Thirteen random things about me

me (ca. 1974)

The 52 Ancestors theme this week is “you.”

I guess that means I have to write about me but that’s not something I normally care to do. So, the easiest thing for me is to just tell you 13 random things about me.

1.  I’m a huge introvert. That’s right, I’ll do anything I can to avoid putting myself in a situation where I have to make conversation with someone I don’t know or stand before a crowd. If you know me, you already know that. Years ago, several co-workers and I were re-assigned to the executive office at work after our bosses were promoted. After several months in our new location, one co-worker told me that some people thought I was a b*%#$ (rhymes with witch). By then, she had gotten to know me though and told them, no, she’s just shy. And she was right. Now if you want to get me talking though, just ask me about genealogy!

2.  I’m left-handed. Yes, I’m part of that 10 percent of the population. But having lived all my life in a right-handed world, I’ve had to make adjustments.

3.  I’m terrible at brainstorming. Put me in that situation and my mind goes blank. I’ll never forget the time I was volunteering on an elementary school committee tasked with coming up with a school slogan. We broke up into teams of two. My teammate must have had the same problem so we just sat there, staring at each other. It was embarrassing when it came time to present our idea and we had nothing!

4.  In April 2014, I found a bald eagle nest 10 minutes from my house. From April 5 until mid-June that year, my husband and I watched the two adult eagles and two eaglets that hatched that spring. In the beginning, we visited the nest only on the weekends, but by May and early June, we were going to the nest almost every day. That spring I had more fun watching the four eagles than I think I’d ever had in my life. It was an exciting time watching the eaglets grow and fledge.

Adult and eaglet in nest

Two eaglets

5.  I’m a sucker for bagpipes and a drumline. Either one takes me to a happy place.

6.  I’m the middle child. I have two older sisters and a younger brother and sister.

7.  My favorite number is 13. If you ask me to pick a number between 1 and whatever, it will always be 13.

8.  I hate all of the political BS that people post on social media. Thank goodness Facebook allows you to “hide all” from a particular person or group. I hide so many posts on Facebook now that if they ever take that function away, I’ll just have to leave social media behind. I see too much hatred on the one-sided, partisan (on both sides) posts. I don’t understand why a person thinks that cramming their political views down my throat will make me want to vote for their candidate. It actually might make me do the opposite. OK, that’s enough said and all I’ll say on that topic.

9.  I’m an avid believer that things happen for a reason. It may take years to understand why something happened, but you’ll eventually figure it out. And if a mistake was involved, learn from it!

10.  I’d like to have a dog but my husband says no. Now mind you, he has a rabbit so what’s up with that? He says he doesn’t want to go through the pain of losing one again but I say you don’t think about that. Instead, you think about all the years of joy they bring to you. I’m waiting until I retire and then I’ll probably just get one.

Our bunny. He ran the neighborhood for a summer and would stop and look in the front door.
Now he can look out the door.

11.  I moved to Virginia in 1979 for a fresh start. I found it as soon as I arrived and 40 years later, I’m still here.

12.  As a teenager, I earned money cutting grass. I regularly cut three yards in the neighborhood, all with a push mower. I was paid $3 each for the two smaller yards and $5 for the large yard. That was big money then.

13.  If you follow my blog, you already know I’m the family historian. It’s a never-ending job that I love and it’s become my passion. In addition to the research, I enjoy writing the stories for this blog. I like to say I’m not a writer but I don’t let that stop me. I learn something new with each story I write.

This was the last 52 Ancestors prompt for 2019 and I’ve managed to post a story for all of them. I haven’t decided whether I’ll follow the prompts for 2020 yet but I do plan to keep writing.

Christmas in Italy, 1944

The 52 Ancestors theme this week is “future.”

Everyone wants to be home for Christmas, surrounded by the ones you love, baking sweet treats together and sharing family traditions with Christmas carols playing in the background. But what happens when that’s not possible? Last week I told you how Johnnie Marston kept up the tradition of sending holiday greetings to his family via V-mail during World War II. This week I want to tell you how he celebrated Christmas in December 1944. Yes, I know I’m supposed to be talking about the “future” but don’t worry, I’ll work that in.

Seventy-five years ago today, The Atlanta Constitution reported that one Georgian had been killed in action, one was missing, and 65 had been wounded. Johnnie was one of the wounded, although his injury had actually happened earlier in the Fall.

The following day, Johnnie’s wife Lucile received a letter from Ellis Arnell, the Governor of Georgia, expressing his sympathy and appreciation for Johnnie’s service to the country. Lucile also received a letter dated December 21, 1944 from the Atlanta Chapter of the American Red Cross expressing their sympathy upon learning of Johnnie’s injuries. By the time all of this was happening, Johnnie was already out of the hospital and back with his unit—Company B, 337th Infantry, U.S. Army.

Company B, 337th Infantry, Italy, June 1945 (click to enlarge)

It was Christmas 1944 and World War II was raging. Johnnie was in Italy, over 5,000 miles from his family. So that year, the Army was his family and they didn’t disappoint. The Army treated his company to a Christmas dinner just like they would have experienced back home. The menu included roast turkey, mashed potatoes, asparagus tips, cranberry sauce, giblet gravy, green peas, dressing, apple pie, coffee, mixed nuts, candy, and cigarettes. Each soldier received a program that listed the menu on the back and the names of all the members in his company on the inside. Johnnie and many of his fellow soldiers signed the front cover of his program—Wesley B. Wright, James B. McKinley, Pvt. Chas W. McBee, Pfc. John H. Marston “Georgia Boy,” Harvie L. Ellison, D. L. Cates, Sgt. Leo Pomana, Chas E. Lockard, Sgt. David Wood, Pvt. Roy J. McMurphy, P.F.C. E. Edd Alexander, James M. Lamn, P.F.C. Felton B. Smith, Dalton Ga. Ploy Boy, and Clyde W. McClain.

click to enlarge

Johnnie must have sent his program home to Lucile and of course he wrote his trademark statement on the inside—I miss you a lot and I love you a million.

I bet Johnnie enjoyed this special Christmas dinner that day, but I wonder what was going on in his mind at the time. I’m sure he was thinking about his family back home. But what about his future. Was he worried about what it would bring? Would he survive the war? Would he make it back home to see his darling Lucile again? If you read his letters, you know that he wanted children so was he thinking about the family that he wanted to share with Lucile? If Johnnie looked far enough into the future, he would know that he did in fact survive the war and he and Lucile would go on to have three children. And if he looked further into the future, he would see that his son Randy would also spend a Christmas away from his family while serving with the U.S. Army.

My brother-in-law Randy Marston on the left, Camp Udairi, Kuwait, Christmas 2003

This Christmas, let’s all take a moment to say a prayer for those serving our country on foreign soil and can’t be home with their families. And let's all pray that their future brings them back home safely.

You can learn more about Johnnie at the following links:

Sending love via a Valentine V-mail

What was Johnnie doing on D-Day, June 6, 1944?

Keeping up a tradition via V-mail during World War II

Easter greetings during World War II

November 2020 update: Sharing Johnnie's story during the Genealogy Blog Party honoring veteran and military ancestors.

References

• “Georgian Killed in Action, One Missing, 65 Wounded,” The Atlanta Constitution, December 20, 1944.
• Christmas Dinner Menu, 337th Infantry.
• Personal letter collection of Johnnie and Lucile Marston.

Keeping up a tradition via V-mail during World War II

John Henry Marston Jr.

The 52 Ancestors theme this week is “tradition.”

In April 2018, my brother-in-law Randy shared 340 letters, V-mail, and postcards his father Johnnie Marston wrote to his mother Lucile Stacks Marston. The letters began after Johnnie met Lucile in July 1939 and ended in October 1945 at the end of World War II. Johnnie lived in Atlanta, Georgia; Lucile lived in College Park, Georgia, a 10-mile drive by today’s standards. Johnnie didn’t have a car or a telephone, so between visits, he communicated with Lucile by sending letters and postcards. During the war, Johnnie continued his letters to Lucile and also wrote other family members. Lucile saved them, keeping them locked away and private during her lifetime, including letters Johnnie wrote to her father and mother, Sam and Leola (Lemons) Stacks, whom he dearly loved.

In November 1942, Johnnie joined the U.S. Army, serving with Company B of the 337th Infantry. In December, he shipped to Camp Howze in Texas for training. From there he went to Louisiana, and then in January 1944, he was off to New Jersey before being shipped overseas. In December 1944, Johnnie’s company was under continuous training in Italy. The 337th regimental “Report of Operations” for the period December 1 – 22, 1944 notes:

Training was continued in the Gagliano tent area during the month of December. The daily schedule included scouting and patrolling, small unit tactics, mine training, physical conditioning, night exercises, weapons training, and other subjects in which deficiencies had been noted in combat. Special attention was given to the training and orientation of replacements. The new men received two extra hours of instruction in basic subjects each day. Maximum use was made of the known distance and combat ranges which were established near Mount Calvi (8598). Tactical firing exercises in the attack were conducted for all rifle platoons and companies in which fire and movement were stressed. 

Motor maintenance was given particular attention in an effort to have all vehicles in top condition for the next phase of operations. Special winter clothing including jackets, parka, bedrolls, waterproof suits, were issued to the Regiment and distributed. …

Sending Christmas cards has been a holiday tradition since Henry Cole sent the first Christmas card in 1843 in England. Shopping for Christmas cards, if that was even an option, would not have been high on Johnnie’s list. It was cold, with possibly snow on the ground, and his regiment was under constant stress to train and be ready for whatever came next in the war. But Johnnie still wanted to send seasons greetings to the people he loved back home. So, 75 years ago tomorrow, he wrote two V-mails to family, both dated December 14, 1944. V-mail, short for Victory Mail, was a process used by the United States military during World War II to ship huge quantities of mail to and from soldiers overseas. Letters were written on standard sized paper, photographed, and then transferred to microfilm for shipping. Once the microfilm made it to its destination, the letters were printed and cut to a 4 ¼ x 5 ¼ inch piece of paper and mailed to the intended recipient. This freed up space and weight for other cargo needed for the war.

Johnnie addressed one V-mail to the Stacks Brothers Lumber Company, the company owned by his father-in-law back in College Park. There was a small “Western Union” box in the bottom left corner where Johnnie wrote:

To: A Gang’s I Can’t forget
Johnnie

The second V-mail was addressed to Mr. and Mrs. Sam Stacks. This V-mail had the same image as the one addressed to the lumber company but in the Western Union box he wrote:

To: Mom and Pop Stacks
God Bless You Both
Love, Johnnie

Johnnie was over 5,000 miles from home, fighting in the conflict of his life, but his family and friends were always close to his heart.

You can read more of Johnnie’s letters here and here.

References

• Hanc, John, The History of the Christmas Card: Borne Out of Having Too Little Time, the Holiday Greeting Has Boomed Into a Major Industry, December 9, 2015; smithsonian.com.
• Personal letter collection of Johnnie and Lucile Marston, December 14, 1944.
• The 337th Infantry Regiment in Italy During WWII, Unit History, Timetable Summary for 337th Infantry, 85th Division; https://www.337thinfantry.net/unit.php.

Ashley’s Christmas stocking—a new family heirloom

The 52 Ancestors theme this week is “craft.”

While I don’t consider myself to be a crafty or creative person, I am able to stitch an “x” and follow a pattern, so cross-stitching is one of the few crafts I partake in. And this week’s theme came at a perfect time for me to share a project that I just finished—a Christmas stocking for my daughter-in-law Ashley.

In 1984/1985, I made a Christmas stocking for my son Chris. You can see it and read about it here. Then, after many years of guilt, I locked myself in my bedroom every day for the better part of 2018 making a Christmas stocking for my son Kevin. Chris, his wife Ashley, and Kevin all lived with my husband and I up until last month. Because of that, I didn’t want them to know I was working on the stocking, just in case I never finished it. Kevin already gave me a hard time about Chris having a handmade stocking and not him so I didn’t want to give him ammunition to give me more grief! But thank goodness I finished Kevin’s stocking and gave it to him for his birthday last year. You can see that stocking and read about it here. So now we had three stockings hanging on the wall last Christmas, two handmade and one store-bought. As I sat in my chair every night looking at them, I decided I needed to make one more. The store-bought stocking looked sad beside the handmade stockings. So, I ordered a kit, gave it to Ashley for Christmas last year, and then promptly took it back. I told her I’d try to have it ready in time to hang this Christmas, but made no promises.

I started working on Ashley’s stocking on December 30, 2018. Unlike the year before, I didn’t push myself too hard in the beginning but sometime in the spring of this year, decided it was time to get serious. That meant working on it every Saturday and Sunday morning and evening for a couple hours each, followed by a couple hours every Monday through Thursday nights. Friday nights were reserved for working on this blog and I stuck to that. I started posting progress photos on Instagram and Facebook late spring, thinking it would help motivate me, knowing other people knew I was working on it. I had to show progress, right? Since I had to stay hidden away while working on Kevin’s stocking, I got used to spreading out on my bed to work, but this time around I was able to keep the door open. Chris, Ashley, and Kevin periodically stepped in and checked my progress. Charlie and I had many conversations yelling at each other from the bedroom to the living room, especially during October when the Washington Nationals were in the playoffs and World Series!

I kept track of my progress by highlighting the x's on six tabloid sized sheets of paper.
One set was for the x's, the other set for outlining.

Close-up view of the pattern

Outlining

Knowing I was nearing the finish line in October, I bought red satin and velvet while on vacation. Once I completed stitching all the x’s, all that was left was outlining. That should have been a piece of cake, but I was wearing down and had to force myself to work on it. I outlined for one week, took a week off to refresh, then worked hard for one more week, finishing on a Wednesday in mid-November. I washed the finished piece that Thursday evening, ironed it Friday evening, and then took it to the alterations shop Saturday morning. I picked the finished project up the following Saturday morning in time to give it to Ashley when she and Chris arrived to hang the Christmas lights on the house last Saturday.

Finished product before I took it to the alterations shop for sewing

View of the back

So now all three of my kids have a personalized, handmade Christmas stocking/family heirloom. And guess what, at one point this fall, Charlie told me he wanted one too. Not sure I can commit to another year though. I’ll have to think hard about that one. Because if I make one for him, then I have to make one for myself!