NY Cousin

 We found another NY cousin, or rather he found me!
Now he has a whole family of Asbell cousins!

Welcome aboard, Cousin Marshall!

 Thank you for contacting us and sharing genealogy!
We look forward to getting to know you!

Liniment Part 2

I let the pepper ends steep in the isopropyl alcohol until earlier this month to extract the capsaicin. Capsaicin is the same ingredient used in some OTC heat rubs. I strained and added more isopropyl alcohol to cool it down after doing a skin patch test. I may need to add more isopropyl later because it can "warm" more as it sits on the shelf which is why skin patch tests are important. Correctly and clearly labeling is vital.

I got a little over 50 ounces of liniment from the "waste" of the serrano peppers. So basically for the cost of the isopropyl alcohol, I made quite a bit of liniment using the throwaway part of something I had already invested my money and time into.

Clint LOVES this when he has a muscle strain or a sprain. It heats up again in the morning when he showers, so one rub down with it is like two applications.

Family members told me my great-grandmother was a strong Christian and Native American who was shunned by some during the day because she used herbal medicine. Some of those same people came to her for medicine in the evenings when the others could not see. She was quite popular for both her medicinal skills and her gardening abilities. She and my great grandfather ran a florist shop in Churchland, VA called Bailey's Florist.

This is a follow-up to this post.

Poke a Hole in the Middle of the Biscuit

There are not enough hours in the day to do all of the things I would love to do for my family, so I sometimes compromise like with this canned dough.  I always think of my maternal grandmother, or the lady I knew as my grandmother, when I make biscuits whether from they be from scratch or canned.

One of my earliest memories is of "helping" Grandma Ada make biscuits. I guess I was around 3-5 years old. She did not used canned dough like the ones in my image. She made hers from scratch and let me stand in a chair beside her as she worked in her kitchen with the pantry full of fig preserves and the turn of the century farmhouse sink that had built in drainboards. 

After she had the biscuits in the pan, she flattened them with the back of her fingers and then instructed me to poke a hole in the middle of each one. I did as I was instructed and asked why. She told me it made them cook faster. 

I was all for that because after they were done, Grandpa Floyd would share his treasured molasses. He'd pour that dark, sweet goodness over the warm biscuits. Then, all three of us would enjoy our snack chatting together in the warm and sunny kitchen with windows overlooking the huge pecan trees in the front yard. 

I don't know if it is because of the hole, but my biscuits are always done in the middle when I poke them. I often do it now out of gratitude for the happy memories I have of being with her on her farm when I was a young girl. My girls enjoyed the story when I taught them to do it too. 

Frank Whitley

First posted 7/25/14:

Frances "Frank" Woodward Whitley

son of Elisha Everette Whitley
pictured with Frank is his wife Alice C. Whitley

and their five children

including my great grandmother Lillian Estelle Whitley who together with her husband Henry L Bailey

ran Bailey's Flower Market in Churchland (Portsmouth, VA)

Lillian was mother to my grandfather Rollis Ivans Bailey.

Amy's Obit

Amy L. Asbell (1963 - 2014)

Tyner, NC - Amy Leigh Asbell, 51, of 613 Happy Home Road, died Sunday, September 7, 2014 in her home.

Amy was a lifelong resident of Chowan County, born on January 2, 1963, and was the daughter of the late Carlton Emerson and Blanche Mansfield Asbell. A graduate of Campbell University, she received her Master's Degree from East Carolina University and was the Media Coordinator at John A. Holmes High School in Edenton. She was one of the first Media Coordinators, nationwide, to achieve her National Board Certification in Early Childhood through Young Adulthood/Library Media. A member of Ballard's Bridge Baptist Church, she particularly enjoyed being a part of its Hand Bell Choir. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her brother, Thomas C. "Rev" Asbell.

Surviving are her sister, Carolyn A. Owens and husband Edd of Edenton; her sister-in-law, Debi Asbell of Nashville, NC; and four nephews, Samuel H. Asbell and wife Jessica of Grayslake, IL, Emmitt C. Owens of Raleigh, Perry E. Owens of Thomasville, and Walter S. Asbell of Nashville.

Funeral services will be held Saturday at 2:00 p.m. in Ballard's Bridge Baptist Church by the Rev. Ron Parr. Burial will follow in the church cemetery. Friends may join the family Friday from 6 to 8 p.m. in Miller Funeral Home & Crematory, 735 Virginia Road, Edenton, and all other times at the residence.

In lieu of flowers, contributions in her memory may be made to the Edenton-Chowan Educational Foundation, designated for the Amy Asbell Memorial Fund, PO Box 206, Edenton, NC 27932. Amy has requested these funds be used to buy books for students in the Edenton-Chowan School System.

Online condolences may be made by visiting www.millerfhc.com.

- See more at: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/pilotonline/obituary.aspx?pid=172400298#sthash.t4N6Y1d0.dpuf

Frank Whitley and Family

Frances "Frank" Woodward Whitley

son of Elisha Everette Whitley
pictured with Frank is his wife Alice C. Whitley

and their five children

including my great grandmother Lillian Estelle Whitley who together with her husband Henry L Bailey

ran Bailey's Flower Market in Churchland (Portsmouth, VA)

Lillian was mother to my grandfather Rollis Ivans Bailey.

These Are My People

This is my paternal grandfather's mother's people (or my great grandmother's). Elisha was her father. I hope to attend next year and share with my children what a wonderful group of people they come from. This reunion has been going on every year since 1865. 

"Elisha Whitley was married Jan. 7,1855, to Mary Eliza Barnes, daughter of John Elias Barnes II and Jalitha Buxton. They had nine children.

Whitley enlisted in Company G, 31st North Carolina Troops on Sept. 12, 1861, and was paroled on May 2, 1865, after the surrender of Gen. Joseph Johnston to Gen. William Sherman on April 26, 1865, at Bush Hill in Randolph County, N.C.

Tradition has it that when Whitley returned from the Civil War, his sisters gave him a birthday dinner on July 4, 1865, and he asked that this be continued.

Since that time, there has been an annual reunion carried on by his children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren." from whitleyfamily.info

Praying for Our Family

Clint telling a very young Brandon about his family in 1993.

Hannah was asleep in the car.

These are Clint's grandparent's graves. We took our children here to share with them family stories and to pray God will give our family a powerful testimony for Him which will grow stronger with each new generation.

In the midst of difficulty lies opportunity. --Albert Einstein

Come and let us walk in the light of the Lord. Isaiah 2:5

James and Sarah Asbell

This is for John D. and other genealogists. I apologize for the broken link on the genealogy page.
This is James and Sarah Asbell.
James was shot in the mouth while serving in the Civil War and would not accept pension for his injuries.