Genealogy Ancestor Award

I wish to say Thank You to Jean Hibben's of CircleMending for this award.

As a recipient of this award I’m supposed to list ten things I have learned about any of my ancestors that has surprised, humbled, or enlightened me and pass along the award to ten other bloggers whom I feel are doing their ancestors proud.


1. Henry Huffman who fought so hard and worked diligently to keep his family safe when settling the Virginia and sw Pennsylvania area.b Maryland b abt 1740 Dcd Dec 1810-Jan 811 WILL Probated. Rev War Vet from VA and a Sw PA Frontier Ranger. I could write a book about this man's adventures and courage. Yes he humbled me with his actions.

2. Henry Huffman ie HOFFMAN, son of above who worked hard, helped build the community with a church or two, some bridges, homes, a unique spiral stair case and raised his
children with integrity b 1803 d 1879 Greene Co. PA. He lost his father at a young age
and succeeded to raise excellent children with a great wife. He was definitely an architect more than a farmer though he excelled in both. Which amazed and thrilled me.

3. Sanford HOFFMAN son who served in CW, with a brother as a HUFFMAN/HOFFMAN and was a lay chaplain to assist his comrades after the war also a farmer who raised several children and made the move from PA to IOWA by wagon train after the War when son
Franklin was about 11 years old. He raised trees and his wife is a story unto herself.

3.a Rachel Plants HOFFMAN, his wife, she was a gardener, a hat maker, a dress maker, she loved canaries and was well respected by family. She was a task master but had a warm heart and helped until she was near death. She did not allow Sanford to work on Sunday's she felt he needed that day to rest. She didn't allow anyone to work on Sunday other than daily need chores. I have many awesome stories written by family members about this remarkable woman. She rode a wagon and walked beside it moving from Greene Co, PA to IOWA. She left her first born deceased child in the grave in Pennsylvania. The baby is buried next to Sanford's parents at Aleppo's Windy Gap Cemetery and we have a picture of her in album.

4. Alexander Duvall 11 for his courage and fortitude to make a better place for his
family, for his service to his country in the Rev War and raising children that were
respected in the community. Maryland, and Pennsylvania, Fayette and Washington Counties, children many came to IOWA.

5, John Scott for serving in the Rev War in more than one unit and moving west to Kentucky from VA and having support for his family members over the years after
his fathers death in 1767 in VA. b 1761 - d 1843

6. John FOLK for serving in Rev War from Bucks Co PA and later moving to Greenwich Berks Co where resided at death. PA ARchives data. His character amazed me.

7. Calvin Fay JONES Civil War veteran and father of 6 children, raised horses and
had a strong moral value. He was rescued from the trenches in Murphysboro Tenn
when given up for dead and walked (after nursed back to health by a black family )to ILL. Alas given pension and rejoined service and 3 months later declared unfit for duty and fought for 25 years to regain back his pension. He finally received it.
Family said he seldom complained of his losses and had a deep respect for human kind.
He left his brother there dead and he is buried in cemetery in Tenn. I was told he was soft spoken and a very loved human being. I wish I had gotten to know him but the children all shared some poignant thoughts on this man and his CW packet was full of information about him.

8. Katherine Myers, was a remarkable woman who helped the family in many wonderful ways. She taught her Grandaughter (Grandma) the ways of the Indian family she descended from and she in turn passed many of them down to me, her Grandaughter.



9. Cecil Lee Hoffman, my grandfather whom I adored and loved very much. He shared stories of his grandfather and Great Grandfather's with me and my two cousins. He gave my Mom the picture book that had been given to him for the family to remember those great people before him. He had several children and lost two, one infant and one about age 15 from a fall off couch at age 3. Family was important to him and keeping contact and remembering was a key to our future he felt. I may do a book on him one day if God gives me the time. It seems the Hoffman HUFFMAN line has so many awesome stories to share. I find that the stories only get better as I meet more Hoffman / Huffman kin. Yes Grandad, you do descend from Pocahantus. Who would have believed it?



10. Ray Dee Jones Sr, my father who was a bronco rider, cattle man, who gave up
what he loved living in Wyoming to care for my MOM when her health went bad at a young age and moved from Wyoming to California for a chance for MOM to be able to walk and live longer. He loved her with a passion that could be felt if you were in the room with them. He was a very sensitive man even if he tried not to show it.
She had Scarlet Fever at a young age that affected her body for all time. When they moved to California she had trouble moving due to the arthritic condition the disease
caused her. He worked at his sister's husband's ranch and raised four children in California. He managed to put away enough money to acquire a mini ranch of his own.
He always said he was a rancher not a farmer. We always had cattle and animals, of
course we plowed and planted but it was for our use, not to sell.

He helped to raise his brother and sisters when his family fell apart when he was about 10 years old. He told of killing jackrabbits bringing them home to clean and fix for food. They ate lots of beans. He was raised on bean broth because he could not have milk. Milk almost did him in as infant. Grandma's Indian related Grandmother
told her to use bean both and mashed beans and it worked.

Amazing it was bean broth that saved his first grandson from the same fate and all the male boys of my family line could not use milk, nor could other male members of his family including his brother. Dad also felt Family was a very strong key to our past and future.

All of these people were amazing people in their own right. Some did things no one knew of until I started meeting cousins and learning facts. Alas it comes from moving away from kin and being in a different place to grow up. I think what I have learned the most interesting is that though we moved away from PA to ILL, IA to WYO then for DAD and MOM to come to California. We retained more stories and facts about the family than many of those in PA had lived and forgotten. So be aware write down the
stories of your adventures now before they get lost in the vapors of time and confused in our elders minds.

Jean again thanks, this makes one really think about ones family.