I was born in the Tidewater, or Hampton Roads, area of Virginia depending on how old you are. I have spent the bulk of my life, thus far, in the City of Franklin, Southampton County, Virginia area. I currently reside in Beaufort, SC, near the Parris Island Marine Corps Depot and 45 minutes away from Savannah and an hour from Charleston. It is beautiful, but it is just home for "now." Bigger things await me other places, though I do not know where yet.

In Virginia, I worked with the Southampton County Historical Society Cemetery Project. It is one of the things I miss most from there. My husband, a retired land surveyor in the city/county, and I would find old family cemeteries that were overtaken by the surrounding woods and crops and document them to be added to the project. I also took photos of stones at many of the local cemeteries and posted them on Find a Grave. I have children in NYC and Yuma, AZ (prior to that Kailua, HI) and we always make time, at least a day, to visit and photograph the surrounding cemeteries.

I have always been interested in genealogy and family lore. Inherited it from aunts on both sides of the family who were both, thankfully, pack rats. I have hundreds of pictures, newspaper clippings, documents and legal documents from both sides of the family. My prized possession is my maternal great grandmother's US passport with her visa to her homeland, Ireland, a year before she died. The year was 1936 and the passport has probably the last photograph taken of her and her original signature. Lines that I research are Paternally - Rothwell, Amburn, Glass, St Clair, Mantiply, Irvine all of English/Scottish descent in Virginia. Maternally - Whalen, Hemlinger, Knott (Ohio, back to Ireland/Wales), Farley (West Virginia back to Ireland), Sheehan (Tipperary, Ireland), Creamer (Tipperary/Limerick, Ireland)

I will gladly transfer memorials, if asked, using Find a Grave guidelines. Please send edits using the "Edit" tab. If you would like to use one of my photos, feel free. Its why I do what I do.