English Family History

I am updating you all on the information I now have on the English Family. I will start with Jesse E. English, my great, great grandfather.

Anderson English WWII with his wife.

Jesse English and Lula Anderson English were my Great Great Grandparents and my Grandmother Luverne's Grand Parents.
Jesse was born in Pike County, Alabama in 1879. Jesse was the third child born to Rev. Eli English and Martha E. Yarbrough.  His older siblings were James Edward born in 1873 and Mary E. Enlgish born in 1876.
The census for Pike County, Al. in 1880 listed Eli English head of household born 1848 in Ga., his wife Martha E. Yarbrough born around 1850, in Ga. Also included in the household were the three children previously mentioned and Eli's mother in law Mary A. Yarbrough, 60 yrs old, a widow born in Ga. 60 years old in 1880 would mean thay Mrs. Yarbrough would have been born around 1820 in Ga. That is as far as I have gone with Eli, Martha, and Mary Yarbrough. I am thinking that there is a good possibility that they moved to Pike Co. from the Columbus, Ga. area. That will be my next area to search for them.
Pike County records also reveal a marriage license to Eli English and Martha E. Yarbrough in 1872. I am going to Pike County Courthouse for that record and will post it for you. I am hoping that document will have both of their parents names and the county in Ga. where they were born.
Back to Jesse and Lula Anderson English. Joe Watford, who is the Great Grandson of Jesse and Lula gave me a copy of the death certificate for Jesse and Lula Anderson English. Lula's death came first. She died Nov. 2, 1919, from complications in child birth. She was 40 years old at the time. She died under the care of Dr. R. L. Miller Graceville, Florida.

The children of Jesse and Lula were as follows:

1. Allie B. English born April 8, 1902 in Florida, died Feb. 27, 1955 buried in Holmes Co. Fl.
2. Effie Mae English, born around 1904 in Fl., died unknown.
3. Alma Viola, born May 8, 1907, died Dec. 7, 1998 in Fl.
4. Ruby D. English, born around 1910 in Fl., died unknown.
5. Anderson English born Oct. 19, 1912 in Fl. and died July 19, 1973 in Fl.
6. Rosa Lee English born March 1, 1915 in Fl. and died Sept. 27, 2002, in Andalusia, Alabama.

After Lula's death Jesse moved in with his oldest daughter, Allie B. and her husband, Henry Sims. Jesse still had two small children, Anderson 7, and Rosa Lee 4, at the time of Lula's death. Evidently the story goes that Jesse remarried but sent his new wife back home when he found out she was mistreating his children and eventually moved in with Allie B. and Henry and their 3 children, Luvern born 1920, Eddie Lee born in 1922 and Mary Louise born in 1926. Jesse worked with lumber. Logging, and pulping wood.
Jesse died in August of 1926. Jesse's death certificate from Houston Co. Alabama stated he died August 13, 1926 from injuries due to auto accident, and listed perforated wound, broken ribs, shock and hemmorage as contributing factors. Evidently Jesse had finished a day of work and was walking home when he was struck by a car on a bridge on the Rehobeth Highway. Joe Watford has done some research on this but found nothing in library achives of the Dothan Eagle around this time. I will see if I can find some more information about this.
After Jesse's death Allie B. and Henry raised Anderson 14 years old, and Rosa Lee 9 years old, along with their children 6 children.

Jesse and Lula Anderson English

Left to Right: Allie B., Jesse, Effie Mae, Lula, Alma Viola, Ruby D. and Anderson on Lula's lap.

This house was in the Eleanor Community off of Hwy. 2 west of Graceville, Fl. Jesse, Lula and Allie B. are buried in Bethal Baptist Churh cemetary near their home.

My great grandmother Allie B. English Sims with Betty Jean Sims her youngest daughter



Allie B. English born April 8, 1902



I can't identify these girls.

Allie B. English Sims my great grandmother and Luvern Sims Holland my grandmother

Children of Jesse English and Lula Anderson English: Left to right Allie B., Anderson, Rosa Lee and Alma Viola,

Anderson English

I think this may be Alma Viola and Rosa Lee English

Anderson English

My father Doyle Holland, his cousin Faye Seay, and his brother Bob Holland on the car with their grandmother Allie B. English Sims

Anderson English WWII

Louise Sims Seay my great Aunt with her daughter Faye Seay, and Betty Jean Sims tallest child in the background

I'm not sure who this is.

I'm not sure who this is either.

This is Anderson and his wife, I think.

This is Anderson English in the center, and Eunice Sims husband on the right the man on the left I can't identify.

Sausage Spinach Dip

I am sharing a great recipe with you. It's from my niece, Amber Holland Smith. Delicious and serves a crowd I think you could 1/2 the recipe if you need a smaller portion.

Sausage Spinach Dip

1 lb. Sausage

1 package Knorr Vegetable soup Mix

1 16 oz. container sour cream

1 8oz block cream cheese

1 box of frozen spinach thawed and drained

1 teaspoon chili powder

McCormick Nature Seasons

1 Package of 10 slices of Monterey Jack-Cheddar Cheese

1 Package of 10 slices of Monterey Jack Pepper Cheese

Thaw the spinach and drain. In a skillet brown sausage and drain.

Mix vegetable soup mix with sour cream, cream cheese, spinach, and sausage. Add chili powder, and nature seasons. Just lightly sprinkle the nature seasons across the top of the mixture. Mix well.

In a oven proof casserole spread a layer of 1/3 of the mixture. Top with torn slices of both sliced cheeses. Repeat to make 3 layers. Cover lightly with foil and Bake 425 degrees until hot and bubbly in the center. I made a tent with the foil so that the cheese didn’t stick to it. Serve with corn chips or sturdy tortilla chips.

I am planning a trip this weekend to the mountains with Mom, Gracie and Brooke and Aunt Shirley and her grandaughter Hannah. We are all looking forward to lower humidity and the quiet sounds of the mountains.
Wade is going to stay in Destin and go fishing with brother Steve, Donya and Colton, and Captain Tony Davis on the Anastasia. Maybe I will come home and have some fresh fish! 

I hope to go over the Mountain to Cashiers, N. C. to visit a development called Lonesome Valley. Hopefully I can photograph the restaurant, Canyon Kitchen, on the grounds in Lonesome Valley. The restaurant is in a barn. A fancy barn I hear! The menu is planned around local farm fresh vegetables and trout that are farmed by the Jennings family, owners of Lonesome Valley. Have a good weekend. The following pictures were taken last fall.

Overlook walkway in Black Rock Mtn. State Park 10-1-2010

Wolffork Valley Rabun Gap, Ga.

This is why they are called the Smokey Mountains....it's really fog that "burns off " as the sun rises higher!



Pimento Cheese and Red Pepper Mayonnaise

Indian River Fruits Late 40's

I am posting a recipe for Pimento Cheese for sandwiches to take on a picnic this weekend. You will also find a recipe for Red Pepper Mayonnaise.

Pimento Cheese

1 cup of Red Pepper Mayonnaise (recipe follows)

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

16 ounces Sharp Cheddar cheese, grated (4 cups)

1 4-ounce  jar chopped pimentos, drained

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce

Mix together the mayonnaise, lemon juice, mustard, cayenne, and Worcestershire sauce.
Add the cheese and pimientos, blending thoroughly to combine. Season with salt, pepper, and hot sauce. Refrigerate until ready to use.
You can add more red pepper if you like. The mayonnaise with red pepper may be enough.  Let it chill for about 30 min. and then taste  and add more red pepper if you like.

Red Pepper Mayonnaise
1 egg
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 tespoon ground red pepper
2 cups Wesson oil (or any good quality vegtable oil)
2 tablespoon lemon juice

With electric mixer mix the first 5 ingredients and then slowly add oil in small amounts and beat well after each addition. After 1 cup of oil is added add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and just before you add the last of the oil add the 2nd tablespoon of lemon juice.
Place in jar with lid and refrigerate. Makes slightly more than 1 pint.

Another good snack to make using this red pepper mayonnaise follows:

Red Pepper Cottage Cheese
1 16 oz. carton of fat free small curd cottage cheese
1/2 medium yellow onion minced
2 tablespoons red pepper mayonnaise
salt and black pepper to taste
Serve chilled with saltine crackers. It's really good on a hot summer day with a big glass of sweet lemon mint tea! My girls have always loved this treat!

Devastation and Destruction Continues

I would like to thank everyone for the good wishes for my Birthday last week. I am now 29 again! Wish my Levis were still a size 29!!! Maybe if I keep walking they will be! I am so blessed to have my sweet adoring husband and a wonderful loving family and many life long friends. Thank you all for your love and support.

My first birthday. Aunt Shirley and Uncle Jimmy in the background.

Me and my brothers, Steve, Keith and Greg

Today is my mother's birthday. Happy Birthday Momma. You are the strongest most loving person I have ever known and I owe everything to you. You are loved by many, many people and all that love is very well deserved. Thank you for your devotion to me and the boys and all of your grandchildren, brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews and brother and sister in laws. We all love you very much. And I am sure that all of the people that you have provided jobs for over the past 50 years thank you for your kindness and devotion to them and their famalies.

Momma around 1949

Momma in 1958 picture

Daddy 1958

Me, Mom and Greg about 1962

Momma and Daddy in Panama City 1956

Amber, Momma, Aunt Shirley and Aunt Brenda during the National Peanut Festival Parade 1997

The things I have to talk about today are not happy or bright. It's a sad and depressing situation we find ourselves in today. And those of you who do not believe in God and have no faith may not want to read any more, because what I have to say may make you uncomfortable.

All around us today is death and destruction from natural disasters. The people of the City of Tuscaloosa, Al. are still suffering along with dozens of other towns across North Alabama, Georgia, and Mississippi. Pray for these people and if you can give to the American Red Cross do so. Last night the city of Joplin, Missouri was hit by another devastating tornado. The Red Cross is there also and they need your help. The Red Cross is also responding to the millions of people being affected by the floods along the Mississippi river. Give money and blood if you can.

Since Daddy's death in August of 2008 I haven't really known what to do with my self. Not only did he leave us and change our lives, but the whole world changed for everyone.  I stood still and slowly watched everything around me crumble. I closed my office in Sept. 2008 and moved my library of samples, books, house plans, computers and other office equipment into storage, and watched while other businesses related to the housing industry slowly crumbled and fell. Our Banking establishments soon followed, our nation's industries suffered and some collapsed, the biggest were held up by our government. Now the banks are still folding, our government has reached it's credit limit and the future of the entire world is looking very dim.

From 2004 to 2006 everyone along the northern Gulf Coast was constantly on guard for the next hurricane coming our way. In 2005 New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf Coast took the brunt of the destruction of Hurricane Katrina. Up until 24 hours before landfall Destin was predicted to be in the center of landfall for Katrina. New Orleans is about 250 miles to the West of Destin so Wade and I, and most of Destin, decided to stay in our home. It was not pleasant. We lost power for a couple of days. We boarded up all of the windows and doors except for one door and we left one window partially uncovered so we could get some air inside. The temperature was 90+ degrees and the humidity was so high it felt like 120 degrees. We laid on the tile floor in the front room with the sliver of a window opening and tried to sleep but the heat and wind and rain was battering the house so loud it was real difficult to be still, let alone sleep. Our house is built on pilings above ground so we were swaying in the wind. Actually we were vibrating. It felt like the vibration you feel when a train passes and it sounded like one too. I told Wade I would never stay through another Hurricane. After Katrina we cleaned up and went back to completing the work we had due to Hurricanes Dennis, and Ivan. I entered a purchase order in August 2007 that was originally written in August of 2004. It took that long to get back to where we were when the worst of the Hurricanes hit Destin and Pensacola.

I knew the building, design and real estate industries were in trouble in 2006. There were too many homes and condominiums being built on a speculative basis. Loans were being made for second homes that should have never been approved. And the worst was what we couldn't see and didn't know. Financial institutions and large corporations were padding their books to make things look better than they really were. Millions of people lost everything they had. Greed was the driving force for the majority of the world. This world was then and is now a sad, sad place to be.

I had several collegues who took their lives in 2009. One man I knew through my work jumped from the Mid Bay bridge. In January 2009 he drove his convertible to the top of the bridge parked it on the right of way, climbed onto the rail and jumped, taking his life. We later found out that he had recently learned that he had a fatal illness. A few days later there was a local man who went down to the beach on Okaloosa Island took all of his clothes off and walked out into the Gulf and disappeared never to be seen again. He found out that his father's business he recently inherited was going to fold due to the economy. Sad sad stories everywhere.

Everyone suffered except for the guys who were making the bogus loans and padding their financial records to make things look better than they really were. Those guys are making record profits and still writing themselves multi million dollar bonuses, and hounding all the people who didn't file bankruptcy to pay the loans back. When will they have to answer for their part in all of this suffering?

April 2010 rolled around and found the people along the Gulf Coast no longer suffering from the hurricane damage. The dust was finally beginning to settle from all of the crumbling businesses. The businesses related to the building industry and real estate suffered the greatest losses. The lives of countless numbers of families were changed forever. The Emerald Coast was looking forward to the first good productive year in almost 6 years. Then the BP oil platform off the coast of Louisiana blew up. When the platform collapsed and the oil was pouring into the Gulf we knew the year was lost and the future was more uncertain than ever. No one came to vacation. More businesses closed and people moved away. There was no other choice for many people. Untold numbers of people just walked away from their homes and businesses. This added more hardship to the finances of everyone in the area. Our neighbors to the West had the worst of the oil spill. In the Destin East Pass we could see the yellow and white lines of bobbing oil spill containment booms. It was a very sad sight. Is the oil gone? We don't really know. All we know is that it's on the bottom of the Gulf and the long term effects are uncertain. The water appears clear and is as beautiful as ever. We are eating the seafood. We are told the seafood is safe to eat and the water is safe to swim in.

Next weekend, Memorial Day, is the official beginning of our Summer 2011 season. Everyone is excited and ready for a good year. June 1st is the official beginning of hurricane season. My to do list this week has hurricane preparedness checklist on it. Water, lamp oil, candles, flashlights and important papers in a convienent location ready to pack and go if needed.

My prayers are for peace and prosperity for everyone here along the coast and through out the world. My heart is heavy for my home state of Alabama and our neighboring states suffering from tornadoes and floods. The University of Alambama is a part of me. Some of the best years of my life were spent there. I feel an obligation to do whatever I can to help. Encouraging you to give and to not forget about them is just one of the things I can do.

I also encourage you all to pray for our President, and the members of our Congress. They are all faced with decisions that will affect the lives of people all over the world. President Obama carries a heavy heavy burden on his shoulders. As Christians we are charged to pray for our enemies and those that wish to harm us. Please pray for God's will in their lives. Pray for peace in the world and in the hearts and souls of every man on earth. My Granny was a very devoted Christian. She told about me how things would be during the end of time. It's all coming true day by day. She assured me that God would never leave me alone and there was no need to fear death or the things that happen that I can not control. Now I sit here sad for the state of the world but comforted in knowing that in the end all will be well for those who believe and have faith in God. No one knows when that day will come. It may be tomorrow or it may be another 100 years. Just be ready and all will be well.

I recieved an email from my good friend Leah Richardson today and I want to share it with you. Click on the following and go to her blog http://www.leahrichardson.com/ and click on LR Blog and read today's entry. Leah always seems to have the right words to lead and encourage. Thank you Leah for your friendship and open devotion to all. Have a good day.

Fresh Salsa and pictures of Spring in Big Creek and Destin

It's been a while since my last post. April 23rd we attended the Holland Family Reunion in Dothan. We had a great time. I think everyone who came had a good time and ate until they were stuffed! I will post about that later. Today I am going to share a salsa recipe with you and post some pictures I have taken in the past few weeks.
Wade and I were so happy to have our good friends Tom and Annie come for a visit the 14th of April. They live in Ketchikhan, Alaska. We all went to the farm to visit brother Steve who is married to Tom's niece, my sweet sister-in-law Donya. Wow that's complicated.....Here's some pictures we made that day.


Colton holding baby chick




Colton and Uncle Tom




Tom with one of Steve's Roosters named "Red"





Colton gathering eggs




Rooster and hen





Rooster with hens




Brother Steve and his rooster




Cock a doodle do!!!

Every spring we have a flock of Ibis that come to visit for a few days. The ducks let them roam the fields without too much argument. :)

 We had a great time with Tom and Annie. We walked down to the docks and had a great time at the Boathouse drinking a Corona and eating some fried crab claws. Then we rode over to Fort Walton Beach and went to eat some fried chicken at Mary's Kitchen. Tom wanted some southern fried chicken and okra. It was delicious of course. Mary's Kitchen is located in Fort Walton Square on Eglin Parkway. If you are in town and want a good home cooked meal that's the place to go.



The first of May my niece Amber came for a visit with her boys and I took these precious pictures.....



Hudson Smith



Hudson looks like his Dad Justin but sometimes like in this picture I think he looks like my grandfather Hubert Holland.







Hudson and Holland in the bed with Uncle Wade watching Toy Story.....Wade said "Hey this is a good movie!"









 The last picture was taken last week. I cut the cilantro in my garden and made salsa.
This is the way I made it.

2  #2 cans diced tomatoes
4 large cloves of garlic minced
2 jalapeno pepper minced with seeds removed
1 purple onion chopped small
1/2 of 1 red pepper chopped fine
1 teaspoon cumin
3 bunches cilantro
Salt and Pepper to taste

I chopped all of the ingredients and then I placed the canned tomatoes in the blender and pureed them. I pureed one can at a time and then poured the puree into a large bowl and added the cilantro, onions, cumin and garlic, and jalapeno. Salt and Pepper to taste.  Then I covered the bowl tightly with lid and placed it in the refrigerator for several hours. This made alot of salsa.

I took a quart out and then in the remaining salsa I added frozen corn, that I cooked in beef broth and drained. I also drained black beans and added those. This was really good too. I made yellow rice and served it with the salsa, corn and beans it was delicious.

This little frog only has one eye now but he is still hanging in there with a big WELCOME for you. :)