WELCOME


~ The pieces are all sewn together, stitched with love.........and a quilt tells a story and the story is our past ~

The Arrowood family immigrated from England to Maryland in the 1700's. They went south, eventually settling in the mountains of North Carolina. Later , some went further south, into the Piedmont of North Carolina, in search of work and a better way of life.



I am in search of my family.

I search for those that came before me, and lived their lives as best they could. I am in search of their stories, how they lived, and how they loved.


I shared this love of seeking the past with my Dad, sharing each new finding with him, the thrill in his heart intermingling with mine. I continue this search in his honor, and hope to know these people of ours when I join up with them all in heaven.

~ Steve Lewis Arrowood 1932-2008 ~


Come with me, back to a simpler time and place. A place far removed from the hectic pace of today. To a time when life was hard, but the rewards were great. When your quality of life was determined by your own sweat, your own toil, and your own ingenuity.


Would you like a glass of sweet tea? Let's sit out on the porch where we will catch the sweetly scented breeze of summertime. Maybe Grandma will fry up some of her wonderful chicken... Time slows here.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"We shape our lives not by what we carry with us, but what we leave behind."

~You live as long as you are remembered.~


"Our most treasured family heirlooms are our sweet family memories. " Author: Unknown


"But those who came before us will teach you. They will teach you from the wisdom of former generations."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Sunday, September 5, 2010

Roan Valley ~ Final Resting Place

The Roan mountain is a place of magic on earth, for me . There are thorn-free roses growing, up high on the mountain. There are lots of botanical wonders that are normally seen in much more northern , and very high altitude, climes.


Rare and beautiful flowers and plants, growing wild and free on the Roan.


A hiker’s dream. A mountain lover’s paradise.


Just plain "heaven on earth" for this gal.




I had heard about a cemetery that is situated up high on a knoll, nestled between the rolling ridges that are called the Roan. Up in the Roan Valley, this is a place of pure beauty. I was captivated at my first glimpse. I am forever hooked.




When the world starts to close in on me and I need a quick moment of escape, I know just where to go.



I will let my mind wander, back to a place where the air is sweetened by wildflowers and the birds with wide wings soar effortlessly, silent and free, overhead.

This special place, where the only sounds are the crickets in the tall grass and the wind through high branches, is where my heart resides.


I will let my mind wander 'back to the Roan'.


The souls buried there are in a most beautiful place.







We drove up from the town of Bakersville and followed the directions onto a side road that looked more like a gravel drive than an actual road. We wound our way, around the houses and horse pastures. and onto a grassy lane, between the fences.





It sits high up on the knoll, surrounded by a split rail fence. The view just went on, and on. The beauty of the place will cause you to pause and slowly take it all in.
I think I know why the Arrowood’s homesteaded in this area.


The Roan area is just something else.


In this cemetery are souls long passed, Civil War soldiers, and more recently departed as well.

I could find no surnames that tie in directly to our line, but there just about has to be connections somehow, someway, to our family. I think I will adopt them all anyway. Grin.
There are benches on the top of the knoll, under a massive ancient shade tree, just inviting you to sit a spell and enjoy the view. We did just that.


Posted by

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)