MAY MOMENTS

It is Memorial Day.  Can there be more than one moment?  I don't think so.

After a busy weekend of good eating (best effing hot dog of my life; not that I eat a lot of hotdogs mind you), friends and family,
Monday was a day of reflection.  A Memorial Day ritual of mine is to go to the Civil War and the Vietnam War sections at Pine Grove Cemetery.  My visit to the Civil War section became a little frantic today when I couldn't find the grave of my great grandfather Charles H. Pendexter.  Ultimately, I did find it but not without a frantic facebook shout out and not without getting soaked in the rain.  I was soaked to the point where I thought my phone was died...problem was I wasn't wearing my glasses. 

There was another gentleman visiting his relative...and we talked a little civil war and family history.  He even reflected on the fact that the males in his family had all served in the military; he had not.  He said it was around the time of the Vietnam War and it was his biggest regret...

Photos from the Civil War section of Pine Grove Cemetery...

The great uncle of the gentleman I

chatted with today.

This character is Charles H. Pendexter.  My Dad is Charles W. Pendexter.  I am not sure if I've ever told the story as to how I came across this photograph.  The picture is in the Great Hall of the Grand Army of the Republic Building in downtown Lynn, MA.  I was visiting one day and the caretaker of the building helped me find his photo.  He mentioned that they had found some glass negatives.  CHP was one of the negatives.     

The Vietnam section of the cemetery is emotional.  I remember the war as a young child. 

Vivid pictures on TV. 

Bombs and hatred. 

Emotional scarred men returning from the jungles of a foreign land.   

Men returning to their country only to be rejected and spit on. 

There are always people at these gravesites.  I do not take pictures.  It is very much a time of reflection.  It is a time to be respectful of loss.   

We send our young men and women to war.  Some come home and some do not.  When we make the decision, we need to be very sure it is the correct one.  We need to be very sure that there is not an alternative to war.  Some of these men and women do not return home to their families.  Anguish, pain, and lives lost.

DNA TESTING

My travel to the Isle of Jersey was a magical time. The tour was organized by the Poindexter Descendants Association. What? Wait? Patti Pendexter...you are not a Poindexter. Well, maybe I am indirectly or even directly.

 The Poindexters have traced their lineage back to the Jersey. They've traced their descendant who immigrated from Jersey to Virginia. The family name on Jersey is Poingdestre. The thought is that the Poindexters immigrated to Virgina and the Pendexters to the New Hampshire/Maine area. But how will I know definitely. Well, the Poindexter Descendants association has set up family DNA testing...and my family is participating. Actually, it is my father who supplied his DNA for testing. This testing will hopefully determine the family connection to Jersey.

 What was most interesting from my visit is that Poingdestre descendants, link to a family or not, accepted you as one of their own. They wanted to share their family tree and history with you.

  Either way, as you know, I fell in love with Jersey. It is an island filled with activity and history and people who love their home.

The beauty of nature...

The history....

 

The glass church

 

 

One of the original family homes...

As you get older, maybe over 50, you take pleasure in knowing your beginnings.  When the DNA results are in, I will share more details.  I may even share the family tree. 

QUESTION????  HAVE YOU EXPLORED YOUR FAMILY HISTORY?  HOW ABOUT SHARING SOME DETAILS.