Witness to History

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Week 4 (Jan 22-28)
Prompt: Witness to History
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I have asked relatives at different times, “What is the news event that you will never forget?”  

 My parent’s generation remembered Pearl Harbor. Each one that I talked to remembered exactly where they were and how they felt. My Mother was 11 years old. She was listening to the radio with her family when the news announcer broke in to announce the attack on Pearl Harbor. She didn’t know where Pearl Harbor was located, but she remembered how upset her parents were when they heard the announcement. 

Most of my generation talked about the event that I will always remember.  I was in the 2^nd grade when the principal came to our room and had our teacher step into the hallway. When she came back into the classroom, she was crying. The fact that the President had been shot didn’t shock me as much as my teacher crying. They let us out of school early that day, so I walked home with my brother and sister. When we got home, my mother was watching TV. She quickly turned the TV off, but I still didn’t understand the impact of John F. Kennedy being killed.

 For my children’s generation there have been several events that impacted them the same way. My daughter was 8 when the Challenger exploded. She was at school and her teacher had brought a TV into the classroom so they could see the Challenger launch with teacher, Christa McAuliffe.  They quickly shut off the TV once it was clear what had happened, but she will always remember the shock of seeing it explode. 

 My son was 4 years younger and doesn’t remember the Challenger.  9/11 is the event he will always remember.  He was a freshman in college and on his way to work at the Museum of Natural History when he heard the news on the radio.   “It was hours after the fact, and people still had no idea what really happened other than the planes had hit the World Trade center.  Driving to work was almost surreal because instead of the normal drive it was like everyone was driving in formation on the highway, no speeding or cars jockeying for position like normal.  Then all day at work sneakily switching one of the TVs used for the exhibit we had going on (I can't even remember which one it was) flipping from the looped tape it had playing over to the local news channels to see what was being said.  Next to no one came into the Museum that day.”

 I wonder what some of my ancestors might have remembered.  The flu outbreak in the 1920s, the Spanish American War, one of the battles in the Civil War, Lincoln being shot, or hearing about the American Revolution battles or the Declaration of Independence.

What news event will you always remember, where you were, and what you were doing when it happened?

Leeland Golightley, Rozella Lamb & Hutch

 

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Week 3 (Jan 15-21)
Prompt: Favorite Photo
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Leeland, his cousin Rosella Lamb, and a friend named Hutch. Rosella was also serving in Germany in the Women’s Army Corps (WAC)

This is a photo that has always intrigued me. My Dad while in Germany met up with his cousin, Rozella, and friend, Hutch.  By the time he shared the picture with me, he didn't remember Hutch's last name. I didn't think to ask if they met in Germany or were friends before they joined the army.

On October 20, 1950, my father, Leeland Johnston Golightley, went to the local recruiting office with a group of friends to join the army. The local selective service board was listed as Duncan, Stephens County, Oklahoma, but his permanent address was listed as Ponca City, Kay Co., Oklahoma. Ponca City is probably where his parents were living at that time.

 After boot camp, Leeland deployed to Germany where he served as an automobile mechanic. He related that he worked mostly on jeeps that were coming from Korea. When he had them running again, the jeeps were shipped back to the war in Korea.

 His duty assignment was Med Co. 8^th Inf Regt. While in the army he completed the Eucom Ord school Auto OM course and was awarded the Army Occupation Medal (Germany).

 Rozella Lamb was Dad’s cousin on his Mother’s side of the family.  I would love to know more about Hutch. Was he one of the friends who enlisted at the same time Dad enlisted? Did they meet in Germany or was he Rozella's friend?

McCarley Origins

 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Week 2 (Jan 8-14)
Prompt: Origins
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I wrote the following article many years ago while searching for the origins of the McCarley family.  I've recently found part of it word for word on another website. It is something that was on my website on aol before aol discontinued that service, but I'm publishing it again here.

Mc is an abbreviation of the prefix Mac, which means ‘son of’.  According to the “The Surnames of Scotland” by George F. Black, PhD., McCarley is an anglicized form of MacCarlich. It means ‘son of Charles’. It is no wonder that the McCarleys have spelled their name so many ways in America. They were just following a pattern that began in Scotland where it has been documented as MacThearlaich, MaKarlich, McKearly, McCarlie, McCarlyct, McCarliche, McKerlich, and McTarlichare as well as other spellings.

 McKerley, MacKerlie, and Macerlich were common surnames in Breadalbane around 2 to 3 hundred years ago.

 There are indications that McCarlich’s were of the Campbell Clan. “Archibald M’Kerlich in Finlarg was a vassal of Campbell of Glenurquhay in 1638”. “M’Cairlich and Charlieson…appear to have been Campbells originally, and in Argyllshire they appear under the name of M’Kerliche.”  At a Scottish festival in Texas, a Stewart clan table had paperwork claiming the McCarlys. It is hard decide if they belonged to one clan or the other or if perhaps different “McCarleys” owed allegiance to different clans.   Some “McCarley’s” mentioned in “The Surnames of Scotland" are:

 Alexander Terleti – rector of the parish church of Kilchoman, 1455 (p.465)

 Donald McCarlycht – a ‘fugitive fra the law’ in 1838 (p.465)

 Hector McCarliche in Innerbruoche & Auchinroy McCarliche in Lyne were fined for reset of members of clan Gregor in 1613 (p.465)

 John McKerlich in Finlarg was fined for reset of clan Gregor in 1613, (p.526)

 Neil M’Ewin M’Kerlich, an accomplice of Donald Gorme of State, had remission for his share in laying waste Trouterness in Skye, in 1541” (p.526)

 Duncan McTerlach was a charter witness at Carnasserie in 1436, (p.566)

 Allaster McArliche was hanged for treason in 1615 (p.454)

 

A related post:  McCarley: Is there a right way to spell it?

 

Leprechaun

 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Week 1 (Jan 1-7)
Prompt: Family Lore
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 Sidney E. McCarley didn’t look like his father or his sons. He supposedly took after his mother’s side of the family. He was short, stout, and dark complected, unlike his sons who were tall, redheaded, and light complected. However, he did inherit the “powers” of his Scots/Irish heritage.

 One of his grandnephews shared this story with me. This was a time when you didn’t go to the doctor unless you were bleeding and/or on the point of death. The grandson was afflicted with warts that covered his hands. His mother had tried many folk remedies that didn’t work. At her wits end, she took him to see her uncle (my great grandfather).  Sidney took the boy’s hands in his own and began to rub them with some slight pressure.  The boy’s hands began to grow warmer and warmer.  After some minutes had passed, Sidney stopped rubbing the boy’s hands. He dropped the boy’s hands and told him to go home.  He told the boy that his warts would be gone in 3 days.

 All of the warts were gone in 3 days.

 Although no one in my branch of the family admitted to hearing this, another branch said Sidney’s nickname was Leprechaun. But that is just family lore.