Affirmation of My Work

It is not the spirit that I am documenting.

It is the bodily form that spirit took in that space of time that I record.

Each grave, each stone, each record is not merely a marker of death, but the witness of a life.

I am a genealogist who thinks like a detective and writes like a storyteller — someone who is always listening for the whisper of a forgotten person in the records.

For over 30 years, I have dedicated myself to researching and preserving the history of my family lines. This collection represents not only names, dates, and relationships, but the lives, communities, and stories of the people who came before us.

My approach to genealogy has always been that to truly understand a person, we must look beyond the individual. We must study their neighbors, their communities, the places they lived, and the historical events that shaped their lives. Families are not isolated branches on a tree; they are part of a larger story.

I was fortunate to know my great-grandmother Bessie well into my adulthood, after I had my first son. Having that connection to an earlier generation gave me a priceless appreciation for preserving family memories and the voices of those who came before us.

People have always lived complicated lives. Families were separated by death, war, illness, poverty, choices, and circumstances. Children grew up without one parent, grandparents stepped in, neighbors helped raise children, and communities carried people through hard times.

And yet, people existed, thrived, and survived.

I am not just attaching names to branches. I am pausing over a life and saying, "You mattered. Someone should remember you." I notice the overlooked ones — the neighbors, the witnesses, the children, the people who might have been forgotten.

My grandmother, Hazel being in my life with her mother and all her siblings gave me living connections to that chain. Now I am becoming the person who holds the thread for those who come after me.

This research collection of my family is being donated in the near future to the Old Buncombe County Historical Society, NC in hopes that it will assist future genealogists, historians, and family researchers. May these records continue to help others discover their roots, understand their ancestors, and preserve the stories that might otherwise be forgotten.

Included within this collection are compiled genealogical records, family histories, photographs, source documentation, and research notes gathered throughout many years of investigation.

My hope is that this work will serve as a bridge between generations — honoring those who came before us and helping those who come after us understand the rich history they inherited.

"Closing my eyes to connect to my roots, I sense the wisdom of my ancestors and my grandmother smiles."

— The Gossamer Path

Signed,

Lora Jean Elm