I Miss You Dad

I've been feeling blue and dreading this first Father's Day without him. A friend sent me this poem. Sorry, I have no idea who wrote it

YOU ARE MY FATHER

I will not look at this as goodbye

I will not allow the sorrow of losing you to destroy me

I will embrace what you have taught me through

the years and carry that with me.

You will forever be a part of my life,

and through me you will forever be a part of your

grandhchildren's lives as well. We are your legacy.

I am proud to have had you in my life.

You have raised me to the best of your ability

and for that I want to thank you.

Thank you for being kind, thank you for being stronger than

you know, and most of all, thank you for loving us.

You have inspired me too live life to the fullest,

and never back down.

I will not be taken over by the anger and

frustration of your loss.

Instead, I will remember the days when I was young

and you were my hero.

I will see you in my dreams.

There you will forever be healthy and strong.

Sorrow is inevitable, but I will face it with the same

courage you did, because you are my father.

Another Father's Day Post

Now, a post for my mother's side - my maternal grands. Had to do two post because I a lucky to have these old photos and it gets confusing working with both sides at the same time!

This photo is of my maternal grandparents, David Andrew Barnes & Ethel Vernolia Gillihan, with my Aunt Frances in Grandpa Barnes's lap and an unknown girl in the background.

This photo contains the same Grandpa David Andrew Barnes only he is the little boy standing behind his mother and beside his grandmother. The man sitting in the chair with a little girl on his lap is his father, my great grandfather William Andrew Barnes (1869 - 1935)


Now, let's switch over to my maternal grandmother's side. Here are the father's on my Grandma Ethel Vernolia Gillihan-Barnes's side:

My great grandparents on my grandparents Henry Newton Gillihan and Icie Brewer

A younger photo of Henry Newton Gillihan

And an even younger - he is the young man to the far right standing in the back row.

This photo is of Henry Newton Gillihan's parents so they are my great, great grandparents William Riley Gillihan Jr. (1854 - 1937) and Ava Sophia Thompson (1856 - 1930).

A little younger shot of William Riley Gillihan Jr. He's on the right.


Switching from grandma's Gillihan side to her Brewer side.

Grandma's mother (my great grandmother) Icie Brewer is the second girl from the right standing (behind the little boy in chair). Her father, my great great grandfather is the fellow in third chair from left with leg crossed. His name is Argyle Homer Brewer (1847 - 1903).

So, these are the men to whom I owe my existance. They also passed values down from generation to generation that are now a part of me. Funny, from you would think I would be a vegtable gardener with all these farmers in my blood!

A Tribute To Dads

These photos are of my paternal dads. I am thinking of them all today.

This is an old photo of my mom & dad before I was born.

These are my paternal grandparents - Andrew Jackson Manning (1892 - 1970) and Rose Cleo Truxler (1893 - 1967). Both were born, raised, married, and died in Lawrence County, Arkansas.

I am related to most of the kiddos in this photo; however, what makes it really interesting is that my grandparents (Andrew Jackson Manning & Rose Cleo Truxler) are in it. Both are in the front row - he is the 4th from the right and she is second to the left of the girl holding the sign. Photo from Union School (Lawrence Co., ) Arkansas in 1903.

This is James Jon Manning (1866 - 1944), father of Andrew Jackson Manning so he is my paternal great grandfather. He was born in Indiana or Kentucky during a brief period when his father was a coalminer (they left their home in Alabama after the War Between the States) before the family settled in Arkansas.

This photo is of the Manning clan. My Grandpa Andrew Jackson Manning & his wife Rose Cleo Truxler are the young couple in the back. His father, my great grandfather James John Manning, is the man sitting in the chair. I know it's Father's Day but another interesting person in the photo is his mother, my great, great grandmother Emily Kitchens-Manning. She the oldest female and sitting between the two young girls.


James John Manning's first wife died young (poss during childbirth since a baby died on the same day). This headstone is her (Sarah Maryann Whittaker) father's headstone so he would be my great, great grandfather. And, the old tin type photo below is thought to be him.

Happy Father's Day

My hubby and our "children" - Eddie Ratbone & Daisey Mae.