Porch Swings, Fireflies, and Jelly Jars: Obstacles in Newspaper Searches

Sunday, December 28, 2025

Obstacles in Newspaper Searches

I have to wonder how many interesting tidbits are overlooked in our newspaper searches because newspapers often got so much wrong. That's why it is important to look at everything and have a good working knowledge of the person or the family you are seeking information on.

This turned up in a search using my grandfather's name: W. S. Chapman. This might have been overlooked otherwise because my 2x great-grandfather's initials were M.P. and not R.P. as in M. P. Kelley. My great-grandmother was Henrietta Elizabeth "Bessie" (Kelley) Brown. Maude Brown? I have no idea how the author of this article ended up with the name Maude.

I did not know that my grandmother was unaware of this letter, written by her grandfather, M. P. Kelley, during the Civil War. I also did not know that she shared it with the Clarksville Times of Clarksville, Texas.

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About Me:

My favorite memories from childhood include visits to my grandparents in East Texas. At dusk we'd run around my grandparent's yard, catching fireflies and putting them in jelly jars. When darkness descended, we'd return to the porch. It was a special treat to sit in the porch swing. Inevitably, the adults would launch into family stories of Pink Kelley's brush with Sherman's troops, of Great Uncle Hood Brown's tragic death, and of the Kelley family's wagon trip to Texas, among many others. The stars on those nights were magical.

I began my genealogy research in the summer of 1975, less than a month after my high school graduation. When I married in 1983, I started researching my husband's family as well. I was fortunate to start this hobby as a youngster because it gave me an opportunity to correspond with researchers who are long gone; to ask questions of family members -although not enough, never enough; and travel a bit. The result is a lot of information. I've come to the realization that I will probably never be able to afford to publish, so this is my publication.

This blog contains a mixture of information on my husband's family and mine. I've expanded into a second blog called Flimsies and Frippery with the intention of focusing on quilts and dolls, but I have several historical research entries there with more planned, which is why I don't get more quilting done.

Ultimately, genealogy is my passion. This is where I plan to record family stories, research adventures and misadventures, and those serendipitous moments that happen out of the blue. You should be warned that I have a bad habit of going back and adding information and links to individual entries, so it is beneficial to check back often if there is a family of particular interest to you. If you wander in and discover that you are a cousin, please contact me.

Since many younger family members who are new to genealogy are starting to contact me about their ancestors, I've started adding family trees to help them see how everyone is connected. The trees are divided between my family and my husband's. You will find them below under the label's Family Trees - My Husband's Side and Family Trees - My Family's Side.

For better or worse, this blog reflects the research, thinking, and writing of a human.