I have only limited historical data on my family, but probably one of the best in my possession is the diary of my great-great grandmother on my father’s side. She was a simple country woman who wrote poetry and worked hard her entire life, which began with some difficulty:

I, May Catherine McSpadden, nee Sisco, was born July 12, 1861 26 days after my father, J.J. Sisco enlisted in the Confederate Army under Captain Brightinell to surrender his life to his country call only to fall on the fighting line April 6, 1862 in the bloody fray at Shilo, Tennessee. My father was married to Elizabeth Pierce of Tennesee in the year 1860. They made their home in the Ozarks of Arkasas, where I was born. My father earned a little home where he worked as a woodsman making such things as was used in those pioneer days: wagons, buggies, spinning wheel and looms.

My grandfather, Zadock Pierce, was Irish descent, a tall, heavy built man, very fair complection, with deep blue eyes, a harsh voice but kind. Grandmother was English descent, a brunette, very small and industrious, very strict. My mother had five brothers that went to war with my dad. Robert the oldest received his education at Nashville, Tenn., and made a very useful man and died wealthy in the old Cherokee Nation owning many sections of land. The second brother went to the California gold rush, was lost in the mine. The third one, Adam was killed by a cannon ball in the Shilo battle. The other two came home. out of seven relatives of the Pierce family only 3 came back.

I remember them in gray uniforms with guns as they came in while we were at supper. My mother fainted. My uncle Tom Pierce picked her up and layed her in the bed. It was the absence of my father and her brother that overcame her. My mother and I made our home at the Grandfathers where I grew up with Anna his youngest daughter and two other little orphans that had lost their fathers with mine.

After the slaves was freed and the old confederate money was killed, grandfather had large rolls of confederate money and kept it until he died in
1881.

I may try to make some use of my personal historical archives on this site. Some of it is quite interesting. And while my Great Great Grandmother’s poetry is not exactly literature quality, it’s sort of charming and cute.