Lorena Massey, my grandmother, was every inch a lady. Even though she was small in stature she always stood tall and straight. She was always meticulously dressed, her white hair dictating the palette choice. She was the only one of my grandparents that received a high school diploma. ( the picture is from that day) She had ten children, one died in infancy, the others are scattered across the United States with their families.

When my grandfather was no longer able to run the family business, she took over the reigns and so instilled in many of her granddaughters the inspiration to take on a powerful I can do anything ethic that we pass on to our daughters. She had a love of God and tried to pass it on. I had the privilege of knowing her as an adult, a friend, a confident and not just a grandmother.  

I spent many vacations with her taking her with me to Virginia and Washington D.C. There we began the family search. I wasn't very prepared for her quest as she sprung it on me after we got there. I bought a book at the National Archives and read most of it in one night to learn how to use the archives while we were there. I found some of the people we were looking for, but not all of them. Today, I have found all of them, plus a great many more.