Family Ties ~ Ruthie L Manier

The older I get, the more I want to know about my family history. Does that sound familiar? I think most of us do. I recently visited my Auntie Darlene, who has researched our family history for years. She gave me some more information that I found interesting. 

 John Harvey Tabor, son of pioneer Elijah Tabor, was raised in Marion County Arkansas, along with the native Americans who lived their first. John’s schooling was hunting and fishing. He was the first white man to start a commercial Apple orchard in Arkansas. John planted 40 to 50 trees for his brother-in-law. This was fifty years before the big apple boom in the rest of Arkansas. At first, they could only sell locally, due to the fact there were no trains near their area. After the trains extended into their county, they were able to expand the business and sell the apples commercially. 

John lived a long life to the age of ninety seven years old. He was a great frontiersman and people loved to listen to his stories of when the country was young and the buffalo still roamed the wild frontier. Wen Arkansas became a state, he witnessed his Indian friends being relocated to a place that is now Oklahoma State. Some of his relatives were murdered in the Mountain Massacre in Utah, as they were on a wagon train migrating to Arkansas. 

 

We have researched my family history on my father’s mother's side back eight generations and I can’t wait to discover more. I might even write a book! 

Speaking of books, I just finished my first draft on “Saving Christine,” This story is dedicated to my sister Martha Christine Moore who recently lost her battle with cancer, a cruel disease. The story is different from my other’s and is part religious, part romance, and part fantasy. I hope you will check it out when it is available! Until then, here is a short summary: 

Susan is grieving the loss of her sister. She's angry at God for taking Christine and is having suicidal thoughts. God (aka boss, or big boss, or boss man) notices and sends Saint Peter on a mission to save Susan. Saint Peter enlists his employee and best friend Gabriel (aka Gabe) to help with the mission. Pete sends Gabe to Middle Realm, the realm between heaven and hell, to speak to Susan and see if he can turn her thinking around, to help her understand that Christine is in a much better place and has no pain. As Gabe starts his mission, he notices right away that the mission's plan needs to be changed and scoops up Susan from the beach. He throws up onto his horse, Midnight, and rides hard to upper ground. Susan fights her grizzly sized kidnapper, but he's much too big to thwart. As the story continues, Susan and Gabe strike up friendship, which leads to love, Gabe takes her up to the Heavenly Realm. I cannot say much more without giving away more of the story.  

Thank you for reading. Have a wonderful, safe, Independence Day!