Black Gold

Texas tea [1]… Or, in this case, perhaps Louisiana chicory?

Yep, Oil. That same bubbly that enticed Jed Clampett to pack up everything and move also emitted a homing beacon to the McPhail clan.

One Hardin Malcolm McPhail answered the call… at the ripe ol’ age of fifty-four.

A Tale of Two Brothers

This is a Civil War story.

It’s not a story of two brothers fighting against one another, although I’ll be honest, I’m surprised by that.

The story begins with Hiram and John McLemore, my husband’s 3rd Great Uncle and 2nd Great-Grandfather, respectively.

Lost Mother… Found

I found Granny’s mother!

To be clear, I’m certain that Granny never thought she was lost. But life in the Land of Ancestry Records can be a dangerous place.

“Granny” is Nettie Nobia McPhail (McPhaill, McFale—census records show it spelled all three ways), wife to Cyrus Guy McLemore and