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Introducing
Audrey Roley
EatonvilleNews.net
(ENN) happily welcomes Audrey Roley as a regular columnist. Her
expertise is genealogy, the second most popular hobby in the United States
(some say browsing the Internet is now the number one hobby). Audrey is
president of the Tacoma-Pierce County Genealogy Society. The society has
recently completed the 1892 Pierce County census, which was almost discarded
but saved by Tacoma librarians. According to
Audrey the census consists of 1,200 pages and the society has not yet
decided whether to publish this historical information or put it on a disk.
As president of the genealogy society Audrey automatically has a seat on the
Heritage League of Pierce County. The League was “reconstituted” to
promote the Sesquicentennial (150 years) of Pierce County and is currently
developing a map of all historical sites in the county. Audrey also lends
her seemingly endless energy to the South Pierce County Historical Society
where she is involved in the restoration of the Van Eaton Cabin and the
society’s future museum. Audrey
taught in the Franklin Pierce School district for 27 years as a seventh
grade English and history teacher. She says, “I started teaching there in
1955. Mostly as a substitute until my children were in school. As
of this year I am the oldest employee in the district--some distinction.”
In 1996, along with husband, Les, Audrey moved to their property
in Midway Creek Estates in Alder. The couple lived in Midland the first 42
years of their marriage where Les was Fire Chief of District Four. Audrey
recalls, “One of Les's volunteer firefighters bugged him about this
property. When Les saw the land he fell in love with it, mostly because he
had his own blackberry-picking patch.” Audrey admits, “I love working
out in our forest clearing stumps and bushes.” Audrey and Les have
two sons - Mike and Pat. Their two oldest children - Nicole and
Shane (21 and 17) are the offspring of Mike and JoAnn Roley. Their youngest
son, Pat Roley, and his wife, Norma McKinney, are the proud parents of Kathryne Olivia McKinney-Roley.
Audrey jokes, “Poor kid -- it will take her six months in the first grade
to learn to write her name.” Les retired in 1987, and Audrey
“officially” retired in 1992.
by Audrey Roley Since my retirement in 1992, I have become addicted to finding our ancient ancestors. Yes, I am the bane of all government employees in vital statistics and land record offices - an amateur genealogist. I have done well and I would like to share some of the lovely experiences my husband and I have had. Now, he doesn’t care one thing about this whole project, even when standing in his great-great-grandfather’s log cabin built in 1795 at Laurel Ridge, Fayette County, Pennsylvania. During the winter of 1999 the recent purchaser of the original Rolle property in Fayette County contacted us. His plan was to restore the cabin and clear the land title so it could go on the national register. It didn’t take me long to tell him that we would be there in the spring. I spent the remaining winter months researching Johannes Rolle, the history of Fayette County and Westmoreland County. I soon found in the Daughters of the American Revolution records that John (Johannes) had been made a patriot and sent for his papers. It was in these papers I learned John was a member of the Rangers of the Frontier.
The Rangers were comprised of three units of about twenty-five men in
each group. Twenty of these men carried the “Don’t Tread On Me” flag
to the Battle of Boston. John Roley was in that group - what a walk.
In John Boucher’s “History of Westmoreland County,” he cites
this adventure of the Rangers. Word spread throughout the villages that the
Indians, under the directions of French officers, had kidnapped two white
women. The Rangers found them boarding their canoes on the sandbar where the
Swiecky Creek meets the Monongahela River.
On the return trip to Pittsburgh for our
flight home, we passed a sign that said “Swiecky Creek.” I couldn’t
believe it, we were within a hundred feet of the Monongahela River and there
was the sandbar. I yelled to my husband “Stop,” that I
wanted a picture. He said,
“Are you crazy woman! We are in heavy traffic.” I said,
“So?” Needless
to say there is no picture. Men! Getting
Started
Just think, your family story is just waiting for you to write it. If you don’t write it, who will? Remember, you are the sum total of all who came before you. Be proud of their accomplishments and give to the younger generation a sense of who they are.
You are the best source to start your story. Write down all the oral
family history you can remember. Ask the older generations for their help.
There will be an element of truth somewhere. The facts will be convoluted
but you will soon discover fact from fiction. Next, gather all the old
pictures and have them labeled. I can’t tell you how frustrating it is to
have old pictures when you don’t know who they are. I volunteer at the Family History Center at 12th and Pearl in Tacoma. Patrons come in seeking help and pull out of their pockets, a grease-stained envelope with the information about their fourth-great grandfather. This drives genealogists “nuts.” Make a pedigree chart, starting with you. Write down, in pencil, all that you know about the ancestors. There is an immigration pattern that we look for. Start today; don’t wait. REMEMBER, they traveled in groups. Collateral names are important. Entire congregations came to America; religion is important. But the two big rules are: spellings changed, and they changed the facts at will. My mother was born in 1901 and on the application for their marriage license in 1919 she says she is 21- modern math. My volunteer shift at the Family History Center is on Tuesdays from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. If you have any questions my email is laroley@mashell.com. Happy Searching.
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"Pity
the poor kids who grow up in a big city. They miss the little things that
made growing up in a small town, ah, so wonderful." |
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Genealogy
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