{"id":9288,"date":"2021-03-12T10:27:35","date_gmt":"2021-03-12T15:27:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/?p=9288"},"modified":"2021-03-13T07:46:39","modified_gmt":"2021-03-13T12:46:39","slug":"family-mystery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/2021\/03\/family-mystery\/","title":{"rendered":"Family mystery"},"content":{"rendered":"

My great-grandfather Ramey had a fierce personality. Even in his 90’s, he had no time for nonsense, epically from unruly children such as me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My grandmother ascribed her father’s fierceness to his harsh childhood. Orphaned early, his adopted family treated him as little more than a servant. One day, my grandmother’s oft-repeated story went, her father’s adopted-mother beat him so viscously that a woman passing the farm in a buggy intervened and took the child. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read more<\/span>In the Studio Oct. 14 2012<\/span><\/a><\/div>

For several years this Good Samaritan raised him as her own. Life was wonderful for my great-grandfather until his angel died forcing him, at the age of 12, to fend for himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My grandmother said that her father’s parents were French-speaking immigrants. Of course, my grandmother never met her immigrant grandparents but her story seemed reasonable. After all, the family name, Ramey, is well known in France. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read more<\/span>In the Studio—10\/28\/12<\/span><\/a><\/div>

My recent forays with Ancestery.com appeared to confirm my grandmother’s story. Ancestry is really good at suggesting connections and I was quickly able to find photos of some of my distant relatives, such as my great-grandfather Hudson and his wife Lucindy Bowen Hudson. But when it came to Ramey, Ancestry didn’t have any suggestions. Exactly as you might expect for an orphan of immigrant parents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Great-grandfather
John Hudson, Great-grandfather, picture taken for Tenn. state assembly<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Great-grandmother Hudson<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I am sharing these photographs because I have confidence in my connection to them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read more<\/span>Hurricane Sandy<\/span><\/a><\/div>

I decided to take my researches a step further and have Ancestry test my DNA. The results are back and there are no big surprises. I’m mostly English, Scottish, and Northern European including northern France. My mother also said we had Native American relatives and that turns out to be true.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Ancestry has your DNA, it can find many more connections for you, connections that might otherwise be hard to identify. This is where the Ramey mystery starts. According to Ancestry, a woman named Sarah Ann Pack is probably my 2nd-great-grandmother. Sarah Ann and her husband William Ramey had 13 children including George Washington Ramey–my great-grandfather. Sarah Ann lived until the 1920s when my great-grandfather was in his 40’s! Wait! I thought my great-grandfather was orphaned before 12? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read more<\/span>Thumbs-up: van Ruisdael; Thumbs-down: Renoir<\/span><\/a><\/div>

I’m not sharing any of the many photographs Ancestry has of Sarah because I do not have confidence in my connection to her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ancestry connections are based on the trees its users establish. Of course, this means a lot of user error. As I dig into the Ramey mystery, I’m discovering many problems. Sarah Ann Pack is also in someone named Rainey’s family tree. Ramey or Rainey? Some of the supporting documents show Ramey, others Rainey. Solving the Ramey mystery will take more work than simply surfing Ancestry’s user connections.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

My great-grandfather Ramey had a fierce personality. Even in his 90’s, he had no time for nonsense, epically from unruly children such as me. My grandmother ascribed her father’s fierceness to his harsh childhood. Orphaned early, his adopted family treated him as little more than a servant. One day, my grandmother’s oft-repeated story went, her […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":61,"featured_media":9291,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[235,139,343,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9288","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-anecdotes","category-bio","category-turpentine-diaries","category-uncategorized"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Lucindy-Hudson.jpg?fit=614%2C905&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":9311,"url":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/2021\/03\/whiskey-was-the-cause\/","url_meta":{"origin":9288,"position":0},"title":"Whiskey was the cause","author":"Tom Hudson","date":"March 14, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Perusing Ancestry.com's records, I came across this Kentucky newspaper article from 1896. During a drunken brawl, a man, Billy Patrick, was stabbed in the head. At the time the article is written, Patrick is expected to die. The perpetrator, my great-great-grandfather Ben Risner, attacked the deputy sheriffs who came to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Bio"","block_context":{"text":"Bio","link":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/category\/bio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/benjamin-risner.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":10513,"url":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/2022\/05\/memorial-day-2022\/","url_meta":{"origin":9288,"position":1},"title":"Memorial Day 2022","author":"Tom Hudson","date":"May 30, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"In the U.S.A., Memorial Day is the day we set aside to honor those who died in the service of their country. In my family, my maternal grandmother King's grandfather was wounded and left for dead at the Battle of Shiloh. He survived to tell the story to his granddaughter.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "anecdotes"","block_context":{"text":"anecdotes","link":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/category\/anecdotes\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/mem-day2.jpg?fit=1000%2C381&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/mem-day2.jpg?fit=1000%2C381&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/mem-day2.jpg?fit=1000%2C381&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/mem-day2.jpg?fit=1000%2C381&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5177,"url":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/2015\/06\/in-the-studio-6715\/","url_meta":{"origin":9288,"position":2},"title":"In the studio 6\/7\/15","author":"Tom Hudson","date":"June 7, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Grandfather was turned against the wall for a long time; I just didn't like the direction it was going. \u00a0Since then I've completely altered the background by adding the landscape through the window, and the green curtains. \u00a0I wanted to make a painting that didn't look 'modern.' \u00a0I used to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Paintings"","block_context":{"text":"Paintings","link":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/category\/paintings\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/studio-2015-6-7.jpg?fit=488%2C674&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":6052,"url":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/2016\/05\/in-the-studio-51516\/","url_meta":{"origin":9288,"position":3},"title":"In the studio 5\/15\/16","author":"Tom Hudson","date":"May 15, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"I have a lot of small canvases\u00a0ready to go. \u00a0By small I mean in the 24' x 30' range. Recently, I started painting landscapes on three of them. You can see the beginning of one in the background sitting on the wastepaper\u00a0basket. Yesterday I worked on the landscape seen out\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Bio"","block_context":{"text":"Bio","link":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/category\/bio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/studio-2016515.jpg?fit=600%2C722&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/studio-2016515.jpg?fit=600%2C722&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/studio-2016515.jpg?fit=600%2C722&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7151,"url":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/2017\/07\/turpentine-diaries-7617\/","url_meta":{"origin":9288,"position":4},"title":"Turpentine diaries 7\/6\/17","author":"Tom Hudson","date":"July 6, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"My wife and youngest son are visiting the Jersey Shore and I miss them, so yesterday I took up Millie Talking to Her Friends. \u00a0The Millie in the painting is my wife's grandmother. \u00a0Millie has been in-hand for some time but I've had just 3-4 sessions with it. \u00a0After working\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Paintings"","block_context":{"text":"Paintings","link":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/category\/paintings\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/studio-2017-7-6-1.jpg?fit=800%2C572&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/studio-2017-7-6-1.jpg?fit=800%2C572&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/studio-2017-7-6-1.jpg?fit=800%2C572&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/studio-2017-7-6-1.jpg?fit=800%2C572&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7987,"url":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/2018\/06\/turpentine-diaries-6-17-18\/","url_meta":{"origin":9288,"position":5},"title":"Turpentine diaries 6\/17\/18","author":"Tom Hudson","date":"June 17, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"The thing about this Fabriano drawing pad is I can work-up drawings with pencil or pen--my two favorite materials--without mess or fuss.\u00a0 The really good paper I save for charcoal or pastel, but this paper is terrific for pencil drawing. This photo shows two recent pencil drawings on Fabriano bristol.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Drawings"","block_context":{"text":"Drawings","link":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/category\/drawings\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/studio-2018-6-17.jpg?fit=800%2C676&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/studio-2018-6-17.jpg?fit=800%2C676&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/studio-2018-6-17.jpg?fit=800%2C676&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/studio-2018-6-17.jpg?fit=800%2C676&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2Gw6F-2pO","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9288","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/61"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9288"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9288\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9310,"href":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9288\/revisions\/9310"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9291"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9288"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9288"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9288"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}