A Sacred Harp Connection

If you're a serious family researcher, you have an ancestry.com account and check it frequently. You are also pleased to receive messages through your ancestry account and sometimes you receive that little gem of information that you will treasure forever. That happened to me about a year ago. I received a message from a Dumas cousin (my paternal great great grandmother was Martha Frances Dumas). He told me about a book he was reading: Legacy of the Sacred Harp by Chloe Webb. The book follows the writer's journey as she learned about the history of sacred harp music, but also her discovery about her Dumas ancestors. I immediately ordered the book from Amazon.com and devoured it as soon as it arrived. While reading the book, I found references to H.S. Rees and J.P. Rees, composers of sacred harp hymns. I also noticed that they had composed hymns honoring her ancestor, Rev. Edmund Dumas (my great great grandmother's cousin). My mother is a Reese,  the original spelling being Rees. H.S. or Rev. Henry Smith Rees and his twin brother J.P. or John Palmer Rees were my great great uncles! So, about 150 years ago, give or take a few, my maternal and paternal ancestors were connected! I found a new friend and we have much in common. While, we've never met, we have emailed and talked to each other. This connection is a special one because I not only found a new cousin, but a wonderful friend. 

Click on the book to go to Amazon.com

A Journey

Next week I will be attending a luncheon and meeting some new cousins and reuniting with other cousins! I can't wait to spend the afternoon listening and sharing stories with our family. In my thirty plus years of family research, I have made wonderful discoveries about my family, I have been fortunate enough to obtain family photos, letters and other treasures and visit many places where my ancestors once lived. But the most exciting discoveries for me have been the many connections I have found to ancestors and my generation of friends and acquaintances. I wanted a place to record my discoveries and share stories with fellow researchers. I hope you'll enjoy this blog and I look forward to hearing from you as I share posts. I would also love to hear your stories about family ties and connections.