The Barn at Pleasant Places Pathway: A Family History
Click to hear Simple Gifts  A Pleasant Places Project from biographiks
Skip to page content Search   Highlights    Quotes    Index    Conclusion and References   Autographs   Music   Paperback
Preface     1: Rulers of Ireland   2: Publicans to Preachers    3: Gone to Texas    4: West Virginia Home    5: The Swedish Connection    6: Next Stop: Katy, Texas    7: Ruth and Rex    8: Sinners in Salem   9: Yankees Go South    10: Wandering Irish   11: Among the Cajuns   12: Pennsylvania Scotch   13: End of Plantations   14: From Dukes to Doctors    15: Lutherans on the Farm   16: Elva Meets Alpheus

Index of Direct Ancestors   Postscript and Sources    Links to Databases

Conclusion

Beside unpublished records, email and interviews, the sources include the 1911 History of Ritchie County by Minnie Kendall Lowther, the 1891 Origin and History of the Magennis Family by John Meginness, Seven Pines: Its Occupants and Letters by Camilla Davis Trammell, Vermilion Parish History by the Vermilion Parish Historical Society, Our McGinnis Family by Irma McGinnis Dotson, Rebecca Nurse: Saint but Witch Victim, Scissortails Still Return to Schoenau, Burke's Peerage, and other books. Important sources not acknowledged elsewhere include Margaret Strebel Hartman of Alexandria, KY, researcher on the O'Bryans and Perrys; Walt Davis, provider of Stalcop information, Judy McGrew, provider of McGrew information, Phyllis Arnett Vines and Jack Meredith, provider of Meredith information and Mack Kidd, provider of Kidd information. I am grateful to dozens of other cousins who helped provide information for this book, too many to list here.

Perhaps millions share at least one ancestor in this book; a dozen people share every one. Based on the ethnic background of his ancestors, the compiler is approximately 1/4 English, 1/4 German, 1/8 Bohemian, 1/8 Irish, 1/8 miscellaneous British, 1/16 Scottish, 1/32 Welsh, 1/32 Dutch, 1/64 Swedish, 1/512 Finnish and 1/1024 French, plus miniscule fractions of medieval Hungarian, Spanish, Norse, Ukrainian, Vandal, Swabian, Luxembourgeois, and Italian.

Do we descendants look like any of these ancestors? With a little imagination, one could say that Michael McGinnis has Oliver Henry O'Bryan's eyes, Christopher O'Bryan's height, Addie Sylvania Lawson's teeth, David Allen McGinnis's jaw, Christoph Heinrich Ashorn's upper lip and Alexander Stephens Garrett's lower lip.

MIDI theme music

Musical Themes

If you click on the musical symbol at the top of each page, you can hear theme music for that chapter. Other musical links are indicated with the notes-on-staff symbol shown above. To play MIDI files unobtrusively, I prefer LiveUpdate's Crescendo.

I am grateful for the privilege of using MIDI music from some of the following sources. In many cases, where allowed, I've have changed the instrumentation or tempo of the music to better fit the period or mood of the chapter it accompanies. I have credited the MIDI sequencer when known.

  • The Genevan Psalter - David T. Koyzis
  • Rick's Music Pages
  • Folk Songs
  • Contemplator.com - Lesley Nelson
  • Heavenly MIDIs: Spirituals
  • Cajun Music & MIDI Files
  • Ancient Music of Ireland
  • The Internet Renaissance Band - Curtis Clark
  • Taylor's Traditional Tunebook - Barry Taylor
  • The Music of the American Civil War - Benjamin Tubb
  • The Christian Classic Ethereal Hymnary

    Index of Direct Ancestors   Postscript and Sources    Links to Databases

      Preface  Chapter   1   2   3  4   5   6   7   8   9   10   11   12   13   14   15   16   Conclusion

    Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 4 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 14 ;Chapter 15  Chapter 16

    Narratives are taken from Pathway: A Family History, and may be freely distributed for non-commercial purposes.
    © 1996-2004, Michael McGinnisMichael McGinnis, Bryan, TX