You Clearly Don't Know Who I Think I Am

So I spent TEN hours today working on my genealogy.  P is getting a little annoyed, let's be honest.  But there's some really super cool stuff in here.

Like:  my great, great grandfather on my mom's side was Joseph Burton Matthews.  He was a first sergeant in Writght's Regiment in the Arkansas Cavalary, Company B.  The Civil War.  He fought for the confederacy and was also a plantation owner in Arkansas.  While I'm not totally down with that, he did have a daughter that he named Magnolia Gabriella.  And they called her Nalia.  Say it with a huge southern drawl.  Naaaaahhhlia.  Yeah, there you go.  And I sort of think that's kind of awesome.  I'm pretty sure she was the perfect southern belle.  I just picture her swishing her hoop skirt around, twirling her parasol and saying, "Why, I do declayah!"

Then there's my great, great, great, great, great, great (six greats) grandfather, Edward Moody, who was a first lieutenant in the continental army, fighting for the freedom of this great nation in the Revolutionary War.  That makes me proud.  His family came over from Ireland in the 1700's and he joined right in the fight. 

Then there's the connection I've known about for a while.  Yes, I'm a great, great, great, great niece of Honest Abe.  My maternal grandpa's mom was a Hanks, and so was Abe's mother, Nancy.  It's all weaved in there together somewhere.  And so is Tom Hanks, apparently.

Then there's dad's side.  I thought mom's side was cool.  Just wait.  I just thought I was only descended from train robbers who were shot dead trying to escape from prison in 1934... I was able to go all the way back to 1053.  Yeah.  1053, as in THE YEAR 1053.  Serfs, peasants.  Knights.  Lords.  Ladies.  Kings.  Queens.  Cornwall, England is where my people made their home for over four hundred years.  Talk about home bodies!  Jeez!  Not too shabby though, because as it turns out, King Henry the 3rd is my uncle.  And two of my (many) great grandfathers were knighted.  One was High Sheriff of Cornwall and one fought with William the Conqueror.  So we lived long and prospered.  Clearly.

I love this stuff.  I think I may be addicted.  I could probably quit my job and just hash out my ancestors full time and be perfectly fine with it.

P started putting away laundry tonight.  He looked at me and said, You've been on the computer ALL day!  I can't do EVERYTHING!  Well.  Whatev.  You should probably address me as Lady Ashly from now on. 

I've had a fun Saturday.  :)