the urgency of finding, compiling and recording for future generations.

  Searching and researching is like solving a huge comfortable puzzle. Some of these pieces I know very well. Others I will discover along the way.  Eventually the solving will bring every piece into a clearer view and ancestors will have their stories told. It is my hope to compile this blog in such a way that family members can find their own puzzle pieces within it. Additionally, I would like the blog to be open to the online community so that perhaps some of them will find their answers here. Finally, this will also be an ongoing project where information is continually gathered, reviewed, added, compiled and shared again. It's a learning project and a family project.