Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Obsession


I have a million questions. They are becoming an obsession.
Who is this man? Is he the missing brother who left to go to the California Gold rush and was never heard of again? Or was that just family folklore.

If he is the missing one, why does it say "A Native of Georgia" he was born in Graves County, Kentucky - wasn't he?

Did he move to Georgia because of a family fight before he moved to California and decided to say he was from Georgia?

Did he marry? Did he have children? In the 1860 census he is shown as living with a family of Chinese folk, who were they?

So many questions, so few answers.

4 comments:

  1. I love this!!! The picture is beautiful. Your Grandmothers dress is quite fancy. Gamblins in overalls, isnt that EVERY Picture!? So where is this tombstone that you have a picture of? You found a blog with a Gamblin from Earlington Ky? My "peeps" are from there. Are you trying to shame me into starting a new blog on family?! Its working.

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  2. LOL! No, just come play on my blog!!

    The gravestone is from Fair Play Cemetery, El Dorado, California. I asked the man who took it if I could use it and he said "Go ahead, I'll see if I can find any others for you"!

    I too love he picture of my Grandparents, as far as I know it is the only one of the whole family together. Sadly missing is Ila who died at age thirteen on their way up to Canada. She was jumping on a bed with her little brothers and hit her head - died of a blood clot on the brain. And Emerson who died as a baby in Dent Co. before they left.

    I have "google alert", so anytime the name Gamblin comes up I get an email - found another boy that lives in Washington state - I'll add his blog as soon as I find it again.

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  3. Did you google that "polar star lodge" thats on his tombstone? They must not have known much about him. No birthday, just his age. No other family tombstones around it either. Sad.

    Did I ever tell you I came across a "Gamblin cabin" in (I believe) Secoia (sp?) National Park?

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  4. I did google the lodge, but found nothing. By the looks of the carvings on the tombstone he was a Mason as were many of the Gamblins. I don't know how one would get info from them, but I'll do a little searching.

    You didn't tell me about the cabin!!! What, where, who???? Where is Socoia National Park?

    We lost another cousin Tuesday. Burton Gamblin died in Salem, Mo. (1933 - 2009) he was moving back from Florida and was found dead by his wife. He was my Dads cousin and did come up here to visit many years ago. I corresponded with him now and then via email and he did fill in a few gaps. He will be missed.

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