Our American Ancestors

When I was a teenager, I often wondered where my ancestors came from. Talking with my Dad and Granddad Wilbanks I knew that the Wilbanks came from Oklahoma, and I got some fairly vague stories about my Great Great Grandfather Wilbanks fighting in the civil war. The story was that he had been severely wounded and had his leg amputated. Another story passed to me was that a different man from our family had been a prisoner of war in a Union POW camp at some point. I remember talking to my Granddad, and asking some questions, but it all seems to wither away in my memory.

Captain Thomas Donald Wilbanks Sr around 1945

Actually, I have recently discovered some things written down from later interviews with Granddad, when he lived in Pollock Pines during the early eighties, but more about that later. When I think about it now, it seems unsurprising that our American ancestors go back to colonial times. With ancestors that fought in our civil war, which took place only about three generations after George Washington was president, I should have thought it probable.

About 20 years ago, I started collecting information about the Wilbanks and Guttry families. Stacked in a pile, and pretty disorganized, it was actually a good beginning. A few months ago, after visiting with my brother John, I decided to join Ancestry.com as a way to further my genealogy research.

What an incredibly powerful tool! It gives you access to massive databases of genealogical information. In addition, it automatically links you to other fellow researchers to collaborate and leverage your information. I now have extremely detailed information about our family story. The problem is, how do I tell it? There is so much, and it can get confusing. There are some especially fascinating and confusing relationships on the Barkley side!

Captain John J. Fenn Pioneer of the Klondike, and Kim's Great Grandfather

I am thinking I could focus on individuals and tell their stories, or maybe at least a snapshot one at a time.

The bottom line is that our story is the story of America It starts with the first landings of colonists off the Mayflower at Plymouth Massachusetts, covers the the Revolutionary war, the war if 1812, the civil war, the settlement of the south and the northwest, and the disruption of two world wars. It is a fascinating story of events I learned in school brought to life by some of the actual participants.

I hope you will put up with my obsession.

That's all!

I Remember...

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