Evolution/Revolution, Part the Fourth....

Evolution/Revolution...part the fourth...

In 2005, I got a promotion at my job. It's a promotion I've alternately enjoyed and lamented, depending on how much time it takes out of my schedule, and how far I have to drive on a given day.

If I had to put a word on this section, I'd call it "Working's for Suckers."

Simply because sometimes, I don't get to post like I'd like, owing to working so many hours in a day or a week.

Posts during certain times in the past couple of years have gotten sporadic, disjointed, depending muchly on how much time I have on hand.

Mostly, my attention in this time is very mothlike. Again, I'm posting whatever's on my mind.

Here's one from last year, just after I found out a little bit of Big Stupid Tommy personal trivia:

Umpteenth Generation

Got an e-mail last night from a site that tracks my family tree, Acuff.org. I was listed as an orphan...essentially, I think my name came up on the interweb, most likely because of this blog, but they had no means of connecting me to another set of Acuffs.

Went in, set up an account, found myself on the family tree. I was there under my birth name, just not Tommy. Sent an e-mail wit the correction. Got to digging.

My grandfather was born in 1901 in Grainger County, Tennessee. Home of the Fighting Tomatoes. Apparently, we took root in Grainger County: Four Generations of Acuffs leading up to my grandfather came out of Grainger County, all the way up to another Thomas Acuff.

That Thomas Acuff, my Great, Great, Great, Great Grandfather, was born in 1793 in Henry County, Virginia. This may be the same one I've heard tell served with Andrew Jackson in the War of 1812...the only thing marking him as military is a listing with him with Robert McGinniss' militia company.

His father, John Acuff (there are lots of Johns and Thomases in my family...I and my Dad are Thomases, and Dad has a brother John) was also from Henry County, Virginia, and was born in 1768, and is listed in the database as from 1779-1784 as having served in the Henry County Militia. In 1802, he established a church in Grainger County. He had moved there with family somewhere before 1799.

One last thing on John: They don't have a definitive date of death, but it's listed to have happened some time in 1866. That old bugger lived to be 98. Good for him.

Other Acuffs on back....there's John Sr., the father of the previous John, who in the year we declared independence witnessed the will of somebody named Robert McConway.

On back: My Great (x9) Grandfather...another Thomas...was born in 1675. Not sure where...there's no listing. His father was born before 1635, in merry old England. Now this Thomas (whose name spellings vary from Ayscough to Ascouff to Acuff) married Elizabeth Ingo in 1695, in Middlesex County, Virginia, in 1695. They had a daughter, Anne, in 1697, and a son Christopher, my great (x8) grandfather in 1699.

So. Let's do that math: 9 great grandfathers, plus my grandfather, my father and me.

That's 12 definitive generations of Acuffs on the continent, and possibly 13. We've got roots.

I don't think you'll be getting rid of us any time soon.

Going to go dig some more.