Our backyard - through the years

Thanks to Troy's green thumb and diligence in our backyard, it has become a lovely place to enjoy!

This is what it looked like many moons ago.   

 And with some snow, it sure looked plain.

 Today, it's green and the birds are in abundance!

We're doing our part to grow old and have taken up bird watching. 

These are a few so far this summer. 

 

Crematorium Field Trip

Alyssa and I went on a field trip, here is her write-up and some photos! 

Recently, I had the opportunity to tour a Funeral Home in Longview, WA.  My mom has five relatives buried at Longview Memorial Park (LMP).  Through a series of interactions with staff worker Susan Sherwin, we were offered the chance to learn more about the behind the scenes.  A memorial park is designed to look like a park, with flat headstones and benches, making the place of the dead more obscure.   Cemeteries have upright stones and are easily identifiable as such.  We jumped at the unusual opportunity.  Susan was a wonderful hostess and tour guide, showing us the funeral planning process, end to end. 

We began the tour in the Funeral Home, learning what happens first when a person passes away.  One question people often ask when it comes to choosing a box for their dead is the difference between a coffin and a casket.  A casket has six sides and is the appropriate term used for the human burial vessel.  Whereas, a coffin has eight sides, resembles the human body shape, and is commonly referred to as what vampires sleep in!  There are many different options available when it comes to choosing a casket and customizing it.  They can be made from wood, metal, fiberglass, and as simple as press wood, or cardboard.  Corner ornaments or fabric inlays depending add variety and personalization to tell the story of the deceased. 

The dead have all sorts of ways to live on through family keepsakes.  Cremains are not only kept in urns on fireplace mantels, now there are locket necklaces made for carrying around the dead and other pocketsize mini-urns.  Cremains is the correct word for burned human remains.  We saw a variety of urn styles to choose from, all which can be customized or duplicated for multiple family members.  Families are able to pick a theme and carry that throughout the funeral planning process.  For example if the deceased’s name was Lily, a Lily flower can be used as the casket ornament, on the front of the memory book, used as the art work on the front of the funeral program, and even etched on the headstone which is what we did for our great aunt Lillie.  In Remembrance pamphlets are also an option and usually end up in old family bibles as keepsakes.  We have come across them in our family history efforts, as we perform a lot of genealogy work.  

Veterans are extended military privileges, paid for by the United States government.  This has to be arranged in advance of the person passing away.  They are given a time-lasting military headstone worth about $1400 and there are special ceremonies that honor the service person. 

At the Crematorium, we were introduced to Lloyd Smith, the man in charge of the cremation process.  You’d never know he was 72 years old because he is fit and healthy, which makes it easy to see his respect for the human body.  He even has workout equipment in his large workspace.  He showed us step by step how the entire procedure is performed.  First, the body has to be transported from the Mortuary which can be as simple as using a mini-van and a long cardboard box.  He is very precise in his tracking of information to ensure that he never mixes up personal information with the body he is working on.  He also tracks the time spent through the process and finds it interesting to see the average age of the bodies he sees, especially those that die from smoking.  When we arrived, Oscar, age 59, was in the chamber.  He died early in life from smoking and we discussed what a waste it was for a human life when it is preventable.  Mr. Smith opened the chamber door and we were able to see Oscar under the flames.  I didn’t want to look, but my mom did and said she was surprised to see that even after two hours, the skeleton was still in the shape of a human.  As the bodies move through the process, they carry with them a metal I.D. tag to assist in the tracking of the person.

The chamber is extremely hot, with two flames positioned over the sternum and the legs.  The optimum temperature is about 1,400 degrees, burning the body for 3 hours.  The mortician is on point to check all bodies for pace makers, but occasionally they miss the small device.  Lloyd double checks each body, as these are the one and only object that can’t be placed in the machine.  They explode and could damage or ruin the expensive machine.  It’s only happened a few times, but the boom is so loud, Lloyd ran for cover when it happened the first time. 

During the three hour process, Lloyd must use a long pole to occasionally stoke the fire, re-positioning the human parts under the flame.  Once Oscar was done burning, the cremains left were mostly just bone.  Despite the hot temperature, by divine design indeed, God made it so that our bones can’t burn, no matter how hot.  This is miraculous to me.  Oscar’s bones were moved to a long stainless steel tray to cool for one hour.  This allows Lloyd time to clean the chamber.  He is known for being very thorough in his cleaning process between each body, never mixing the cremains of two people. 

He prepared the chamber for the body of Agnes, age 94, who was overweight.  He mentioned that body fat doesn’t burn as nice and clean as muscle, making for a bit messier process overall.  When the cremains are pulled out of the chamber, what is left is mostly bone, still quite large and recognizable, and not fit for an urn or keepsake.  After they are cooled, they are put into a bone grinder creating the “ash” as we know it.  Often we think of cremains in an urn to be flaky like the ash of a fireplace, but in fact, they are more like chunky sand bits.   

We asked Susan and Lloyd what they desire for their body once they pass away as they are the experts dealing with the dead each and every day.  Surprisingly, they do not desire to be cremated and have pre-purchased space in the mausoleum on site.  This is a building that holds casket and urn sized crypts.  On the front of each crypt is a shrine-like display area which family members can update as they like with new photos, fresh flowers, or other mementos.  This makes the visiting experience more personal to the family members and allows them to honor their deceased, while being protected from the weather.

Recently, a family decided to cremate a body that was being held in the mausoleum for over 30 years.  The son wanted to have both his parents in an urn together and move them to his Seattle home.   Naturally, Lloyd would be able to open the sealed casket prior to burning both box and body.  Once a casket has had a body in it, it is of no use to anyone else ever, so they might as well burn it with the body inside.  We asked about what the body looked like after 30 years in an air-tight container.  He confirmed that the seal had preserved the body as expected and described the body as a skeleton frame with just a thin papery skin covering it, still completely intact. 

We enjoyed the tour with Susan and Lloyd very much.  It was wonderful to have such thorough and enthusiastic hosts.  It was a unique opportunity to learn from their experiences and work.  We have been invited to return and see the Mortuary, located just down the road from the park. Having shared this experience with my grandmother, she wants the entire tour.  It’s all very intriguing to my mother and grandmother.  I have to admit though, the question this whole experience has led me to consider is; Will I choose to be buried six feet under, placed into an above ground crypt, or reduce my body to the bone grinder?  I’m guess you now have the same question after reading about my tour!

 

 

Akasha turns 19 today

My cat Akaska, better known as KK, turns 19 today! 

 

Thirteen years ago, I went through a breakup and was so sad that I decided to get a cat.  I was all set on getting a kitten, until someone convinced me of the amazing bond that adult cats can give to those that rescue them. 

 

On 27 August 2000, I visited the Bellevue Humane Society and met Akasha, a 6 year old with black long hair.  We visited together and privately in one of the rooms provided.  She immediately allowed me to hold her and I knew instantly, she wanted a OUT OF THERE!  I was so happy to give her a new home and she definitely was very appreciative.

 

She weighed 8.0 lbs and they had on record that she had been born 1 May, 1994. Since then, her highest weight was 9.3 lbs in 2008.  Her last weigh in was down to 7.4 lbs.  She is amazingly healthy and has been a dream cat to own.  Below are just a few photos of our time together.

 

Christmas 2002

Apparently, KK has always been known for taking over dog's beds!

 

She celebrates the 2009 New Year with us.

 

 

Fun in the snow, at least for Roxy and I.

 

Exploring on her own.

 Incredibly lady like, sprawled out in front of the fire.

 

I have never seen her on the counters all these years. 

One day Troy and I were having a discussion about how I knew she would never do this. 

It was literally the same week, he captured this photo.

 

The real secret to her energy all these years!

 

 

 She loves living life on the edge.

 

 Still bullying big dogs for room on their beds!

 

Room for everyone on mom.

 

 So grateful for my 13 years with kk.
Thank you fluff ball for your love. 
I hope you live to be 20!  

My 38 Random Acts of Kindness on 3-19

 

If you know me well, you can confirm that my favorite thing to do on my birthday is to spend it completely alone without everyone asking me to do something for them. I love the day, I turn it into two days, take the days off from work.  I spend the night alone, exercise in the morning, sit in the spa, shop, eat lunch alone, turn off the phone, report to NO ONE.  Oh... how I love my birthday!!  This year was going to be amazing.  I had 5 full days off, with my husband and daughter gone for three of them, my father visiting me, oh how my birthday week was shaping up to be exactly what I planned it to be!   

Somehow, things started changing before my very eyes and the more annoyed I got, the more divine I realized it was getting.  WELL, OF COURSE, HE, always does this to me; goes messing up my plans... I know, I know... it's because He knows what is best for me, at that 50,000 foot level!

First, I found myself giving away a day off to a co-worker, then I had two friends want me to go up to the company store and get them software and then, a tearful father requested I spend time with his daughter who had recently shared some sad news, and then...well, I came across the below picture and quote. 

Well, if you know me well, you can also confirm that for 31 years I have adored my princess and the next thing I knew, I turned my selfish birthday alone into a selfless day of gifting.  

Monday night, I was calm, cool, and collective.  I had big plans, lots of confidence, love to give others, and not a care in the world.  I got this... no problem, this can be done in 18 hours! 

When the alarm went off 6 hours later, boy was I scared.  HOW WAS I GOING TO GET THIS ALL DONE? Thank you to Troy and Alyssa for helping me!  Here's the list.

Prepared a package for my husband to take to an Aussie co-worker, Venison, and Girl Scout Cookies.  He was about to have all four wisdom teeth taken out and will be on a liquid diet for 6 weeks.

Walked at 5am with Melissa, my near 8-month pregnant friend, to keep her motivated in her exercise.

Walked my husband up to his carpool pickup location.

Gave out a hug to Amber, Troy's carpool buddy and she's my friend from the former ward.

Tried to get my bosses to allow me to gift a vacation day or sick day to a team member, but after multiple email exchanges, they thanked me for the nice gesture.  (it still counts that I tried)

Gave a ski coat and ski bibs to the Howells and found out that Lydia had just broken the zipper on her coat and the timing was perfect.

Provided my 58 page PPT deck on my favorite hikes to Rachel who is organizing 5 hikes from April 4-May 18 that are family friendly. 

Troy, Alyssa, and I ambushed the Behunin boys with a nerf gun fight (I called ahead and planned it with Leslie).  THEY LOVED IT! 

Made a Take What You Need sheet and pinned it to a grocery store bulletin board; kindness, forgiveness, faith, strength, love, patience, etc.

Bought a bottle of laundry soap, prepared a note to accompany it, and left it at the Laundromat.

Left four snack bags with 4 quarters each and post it that said, random act of kindness and left those in different machines at the Laundromat.

Went to the party store, had 4 balloons filled with helium and finally found a family to give them to, not until 9:40 PM though!
 
Pick up someone else’s dog poo.

Left a note on a windshield.
 
Was a witness to a car accident and drove around the block before deciding to go back to the scene and give both drivers my card.  The insurance agencies already phoned me for my recorded statement.  The silver truck and the green SUV, turning to pull over after the accident. 

Gave a neighbor, Samantha, a ride home from the bus stop and saved her the walk in the rain.

 

Went to the company store and purchased software for a friend and delivered it as a gift (he still came over and snuck a check under my welcome mat – we said we wouldn't cash it, but then they  threatened us with cash, if we didn't... FINE, you win Kimball, but I still tried).
 
Was leaving the gun store with a box of heavy ammo, when the FedEx man walked through the door with multiple packages.  As he was struggling, I ran for the door in my stilettos no doubt, and tried to assist him with the door.  He also tried to assist me as he saw my big box of ammo and then he dropped boxes doing so.  We both had fun with it as we tried to help each other and I got his arms all loaded again with packages! 

Gave an IOU “one organization of your choice” to friend, who says she like my organization skills and would love to have some paperwork of hers organized into a binder for saving and easy viewing... and now she says, the offer is good enough.

Saved up a month of Zip Fizz capsules and mailed them off to my cousin Scheris and her husband Larry in Arkansas who wanted to use them for a project in the garage. 

I took a picture of this encounter; while driving 5 mph over the posted speed limit of 50, I had two people who tailgated me for several miles.  I was happy and patient and didn’t think bad thoughts about them once; my random act of kindness to them; either my kind thoughts or maybe I just saved their life, in holding them back from speeding?!

Bought a $50 grocery gift card at QFC and left it for the cashier to give to the mom with a young child at the back of my line.  The cashier was making such a big deal about it that I had to leave in a hurry so as to not draw attention.
 

It was windy on Tuesday out in North Bend and garbage bags were flying around everywhere.  We chased one down, captured it and put it in the trunk for later disposal.

Drove to the Lewis' to drop off the balloons and noticed they left their car dome light on.  It was 9:40 pm, and they were glad to not have a dead battery the next day.

Gathered a few of my favorite stories, pictures, quotes for Jenessa, a young woman who is about to leave for her 18 month mission to Uruguay.  

Sent a bunch of photos over to Costco.com of happy family events from the past and wrote a letter to my sister who is in jail.  I am hoping she will be reminded that she has a good family that loves her and wants her back!

Gave Kate a ride to and from the young women’s church event. We SOOO owed the Farish's and every other ward family who usually drives Alyssa to Mutual each week! 
 

Left a $20 tip after we ate at my aunt's favorite Mexican restaurant.

Waved hello to Dick and Becky, the 80 year old couple that lives in my neighborhood.  They were out for a walk. 

Called my grandmother.

Made a new friend, Ben, at the gun range.

Mailed photos that I recently found and had mistakenly had possession of; for the past 10 years back to Cori.  

Left 5 snack backs with $1 bills and a post-it note, on 5 different vending machines – note said it was our random act of kindness. People who saw us doing it, just stared, and not smiling.  I think they thought we were weird.

While at the Covington library, I decided to pay my fine of $1.10.  We offered to make a donation or pay someone else’s fines.  You wouldn’t believe the hassle we got from the elderly lady at the counter.  I say hassle, only in that she wanted to offer us all these different ways we could donate the other $3.90.  It was interesting. 

Visited Jake and Ireland since we share the same birthday.  I wrote Jake a card about what a good dad he is to four children and what an important role he has to care for them.

Kyle and Roxann gave birth to Maxwell Connor Smith on my birthday, so I sent them a picture of the 3/19 club and $31.19 to spend on Max!

The most special part of my day was spending many hours with Christina.  We went to lunch and went shooting and talked a lot and I'll never forget my birthday with Christina.  Thank you girl!

In the evening when this random act of kindness challenge got a bit stressful due to time constraints, my daughter lost her brand new $175 mouth retainer; somewhere in the car.  We spent more than 30 min looking for it, delaying the acts of kindness.  I remembered to stay calm and polite as the clock was ticking and my plan was being affected and I was worried about both her situation and mine!

I will forever remember my 38th birthday and enjoyed this wonderful day.  I recommend that you do it at least once in your life. Thank you for all of you who touched me on my birthday!

It's up to you, to protect your family and home

I have shared these on Facebook, but wanted to consolidate all the ideas and photos that I have, for you to protect your home from burglars.

Security

• Test - Deadbolt length
• Replace - Length of screws
• Buy - Door Jammer contraption
• Post - No Soliciting Signs
• Secure - Your windows
• Lock - Side gates and cars at all times
• Keep - Your garage door closed, including the summer when it is tempting to leave open as you work around the yard.  You do not want people looking in there.

Test

• To understand what your deadbolt is supposed to do, do this little exercise! 
• Open your front door and turn your deadbolt all the way to the right locking position.
• Now take your fingers and press against it, notice how it stays in the rigid outward position.  That is what it should do when your door is closed and it is in the full locked position!
• Now, measure the length of that lock, likely to be 1 inch long. 
• Now, measure the length of the hole it goes into, are you certain that your lock is able to fully penetrate the full length of the hole? 
• If not, your deadbolt is giving you a false sense of security and you MUST correct what the builder did not properly complete!

Replace

• As shown below, remove the metal plate and screws. 
• Find a tool that you like and take time to chisel away; paint build up, glue, or any other debris that would reduce the effectiveness of the locking system.
•  Install full 3" screws and drill into the stud.  

Buy

At the store, 25/7 Protection, near the Tukwila Home Depot, they sell Big Jammers for $24.  It is an excellent tool to wedge against your front door to keep it from being kicked in. 

 

 
Post

• Effectiveness of posted signage
• Legal stance

A common trend for break-ins, begins with the tested door knock; usually a person pretending to sell something; ie - Peddling. Really, they may in fact be scoping your home out.

Check our city website to know what a door to door sales person is, ie: peddler. http://www.maplevalleywa.gov/index.aspx?page=398
Specifically, peddlers are not persons such as girl scouts, political, or religious messengers. Be courteous to these nice citizens, they are not who we are trying to run out of our neighborhood. Understand that there are certain groups/persons who do have the right to knock on your door, no matter what sign you display.

In the past year, not one Peddler application has been filed, that means all door to door peddlers are in violation of the law, regardless of their knocking hour or if you have a sign posted including the typical ones we see; College Painters, Alarm Systems, Vacuum Sales, Art Work - They DO NOT have permission to sell door to door.
Should a person obtain a proper Peddler’s license, they may approach your door during specified hours and you can request to see their license. Licenses are only good for the calendar year applied for.

If you display a sign of 15 square inches that says one of these below messages, it makes it ILLEGAL for even a Licensed Peddler to approach your door, nor are they allowed to leave literature.

“No Trespassing,” or “No Peddlers,” or “No Soliciting,” or “No Solicitors”

The advantage of No Solicitor is that it resonates well with the Peddlers. Some people don’t use the word Peddler and are confused by it. I purchased this vinyl sign and placed it on a piece of slate at my door. I can do a group order, so let me know if you want one too. $5

A No Trespassing sign does not give you further coverage than a No Solicitor sign.

If your HOA uses 1 group sign at the main entrance, such as in Valley Meadows, that has no legal authority. No Solicitor signs must be on each and every home. Again, that only really applies to the Licensed Peddler though. An unlicensed peddler is always illegal and a girl scout is always legal.

 
Secure
Cut PVC pipe or Wooden Dowels to be placed in your window track.  We cut ours very tight and put a pin in it for the purposes of being able to pull the dowel out of the track, that is how tight it is!  

LockInstall a lower lock to your gates to prevent people from simply reaching over and unlocking your gate.  Of course they could hop the fence, but it is just one extra deterrence that may make them walk away from the hassle!

Keep
Keep your garage door shut at all times, even in the summer when it is tempting to leave open on a Saturday as you work about your yard.  You do not want people peering in.

Keep your side gates and shed ALWAYS locked.  While it is a hassle, the habit will soon come and you won't find the added seconds a bother. 

Keep your car locked at all times and never leave a garage door opener in the car parked in the driveway. 
 ***************************************************************************
Well, now the action is on you... how much effort are you willing to give, in order to keep your family safe?!  Don't say I didn't warn you!

The blessing of being named after Scheris Lee

This cute little girl is Scheris Lee, who I was named after.  This year I have had confirmation from the Holy Spirit that I was named Scheris Lee for a bigger reason than my dad could have ever imagined.  I have a greater appreciation for my earthly parents as I realize that these arrangements were made prior to us coming to earth!  We are fulfilling divine purposes and I am so grateful to have experienced this genealogy miracle this year!   

The Knight Train

I'll try to describe my experience this year, but I assure you, there really is not a profound enough way to tell this story, if you weren't witnessing it first hand.  As I type up this journey, I am sad that I can't truly convey the miracles and blessings that have come through this project! 

In short, what you should know is that in 30 day's time, 13 strangers united to piece together the life of James Augustus Knight and the descendants of the 10 children he bore with Eugenia Siphone Brown. 

Background

I have been told that when my parents were deciding on a name for me as a baby, my mother liked the name Carmen and my father was insistent on naming me Scheris Lee.  His favorite cousin was Scheris Lee and he had fond memories from his childhood with her. 

 

So backing up, and moving over;  my mother's mother passed away in 2008.  Last year, I wanted to begin pulling together the details from her life, to write her story.  In the midst of all that, I began feeling pulled in a few other genealogy directions.  They took priority because there were older living relatives that I realized I needed to meet and gather information before they passed on from this earth.  I am so grateful I did since I lost my grandfather's only sister a few months ago.  The time we spent together last January will be forever cherished and changed my life. 

In March, I suddenly had the strong urge to really make an effort to get to know my name sake, Scheris Lee.   Unfortunately, in the 1980's, there had been some family turmoil and relationships ceased.  For the next 30 years, my father and his cousin and both their mothers halted all communications with each other.  I grew up knowing some of the stories, but there was really no reason I couldn't revive relationships with each person, individually.  

 

I thought an obvious way to get closer to Scheris would be to get to know her parents who live here in WA State.  Scheris' mother is my grandmother's only sister, Dorothy Mae (Aunt Dot).  She happens to be a half-sister, but that is neither here nor there, just explaining for context. She and her husband Uncle Jimmy, have been married almost 70 years.  While I am thrilled at all that we have gained this year, I am sad for the years I wasted not knowing them.    

When I met up with my Aunt Dot in March, I thought we would spend a lot of time talking about her sister/my grandmother, their mother Lena - my great grandmother, and of course, my first cousin, once removed, Scheris Lee.  I also hoped I could help Aunt Dot with her father's side of the family, that was not related to mine.  Without a doubt, the Lord had bigger plans, MUCH BIGGER PLANS!

During that first visit, I discovered that Uncle Jimmy, knew VERY LITTLE about his own parents, grandparents, and even his siblings.  Essentially, all contact was lost with them after he went to his mother's funeral on 21 December 1935. Jimmy didn't even have a birth certificate for the mid-wife that delivered him never filed his birth with the state.  He had some random memories and details about his aunts/uncles/cousins. 

So my life changed forever after that visit with Dot and Jimmy.  I found a greater purpose to my life, one that I wouldn't necessarily say I have control over either.  I realized that I was being called to help him learn of his lineage.  I asked him as many questions as possible so that I could begin to locate some sort of a connection.  It was led to meet a dear soul; realistically a friend for eternity, Christine - who goes by Chris.  She lives in Ohio.  She and I had no idea that on June 30th our lives would change and that the KNIGHTS from the other side of the veil had begun to rally and genealogy work for their family would explode! 

June 30, 2012, I was scouring Ancestry.com for something, anything that felt familiar to what Jimmy had told me about his family and home town.  I came across an old 2007 post that read;

William F Lang b 1888 married Ella Rosetta Crosby b 1884 Gardi/Brunswick GA

It was the one word Gardi that caught my eye and so I sent the below message off. 

Hello Chris,

I saw your Ancestry Post and it caught my interest.  I have a great uncle named James Lee Knight.  He was born April 30, 1916 and is still living and has a wonderful memory.  However, his childhood was not ideal. I am trying to help him trace his genealogy and especially for my 2nd cousins, his two daughters. 

James Lee Knight wasn’t really raised by his birth parents.  He knows their names were Robert Lee Knight and Elizabeth Testone.  He said he was told by his Aunt Dora Knight (married a Kennedy and lived in Tampa, FL) that he was born in Gardi, GA and that a mid-wife delivered him and no birth certificate was created.  His twin died during child birth.  His parents had more children, including a son they named Robert Lee Jr, Jack, Jesse, Homer, and Charles.  James’ grandfather is also named James Lee Knight. 

Hoping your Dalton Knight is somehow related to my Knights from Gardi, GA.  Before I type too much, I will see if this email gets to you.   

Thank you!!!

The next day, 1 July, Chris replied.

Hi

I'm pretty sure we're related! 

The Aunt Dora you're talking about lived in Gibsonton, a suburb of Tampa and she was married 2 or 3 times. The name we knew her by was Dora Easton. She was MY Great Aunt.

Tomorrow, I will check my files but off the top of my head I think your Robert Lee Knight was my Dalton Knight's BROTHER.....so if your descended from Robert Lee Knight, then you and I are distant cousins.....I'll get back to you.......thanks for writing! 

Chris in Ohio

PS: Just this past week I was talking to my sister about the Knight family and she told me some of Robert Lee Knight's children came to live with my Granny and Grandpa Knight (Dalton Knight and his wife Sallie) for a while in Lakeland, Polk Co, Fla. I can't remember what she said as to why they lived with them but it seemed like it was on a temporary basis.  I will call her tomorrow and have her tell me again, she mentioned the kids' names, that way we can compare see if it is same family you know of.  But I am pretty sure Robert Lee and Dalton Knight were brothers.

Of course a lot of conversation happened in July and August and by August 27, I marveled at this email she sent to me. 

This is truly amazing.  All these years (20)  I plodded along, digging around finding what I could and leaving messages all over ancestry and genalogy.com and roots web. Then in 2012 Knight descendants converge out of the woodwork.  I wish my grandmother was alive she would be thrilled. Plus she could fill in a ton of info. Anyways just wanted to let you all know about the Amanda connection and exactly what we've all done now. We've connected 6 of the Knight children's descendants!! 

Blessings,

Chris in Ohio.

Since that time, I have looked over the details that Jimmy initially gave me and am just in awe how this all came together, considering the level of errors that he had been led to believe. 

Examples

 

• All these years, he has thought he was named James Lee after his grandfather, but in fact his grandfather's name was James Augustus.  It took him a long time to adjust to this new information once I told him.  I would say he is probably still perplexed about why he had been told that!
• He knew he had an Aunt Dora, but wasn't sure if that was on his mother or father's side. It turns out that his Aunt Martha Dora was a Knight, a sister to his father. 
• He had thought Aunt Dora to have a son named Kirkpatrick, but that name has not surfaced anywhere.  We searched for her locomotive engineer husband's tragic accident that was supposedly a life time benefit of railway passes, but no evidence of this odd story either. 
• He told me of the fond memories he had of his Uncle Jack who was an Advance Man in the Ringling Brothers Circus.  NOPE, not true either. 
• He remembered a cousin Elmo that he had thought fell overboard during watch while at sea in the war.  In fact, I found Rutherford Elmo who lived until 1972, married with children; clearly not a man lost at sea!
• Jimmy spoke fondly of his mother's sister, Aunt Pink and her three kids.  Well, Aunt Pink is really Charity Pauline and may not even be a blood aunt, but may have married into the family. That sorting is still in the works. 
• He knew he had a brother named Harold and had thought him to have died in the war as a young man.  Nope, in fact Harold lived until 1976 and Uncle Jimmy has a living niece  by way of his brother Harold.
• Jimmy thought his mother's name to be Elizabeth Test-stone.  When I found Lucretia Elizabeth Teston, he remembered that Lucretia name! 
• Jimmy had mis-directed me on where he lived after he was age 11, so that sent me on some useless dead-ends, until I kept going back to him and proving to him that what he was telling me could not be correct.  He soon realized that he might as well discontinue some of the stories that he had been telling since 1940 and pull the facts out that were buried very deep.  He didn't lie for any wrong doing he had done, but simply because he had erased his life prior to 1941.  It was time to begin again!

So, as you can see, finding Jimmy's heritage, by way of the hints he provided, was truly a divine work.  Chris named our project the Knight Train.  There are 10 children from the grandparents of Jimmy and at least 37 grandchildren.  We have not yet gotten a great-grandchildren count!  The Knight Train has participants representing 9 of the 10 lines of heritage and we have over 20 people attacking this genealogy!  I assure you there must be hundreds of Knights on the other side whispering to us, because the work is progressing at great speed!

James Augustus Knight / Eugenia Siphone Brown children and descendants

1. William Haywood - It is through the wives second husband's lineage that we found a connection.  G.S lives in UT. 
2. Annie – Great granddaughter MC and great great grandson J.R. live in FL & GA.
3. Charles Sinclair - Granddaughter SVG is in her 90's living in GA.
4. Amanda – Great great granddaughter JMMK lives in NJ.
5. Thomas J -
6. Dalton Henry – Granddaughter CSL lives in OH.
7. Calvin McClain – Great granddaughters, MK & PMA lives in FL.
8. Robert Lee – two lines established.
1. James Lee - through me in WA and Jimmy's daughter Scheris Lee in AR.
2. Harold Lee - through daughter HKW in OH and her children.
3. Betty Jean - through son RAC in FL.
9. Jesse James – Great great granddaughter AJPL lives in GA.
10. Martha Dora - great granddaughter JD and her children.

Some of the relevant dates

• 1/24 - I joined Ancestry.com
• 3/22 - I visited my great Aunt Dot and great Uncle Jimmy
• 4/11 - Sent a man named Keith a message on Ancestry
• May - Write to Jimmy's daughter in OK
• June - Wrote to Jimmy's other daughter in AR
• 6/30  - Found Chris on Ancestry.com
• 8/26 - Spoke to Scheris for the first time since 1983
• 8/25 - Met professional Glynn County genealogist

When I began my genealogy journey about a year ago, I just never could have dreamed of the fulfillment I would have the blessing to experience.  I am so grateful to have that confirmation of why I was born into this family and why I was named Scheris Lee.   If my name hadn't been Scheris Lee, I don't believe I would have been aching to build that relationship with her.  Without that search, I wouldn't have found out about her father's missing history!  

Now, I admit, even with the confirmations that I feel in my heart and soul, it doesn't make living the gospel easier.  However, the reminders are helpful in keeping me on the path and continuing the good work!  I am grateful to be on the Lord's errand and I marvel at the realization that Jimmy will know his relatives when they greet him at Heaven's Gate! 

I am all the more grateful to my earthly parents for my life and the paths we have each taken, to get us to this exact place in time - for this is definitely where I am supposed to be!