The Arrowood Trail Thru the Mountains: 3/4/12

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.

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"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."

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Saturday, March 10, 2012

Sentimental Saturday ~ Temperance London Winters

William Winters had a son named Zachariah.

Zachariah married Temperance London Winters, Born abt.1809.

Zachariah made his home in Burke County, NC.

Temperance is buried in Quaker Meadows at Oak Hill.

I assume that Zachariah is buried there as well, although no marker remains.

No cemetery records exist for that far back in time, sadly.

His death preceded the death of Temperance in 1869.

There are areas between old markers where one must assume unmarked graves lie.

The descendants of this brother to my ancestor, John James Winters, are buried in Quaker Meadows.

Rest in Peace, Temperance ~

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Friday, March 9, 2012

In Search of Quaker Meadows~ Canoe Creek Homeplace

Our ancestor, William Winters, lived in an area of what is now Burke County, North Carolina. He settled in a community called Quaker Meadows along Canoe Creek. Very near this area was a huge oak tree.

In September of 1780, prior to the battle of Kings Mountain, the “Over Mountain” Men met at this area called Quaker Meadows. They made camp here and had council under a massive oak tree, called “Council Oak”. Re-enactments of these events are held annually.

This patriotic band of citizen militia forged together to fight and defeat the British at the Battle of Kings Mountain. Fifth Great Grandfather William Winters, was about 11 years old when this battle took place. Imagine the sights he witnessed and the wonder he must have felt as a small boy, in such exciting times.

The area still today, boasts of the name, Oak Hill. Even the Methodist Church where his descendants are buried carries the same name today.