Welcome to My Blog!

You may have arrived here by accident or you may have gotten here through a search engine. Regardless, I'm happy you're here. If you are curious about the title, it is based on a quote from George Bernard Shaw's Immaturity: "If you can't get rid of the skeleton in your closet, you'd best teach it to dance."

Let me introduce myself. I'm Teresa Brewer Devine, an amateur genealogist and my family's historian. I've been researching my father's Brewer line and my mother's Eady line for several years. I've had some success. I've been accepted as a member into the United Daughters of the Confederacy based on the service of my paternal 2nd great-grandfather, John Augustus Travis Uptain. I've submitted an application to the Daughters of the American Revolution on the service of George Uptain, John AT's grandfather. I'm waiting (not very patiently!) to find out if I will be accepted.

Both sides of my family have been in Alabama for quite a few generations. My mother's Speegle and Lentz ancestors arrived before statehood in 1819. My father's ancestors arrived later, about 1840. Mostly, they settled in Cullman, Limestone and Walker counties. They came to Alabama by traveling from Pennsylvania and New Jersey, through the Carolinas, westward through Tennessee or southerly into Georgia before settling down in Alabama. I was born and grew up in Cullman County.

Many made their way to America from England, Scotland, Ireland and Germany, and I'm trying to track down an alleged "French Connection." The men supported their families by farming the land they received through land grants and outright purchases and, when called upon, the women did, too.

My family has served our country in most of its wars, from the Revolution up to and including Iraq and Afghanistan. Brother fought brother in the War Between the States.

This blog gives me an outlet to talk about my family,  the places that mattered to them, their experiences and lives. If any of the names or places I write about are familiar to you or you are curious about them, let me know.  I hope this also serves as "cousin bait."