Last night, after a light dinner and coffee at Amelie's we headed to Charlotte's McGlohon Theatre to watch The Willis Clan. They are a Christian family of fourteen with twelve children, eight of which were on stage that evening. The family plays various instruments, sings, and dances. We enjoyed the sibling banter in-between the songs, and it was family friendly.
On Tuesday March 15th, the family will be premiering in their second season on TLC at 10/9C. So tune in.
On Saturday, we took a daytrip about two hours away from Charlotte, to Newberry, SC. Part of the drive was through the Sumter National Forest and across the Broad River where the Battle of Fishdam Ford was once fought.
Newberry, SC was founded in 1798, although many German, English, and Scotch-Irish settlers including my hubby's 9th great-grandfather John C Wright 1716-1790 were here long before, making this their home in the mid 1700's.
This is the Opera House the marker was referring to:
After a walk around the square, we had brunch at Figaro - which was once an old state bank. They had a lot of fish on their menu - akin to a seaside town, yet we were very much inland. I had the eggs benedict with lump crab meat and hubby had the chicken and waffles.
After lunch, we went to the Newberry County Historical Museum and the Gauntt House which showed artifacts from it's residents over the past century or so. Despite being a small town, our guide mentioned that he was surprised at how unknown the museum is in their community, and because of this, and their reliance on donations - the museum is in dis-repair. They hope to move locations while they restore it to a period house, but are waiting on a grant to do so.
Our guide gave us directions to the Quaker burial ground where Bush River Quaker Meeting once was. It is here that my hubby's 9th great-grandfather, and great-grandmother John C. Wright 1716-1790 and Rachel Wells Wright 1720-1771 were buried. Despite the markers being worn, and many unreadable we knew that there wasn't one for his great-grandparents, as many Quakers believed in both a simple burial, and looked down on the "showiness" of gravestones.
On our way home, we toured Rose Hill the onetime home of Gov. William Gist 1807-1874.
This may look like a piano, but it is actually a harpsichord.
Notice the exterior door off the dining room, that was to bring in their dinner from the outside kitchen.
The kitchen, of course, was separate from the house. Back in "the olden days" kitchens often caught fire, so they were usually some distance from the house on the grounds.
We ended the day in the Old English area of South Carolina with dinner at a British style pub called The Six Pence in Rock Hill, SC. It was a lovely day tracing our footsteps in those of my hubby's 9th great-grandfather.
Today my dears, is my mum's fifty-fifth birthday. She has been in London with my little sister for the past few days.
My Mum and Uncle
My mother has been a blessing in so many lives.
My mother's story starts when my Grandad married his sweetheart, my Nana in 1954. They travelled around Europe in a motorcycle and side car for their honeymoon.
They made home in an English country village, and welcomed my uncle in 1957. Then, my Grandad who was a highly skilled detonator was offered a position in either Canada or South Africa. They chose the latter.
They made a new home in South Africa, and welcomed my mother in 1961. Then moved to Rhodesia where my mum attended private boarding schools. After school, my mom went on to work in finance for over eighteen years.
My mother met my dad when she was fourteen, and he was seventeen through mutual friends. They were friends for ten years when my dad married his sweetheart, my mum. They welcomed me in 1986, and my sister in 1990.
In 1994, my mother who was concerned for our safety after several robberies on our twenty-two acre farm in the middle of nowhere and political unrest, moved us girls to an English country village. She created an idyllic childhood. My mom went on to work in healthcare and create a home sweet home for the last twenty-two years.
Her parents passed in 2009, and my dad in 2013. Since then we have formed a new family, my mum, sister, hubby and me. We've been praying for baby blessings, which would make our family complete.
