This is a continuation of my August Vacation. The first part is in the prior post.

Thursday the 26th, I went to the Edward Livingston History Society meeting for the first time in years. This time, I paid dues for the year for both myself and for Jason. They meeting was a little interesting as the speaker was researching the Jones family [no relation to me]. I met a man there, Jeff Boyd, who is a newly found cousin of mine. He told me that he believed that Stephen Stafford was the father of Wright and Ethelred Stafford. I had always believed that they were brothers. He also mentioned that Stephen may have married a Betsy Peters in Craven Co., N.C in 1794. Later that night, I looked for Peters in that County and found an Elizabeth Peters in the 1790 Census living with one son and five daughters. Also, I found the probate of Ethelred Peters in 1788 that mentions wife Elizabeth and his sons, but not his daughters. Perhaps they were too young? The name, however, clenched it for me.

On August 27th, I went to the Baton Rouge Clerk of Court offices for the first time. I found a couple of interesting things. I found a land sale by Michael Milton (the younger) in 1834, a law suit against Andrew Milton in 1827, and a lawsuit by John Kinchen in 1821. I also saw a couple of land deals by John and Mary Davis Raby Kinchen but I was not able to secure them. After I left the office, I went to eat at Sullivan’s, the great place extolled earlier by John and Marianne. It was as they said, perhaps the best steak to ever pass between my lips. Definitely, it was the best steak in Baton Rouge and well worth the high price they charge.

On the 28th, I had to go out to Slidell to give Jason his camera back. Megan needed it for a wedding. Not really funny, but we both waited for like 40 minutes because we were on different sides of the McDonald’s. Afterwards, I went out to the St. Tammany courthouse to find some material on the Stafford, Bourne, Pendarvis and Hartman families. I found out that Joseph Hartman was definitely related to John Hartman, as I thought. There is a land deal that I was not able to acquire because I was late getting there. Also, I talked for a long time with Ms. Marguerite Scully. She was doing research on the line of Ethelred Stafford for someone in Missouri. I shared some information that I got from Jeff Boyd and some I found myself. She talked about Ethelred being a ship captain on the Pearl River, which flies with Wright working on ships. She also talked about the connections between the Stafford and Peters families in Washington Parish. I saw some of that in the courthouse, where Stephen and Nathaniel Peters were engaged in lawsuits with and against each other. She had not been able to connect them, so my information may aid in that. There was still no proof that Ethelred and Wright were brothers or that Stephen was the father of both. It was a fortuitous meeting, though.

I have to say that the ladies at the St. Tammany Courthouse were some of the most kind and helpful that I have found. I think the ladies in Baldwin Co. Alabama and Mobile are up there as well. I have been to a couple of others in Louisiana and Mississippi, and they could learn from those ladies.

Saturday, I went out to New Orleans to be a tourist for the first time. I went to the Mint, Madame John’s House, the Cabildo, the Presbytere, St. Louis Cathedral and Jackson Square. I also bought a hat like Jacob’s because I liked it so much. For lunch, I ate at the Courtyard of the Two Sisters on Royal Street. They have a lunch buffet that is a little pricey but was delicious. I probably will not go again for a long time as I have never liked New Orleans. I cannot exactly explain why but for some reason the city has always rubbed me the wrong way.

On Sunday, the 30th, I went back to Jason’s in preparation for my trip home. We went to Mobile on Monday to see about finding a copy of Michael Milton’s (the older) Spanish land grant from 1798. He supposedly had an earlier one but neither he nor the Alcade of Mobile could find it, so they reissued one. The lady who rules the archives was not in, so we had to settle on email to her for her help.

I flew back to Beijing on the 2nd of September, on another 31 hour trip.

My August turned out much different than originally planned. I intended to take an intensive CELTA (Certificate in English Language Teaching to Speakers of Other Languages) class because I am thinking of leaving China next year and wanted some extra qualifications to increase my hireability. On July 22nd, I had an hour or so interview to get into the class. The interviewer said that I passed and that I would shortly find out if I was accepted to the class. The next morning I received an email from the school stating that I was accepted. Four hours later, I was notified that the class was full. I was understandably frustrated with these events, so in a fit of pique I decided to buy a ticket home for the month of August. The price was a little high at $1900, but it was on short notice.

I left Beijing on a flight to Washington, then to Houston and finally Gulfport. It was a long flight. It was the normal 12-13 hours to the US. Embarrassingly I did not look at my ticket and thought I was going to SEA-TAC, Washington state, not Washington, D.C. It is okay though because I became a little acquainted with the place during my 11 hour lay-over. Sleeping on airport benches, in a word, suck.

I stayed with Jason for a couple of days. We had several good conversations as usual. We spent quite a bit of time trying to get Ethan’s jeep fixed. I was also able to speak to Morgan about her doing temple work. After this, I went back home. It is strange but when I come home it always feels a little like I never left. One big difference was Tyler. That boy grew a lot taller in the last 6 months. He may even top me one day. I spent a couple of days sleeping, still recovering from the jet lag. It was brutal this time around. Marianne was kind enough to volunteer Tyler’s bed to me.

I was there about five or six days. I spent some time with John and Marianne watching Criminal Minds on Netflix. They really enjoy that show as much as I do. I think Dad started watching it first. They mentioned a steak joint that they said was fabulous. I also spent some time with Dad and Darlene. They are crazy about this dice game called Farkle. It is a stupid name for a game, but it was fun hanging out with them.

I went to Doug’s house down in Grey for a couple of days. He was still recovering from his surgery. He had a horrible time with infection and spent about a month and a half to two months fighting it. He looked really good though. We hung out and watched TV together. I wish that there had had been some football on then. Although I like the Saints, he is a much bigger fan. I prefer college and love only my beloved Tigers.

After I left his house, I went to Baldwin Co., Alabama once again to get some land papers there. I also received a lawsuit and an orphan’s court record from the Archivist. They were extremely helpful. When I was done there, I headed back to Jason’s in Gulfport.

From Thursday the 20th to Monday the 24th, we headed out on a road trip to North and South Carolina. Jason and I toured the Biltmore. Jason had never been and he enjoyed it a lot, even though he complained about the $60 entrance fee. It was really high. But the highlight of the trip was that I was able to see two ladies, Ms. Blue and Rhonda. Ms. Blue kept me as a baby while mom worked and our annual trips to Maine were never complete without stopping and seeing her. She looked great and oh did I miss her and Rhonda.

On Saturday, we made our way to Myrtle Beach to see my favorite cousin, Jacob. He is a graphic design professor there. We made a day trip out to Charleston to see the sites on Sunday. That is a beautiful town, a lot like New Orleans without the grime and crime (as Jacob says). We went to the Battery and saw the old buildings and then headed out to Ft. Sumter. It was a great trip. I had not seen him in two years since I helped him move from Oklahoma to South Carolina. All in all, it was a great road trip and something that I needed desperately. I enjoyed seeing people and hanging out with my brother.