Well, it really wasn’t that simple, it involved lots of things which include emails and phone conversations and I’m still figuring out where the puzzle pieces go. But the bottom line is there will be Family Reunion, July 3-5 2014 in Kansas City MO.! *Cue song* Jill Scott, Family Reunion

My mother and I will drive from Chicago to K.C. Missouri to meet cousins who are also descendants of Sam Smith and Sarah Walker.

Sam Smith was born in Feb. about 1856 in Louisiana, Sarah Walker was born in Jan. about 1866 in Arkansas. I have no proof but I believe Sam was born in Shreveport in either Caddo or Bossier Parish, Sarah may have been born in Lafayette, Arkansas. These are guesses and only because these places border each other.

The family line I’ll be visiting with is one born of the marriage of my Great Grand Aunt, Elizabeth C. Smith and John White. Based upon research, they had (9) nine children: John White Jr., Virgina, Tom, Orange, Rosemary, Samuel, Edna May, Elizabeth and Florence.

Social media is a wonderful thing and we have been using Facebook to start the party early! Linda Spence, my 4th cousin, (I think) along with her sisters are responsible for spearheading this event and for that I am incredibly grateful!

As I study the family tree I see the “naming pattern” that somehow I missed, Great Grand Aunt Elizabeth named her girls Virgina, Rosemary, Edna May, Elizabeth and Florence. The 1900 census for Sarah (Walker) Smith states that she had (7) seven children, but only (5) five are listed. I mentioned this in a previous post. Well I still haven’t located the missing children. Is it possible that their names were Edna May and Florence?!

There was always talk in the family that my great grandmother, Julia was one (1)  of seven (7) girls and she had two (2) girls and those girls had girls…until I had the first boy in  five (5) generations! I was always doing things differently…lol

I’m looking forward to perhaps not only getting some answers to my mysteries but having more questions to ask and puzzles to solve!

“I’m going to Kansas City, Kansas City, here I come!”