New Daughter For Kim

Abraham wondered... Sarah laughed... But God does provide us with children.

Want a modern day example? Just ask our Florida-based cousin Kim.

Some time after starting her family with her first daughter, Kim decided she was ready to be a new mom again, and provide a sister for Kiana-Jo.

After months of paperwork and preparation, it looked like another adoption woud come through.

Then, as they say, the bottom fell out, literally.

Kim went shopping for a new truck at a dealership that happened to be under construction. As she walked out, with Kiana-Jo in her arms, Kim did not see a hole in the concrete, and fell into it. Kiana-Jo was unhurt, but Kim was left with a dislocation and two fractures in her left ankle. She had to wait weeks for the swelling to subside, then undergo surgery. She is now recovering with a temporary cam-boot, a plate with nine screws, and three physical therapy sessions each week.

In the midst of all this, Kim got a call that baby girl was available. Kim's movements were restricted, but she was still about to return to sleepless nights and scheduled feedings. Then, at the last minute, problems arose with the adoption. Heartbroken, she had to accept that she'd have to wait a bit longer. But, Kim did not give up.

Remarkably, Kim received another call less than a month later. And now, Kim is once again a new mother!

Her new daughter is Kyndall Ellen, born January 10, 2007, weighing 7 lbs. 4 oz. and 20 inches long.

Congratulations Kim & Kiano-Jo!


Kiana-Jo holds her sister Kyndall

New Leaf For Kim's Family Tree

Our cousin Kim is expecting a busy New Year, when she expects her second daughter to arrive, on/about January 7, 2007.

Kim expects to name her new daughter Kinsey Ellen.

Kim's first daughter, Kiana-Jo Marie, shares her grandmother's name. Kiana-Jo's future sister will share names from their dear family friend Nancy and Kim herself.

Kim has added on to her house and now has a playroom for the kids.

Congratulations to Kim, Kiana-Jo, and the rest of the family!

Patti and Kim... On Display!

Recently, our beloved mother/daughter painting dynamo's, Patti and Kim, each had a painting selected for inclusion in Tri-State Arts Association Exhibition at the Huntington Museum of Art.


The Huntington Museum of Art

The show features artists from the Ohio, West Virginia, Kentucky Tri-State area. If you're in the area stop in... the pieces will be on display until September 10.

In a twist of fate, the two paintings were hung one directly over the other. The museum staff had no idea that Patti and Kim were related when the locations were selected.


Patti (left) and Kim with their artwork (Patti's is on top)

Apparently the museum wanted each item offered for sale. Kim told me that neither she nor her mother wanted to part with these pieces. So they were priced higher than they thought anyone would pay.

Patti's sold before the show officially opened.

We'll have to wait to see if Kim's has to part with her painting.

If it does... I think they should take us all to lunch. Don't you?

Benjamin & Ezadiah Truax - Update

The next item from my May Genealogy Road Trip is additional information on the life and family of Benjamin Truax, Jr. and his wife, Ezadiah Palmer.

The book "History of Tonoloway Baptist Church", included an entry for these GG Grandparents of Chester Carson. The extract is below:

"Benjamin Truax joined the church in the beginning of the last century. He served as a messenger to the association in 1834. His father, Benjamin Truax, Sr., was one of the early settlers of Bethel Township. He ", . "came from New Jersey (some of the Truax family lived in Monmouth County) and settled within the present borders of Thompson Township. His son Benjamin married Ezediah Palmer, daughter of John Palmer, the immigrant. She died March of 1879, aged ninety-nine years and twelve days. She was supposed to have been very active - in mind and body - at the time of her death. The Truax family included nine children: William, who died before 1884; Joseph; Stillwell; Samuel; Elizabeth Fisher; Job; David; Rebecca Fisher; and Mary Fisher. Their father died in 1846 at the age of seventy-two."

One new fact provided here is that Ezediah's father was an immigrant. I don't believe there was an entry for John Palmer, so we do not know his country of origin.

Tonoloway Primitive Baptist Church and Cemetery, Pennsylvania

The Tonoloway Primitive Baptist Church and Cemetery are co-located on Route 655, in Belfast Township, of Fulton County, Pennsylvania. To reach it, take Route 70 to the Warfordsburg, PA exit. Go North a few miles to Rt. 655, then turn right. Follow this winding road until you reach the church, on the right.

This church is a part of our family history, with a number of relatives worshipping here. It is not hard to imagine John K Carson and his wife Rachel attending services here, since they lived in and around Warfordsburg for some time. However, church records do not include them as members. We do know that Rachel's grandparents, great grandparents, and great-great grandparents were all members of the church.

The church was built in 1752, then rebuilt in 1804. It was the tenth Baptist church constructed in America. During the civil war, the church served as a hospital.

Here are a few photos I took while on my trip in May of 2006:


The Tonoloway Primitive Baptist Church, as viewed from Rt 655


The Tonoloway Primitive Baptist Church and a partial view of the cemetery. The graves of Benjamin Truax, Sr. and his wife Parthenia, are difficult to see in this photo, but they are directly between the camera lens and the church window on the far right.


A marker for Benjamin Truax's grave. I don't know if this was placed here as part of the Bi-Centenial memorial service (1976), or more recently.


The Marker placed in 1976 to remember Benjamin's Revolutionary War service.

Benjamin B Truax & Perthinia/Parthenia Pittman

The book "History of Tonoloway Baptist Church", contained an entry for Benjamin and Parthenia Truax (GGG Grandparents of Chester Carson).

"Benjamin Truax and Parthenia, his wife, were received by the church in November of 1770. They came from new Jersey at an early date and settled in the part of the county that became Thompson Township. Benjamin served in the Bedford County Militia during the American Revolution. He died May 10, 1801, at the age of seventy. Parthenia had died October 31, 1781, aged thirty-nine years, seven months and fifteen days. I believe her tombstone is now the oldest in Tonoloway Cemetery. The Truax children were Joseph (born 1758), William (born 1763), Samuel (born 1764), Rebecca (born 1769), Benjamin (born 1774), Elias (1775-1786), and Parthenia."


Headstones for Parthenia (left) and Benjamin Truax.

Samuel B Truax and Rebecca Abigail (Sarah) Stillwell

Samuel B Truax and Rebecca Abigail (Sarah) Stillwell are a GGGG Uncle and GGGG Aunt of Chester Carson.

While in the Fulton County Libary, I discovered a book by Harry Stuart Holman, M.A, published in 1980, titled "History of Tonoloway Baptist Church". It shed new light on these relatives of ours.

The Tonoloway Baptist Church still stands today, and in a future posting I will show you photos of it and the cemetery that contains several of our ancestors.

Samuel was born in 1740 in Woodbridge County, New Jersey. Sarah was born five years later, in the same county. They were married in about 1765.

We know that Samuel and Sarah were in Bedford County, PA by August of 1774, when they joined the Tonoloway Baptist Church at the time of its founding (when it was known as Sideling Hill Church).

Samuel was a member of the Rangers of the Frontier. The Rangers were a group of men in the early 1780's who road the countryside protecting settlers from Indians or other provocations.

In 1787 a land survey, performed on Samuel's behalf, identified 150 acres of land located just north of Little Cove Road, in Bethel, PA.

Samuel and Sarah had eight children: Rachel, Stillwell, Mary, Samuel, Elizabeth, Jane, Rebecca, and Meriam.

Samuel died March 12, 1801. His wife, Sarah, died September 15, 1801