The Story Tellers
"We are the chosen. In each family there is one who seems called to find the ancestors; to put
flesh on their bones and make them live again, to tell the family their story and to feel that
somehow they know and approve. Genealogy is not a cold gathering of facts; instead, it is
breathing life into all who have gone before. We are the story tellers of the tribe. All tribes
have one. We have been called as if it were in our genes. Those who have gone before cry out to
us: Tell our story, and so we do. In them we find ourselves."
Searching your family ancestry is like an onion, when you peel it you will find it has many layers.
I began this ancestry quest to find my Virginia (now West Virginia) roots in June 2003. This all started from a spur of the moment trip to West Virginia, or what my husband, Tom, refers to as a 'marathon.'
In a period of 6 days I covered 1,300 miles (just in West Virginia), and I traveled every back road I could find. This quest has taken me on an unbelievable journey into the past, and I owe a special thanks to the following people . . My mother, Odessa Belle Shafer-Miller, who was a phenomenal women with a remarkable memory and I miss her each day. I am thankful that she spent many hours with her mother, Annie Belle Adkins-Shafer, talking about her family.
To Steve and Lanie Shafer, who I was fortunate enough to find while traveling on the roads around Blue Sulphur Springs. They were living in the Shafer home which was built by Rufus Cyrus Shafer who was my great uncle, and Steve's grandfather. Steve died shortly after I meet him, and I will miss his humor and frankness about the family, but I will always have the wonderful stories and pictures he gave me.
I extend additional thanks to all of the family members and friends I have had the pleasure to speak with, or write to, while compiling all of this information. Our ancestors are our heroes for the courage they had in making the trip to America to give themselves and their family a chance at a new life.
If you would like to contribute to this site, or see changes that need to be made, please contact me at karmaf2@aol.com.
Blessings to our future generations.
Marilyn