thankful thursday - more "begats"

(again, this is copied from my Uncle Bill... 


This is Lydia Worden (1852-1931) born Roulette, PA, daughter of William Worden and Abigail Peat. William Worden left Wisconsin at the age of 44 in 1864 and joined Gen. Sherman's Army. He died of illness at the Etowah House in Rome, GA in 1864. He is buried at National Cemetery in Marietta, GA. His brother also enlisted and was captured by Condeferates at Decatur, GA and imprisoned at Andersonville which he survived but never returned home. Lydia Worden married Ezra Clow (1840-1907), a Canadian. She had two children with Ezra; Clarence Calvin Clow who was killed in France in WW I in 1918; and Alice Clow (1882-1963) who married William J. Pennington in 1905 and gave birth to Clarence B. Pennington (1908-78) and another son and a daughter. Lydia Worden is buried beside her husband at Dawson (Tulsa) OK.)


So the "begats" would go something like this:
William Worden and Abigail Peat had 
Lydia Worden who married Ezra Clow  Lydia & Ezra's daughter,
Alice Clow married William J Pennington and Alice & Williams son,
Clarence Pennington was my mama's daddy. 


That means that this handsome woman is my great-great grandmother. 

this picture is the Dawson Hotel in Dawson (Tulsa, OK) taken about 1910. The small child on the porch is my grandfather, C.B. Pennington (1908-1978). The little girl is one of his aunts. The two ladies are granddaddy's two grandmothers, Lydia Worden Clow (1852-1931) (also pictured above), wife of Ezra Clow (1840-1907); and Louisa McCubbin Pennington (1855-1929), wife of John Pennington (1857-1946). The Dawson Hotel was operated by the Clow family during the very early days of Oklahoma's statehood.


This Thankful Thursday, I'm thankful for the "begats"... I'm thankful for the diverse and interesting people who are my ancestors. I'm thankful for these tidbits of information that I'm learning courtesy of Uncle Bill's research. I hope that blogging about this information will help me remember well enough to pass on to the next generation. 


I'm thankful for the family ties that bind... for those who are close in geography or close at heart... or both... for those who I may not see often (or ever) whose lives still shaped and impacted mine. I'm thankful for the beautiful Steel Magnolia's on my daddy's side - my grandmother and my great-aunt Bette - and the incredible example they are as matriarchs. I'm thankful for the time I spent with my grandmother and granddaddy on my mom's side and how fortunate I was to know - and love them - as a child. I treasure those memories. 


I'm thankful to be a mommy. I'm thankful to be a sister. I'm thankful to be a daughter. I'm thankful to be an aunt - and for the sweet nieces that are the daughters I never had. I'm thankful for the nieces and nephews that are far away but as close as my prayers for them. I'm thankful to have dozens of cousins and a quartet of brothers. I'm thankful to be the only girl in my family! I'm thankful for the life that my parents have given us and how they still take care of us. I'm thankful for my aunts and uncles - some I know better than others. I pray that whether it's in person or through reading the things I've written, that all of my family will feel connected to me and that by living social, I'll feel connected to them.


I'm thankful for the lineage and heritage that is spelled out in the bible. It's a great history book and it's fascinating to understand that Jesus came to a holy family that had some interesting and less than perfect ancestors. That gives me hope... 


This week has taken a lot out of me. I'm exhausted and haven't been able to escape stress this week. I wear stress deep in my back and as a pain in my brain and I don't like feeling this way. I'm feeling a little under appreciated and overtaxed and I'm having to work too hard to just get by. God is in control... I have no doubt... and I have no doubt that the lessons I'm learning this week, the things that are stretching me thin (both my money and my nerves) are part of that thick book of life's lessons that I have yet to learn.


Lydia Worden... didn't have the internet... or electricity... (at least for most of her life, I would guess)... I'm sure she worked hard... probably felt isolated at times because she didn't have the luxury of signing onto the internet and finding hundreds of friends available to chat with from all over the world. I'm sure cooking was much more of a chore for her than it is for me. I imagine that life was much harder for her than my life will ever be. And I pray that my children, grandchildren and so forth will have an easier life than I have had. 


I pray that when my descendents look back and read the things I wrote, that they will be proud to know that I begat them. 


Have a great thursday, y'all. Love and hugs!