At our family reunion, we stood where our ancestors once fought, fled, and fell at Fort Seybert. I shared Rebecca’s story, traced our Mallow line, and felt the weight of history settle in. These are more than names—they’re echoes we carry.
West Virginia
Family Reunion
This weekend marks the 70th reunion of Albert Campbell Smith and Mary Susan Mallow’s descendants in West Virginia. I take a nostalgic trip through familiar places, reflecting on family history and memories. I also wonder about my grandmother’s estrangement from her relatives.
Genealogy Profile: Rebecca Florence Smith
Rebecca Florence Smith is my maternal grandmother, known in my family as “Nan.” She was the second of thirteen children born to Albert Campbell Smith and Mary Susan Mallow, in Randolph County, West Virginia. I didn’t know her well. She died when I was fifteen, and by the time I was old enough to really Read More