This work concentrates upon families with a strong connection to Virginia and Kentucky; most of which are traced forward from the eighteenth; if not the seventeenth; century. The compiler makes ample use of published sources some extent original records; and the recollections of the oldest living members of a number of the families covered. Finally. The essays reflect a balanced mixture of genealogy and biography; which makes for interesting reading and a substantial number of linkages between as many as six generations of family members.
#960281 in Books Armitage Shelley 2016-02-15Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.50 x .85 x 5.50l; .0 #File Name: 0806151625216 pagesWalking the Llano A Texas Memoir of Place
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. A Walk to RememberBy Customer“When you see yourself as part of a story; then you’re really living;†Shelley Armitage writes. The lucky reader of her Walking the Llano: A Memoir of Place experiences really living the discoveries of springs; creeks; canyons; ridges; bison trails; eagle nests; deer; petroglyphs; colorful rural folk; and more. Armitage invites the reader to come along on her memory excursions and her present-day walks; to discover the land in a way only the most observant and most mindful walker on the earth might.The land Armitage grew up on is part of the Llano Estacado; so named by the Spanish who explored the grassy High Plains region of North America centuries ago. In literally walking the land between Vega; Texas and the Canadian River some 30 miles to the north; a walk that took place in numerous excursions over a period of time; she seamlessly weaves together an intricate pattern of histories—geological; archaeological; ancient and modern human history; wildlife; and plant life of the region; along with anecdotes of the writer’s own personal experiences growing up there.Along the way readers meet the many peoples who participated in the clash of cultures on the Llano; including ancient humans; Spanish and Mexican explorers and residents; farmers with their water diversion techniques; ranchers with their fences; and oil producers—all of whom bring changes to the land. Many of those changes appear to be irreversible.All in all; this is a breathtakingly comprehensive tour of a place; its waters; the many peoples who have populated it; and of the animals and plants that have and do live within. Armitage speaks of her deep relationship with all these elements as part of a “sacred mystery†and of the experience of interrelationship with all.There are some nice surprises in the later portions of the book. And; as with many memoirs; the reader comes to know; respect; and like this writer; and her family and neighbors as her stories unfold.Like so many experiences; this book gets better as you move into it; through it; and with it right along with its walker/author. Reading it is an experience not to be missed.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. A friend recommended Shelly Armitage’s Walking the LlanoBy Karen StevensonA friend recommended Shelley Armitage’s Walking the Llano. When it arrived; I hurried through it. Armitage writes beautifully; eloquently; and with each page; I wanted more; so I read it again; more slowly. Armitage sometimes so fully dissolves into the land’s larger stories that the book becomes more than her memoir of place; it becomes a sort of field guide to living within a landscape. Her particular landscape is ythe Llano Estacado; or Staked Plain; where a straight-edged prairie horizon connects sky to earth and a river carved canyons and arroyos. Driving I-40; Armitage's place is outside of Vega; just west of Amarillo. My family always hurried through on our way to somewhere else; but in our hurry; we missed so much. It's a place of tribal wars and winter camps; arrowheads and grinding pits; storms and drought; oil and wind turbines; mesquites and snakes; and her family--her mother; her brother; her father--and friends. Armitage deftly weaves human and natural histories with her own experience of the place; and gives the flat land’s breaks and draws new shape; depth; and life. Read it for her extraordinary prose and hope that her deep love of the land and its stories spills over onto you too. Five stars. Easy.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. A Walk with a Perceptive WriterBy SusanA beautifully written and thoughtful description of the plains area of Texas; in the Panhandle; where the author's family owned a farm and lived. We experience Armitage's relationship with the land; the changes brought by developments such as the wind turbines that now dot the landscape; and feel regret at the "modernization". When Armitage describes her walks in the llano; we can feel as though we are walking along by her side. It's an interesting book about an area of Texas little known and worth becoming better acquainted with.
