Saturday Night Genealogy Fun - "Who Was Your First Ancestor Born in...?"

 From Randy (a cousin discovery!!) over at Genea-Musings:

it's Saturday Night - 

time for more Genealogy Fun!!!

Your mission, should you decide to accept it, is to:

(1)  Lorine McGinnis Schulze asked in her blog post "Who Was Your First Canadian or American Born Ancestor?"

(2)  Let's broaden it a bit to "Who was your first ancestor born in Canada, America, or your chosen country, state, province, or county?" based on your known ancestry.

(3)  Tell us all about it in your own blog post, in a comment to this post, or in a post on Facebook.  

Here's mine:

None of my ancestors were from Canada.  Most were from various countries in Europe, but I haven't "jumped the pond" yet in my research.  So I'll be concentrating on various states in the United States.

- My first ancestor born in American and the state of Connecticut was my 9th great-grandmother, Mary Hubbard, born 16 Jan 1642 in Hartford, Connecticut.  She was the daughter of George Hubbard Sr and Elizabeth Watts Hubbard.

- The first of my ancestors born in Massachusetts was Stephen Snow, born before 1648, though I'm not sure exactly where in Massachusetts.  He was my 8th great-grandfather.  His parents were Nicholas Snow and Constance Hopkins Snow.  Constance came over as a teenager on the Mayflower in 1620 and Nicholas came over three years later on the Anne.

- The first of my ancestors born in New York was Jacob Isaac Osman, born 1732 in Suffolk County, New York.  He was my 5th great-grandfather.  He was the son of Isaac Osman and Mary Bayley Osman.

- Pennsylvania:  Peter Conrad Hesser was born 1760 in Germantown, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania.  He was my 5th great-grandfather.  His parents were Johann Conrad Hesser and Anna Heizer Hesser.

- After a migration to the Western Reserve, my 4th great-grandfather, Luther Boardman Ranney, was the first of my ancestors born in Ohio.  He was born in Hudson, Summit County, Ohio on 28 Nov 1809.  He was the son of Comfort Ranney and Elizabeth Hubbard Ranney.

- Soon the Ranney family migrated again... to Michigan.  The first of my ancestors born there was also named Luther Boardman Ranney (grandson of the one mentioned above).  He was born 11 Mar 1870 in Chapin, Saginaw County, Michigan.  He was my great-grandfather.  He was the son of Comfort Ranney and Mary Margaret Hesser Ranney.

Now let's head south...

- Virginia was the landing place of most of my southern ancestors.  The first of my ancestors born there was Thomas Jordan II, born 07 July 1634 in Isle of Wight County.  Thomas was my 8th great-grandfather.  His parents are unknown.

- The first of my ancestors born in North Carolina was my 5th great-grandfather, Dempsey Goff.  He was born in 1758 somewhere in the state.  His parents are unknown.  

    

    (However, this information is unsourced so to be on the safe side, let me say that it is possible that my first ancestor born in North Carolina was actually Francis Bryant Drake.  He was born 16 Oct 1806 in Nash County.  He was my 3rd great-grandfather and the son of Richard Drake and Pherabah Bryant Drake.)

- My 3rd great-grandmother, Sarah Tapley, born in 1775, was the first of my ancestors born in South Carolina.  She was born on a stopover during the family's migration from North Carolina to Georgia.  She was the daughter of Newhampton Tapley.  Her mother's identity is unknown.

- Last but not least is my home state of Georgia.  Samuel Goff was born 1790 in Emanuel County, Georgia.  He was my 4th great-grandfather.  He was the son of Dempsey Goff and Catherine Herring Goff.  

    

    (Again, the Goff information is not well sourced, so it is possible that the first ancestor of mine born in Georgia was one of Sarah Tapley's twins.  George Washington Tapley (my 2nd great-grandfather) and James Marion Tapley were born 02 May 1814 in Emanuel County, Georgia.  Their father was Canneth Swain.)

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: 2021 (Week 10): Name's the Same

 Amy Johnson Crow from Generations Cafe is again hosting the blog writing prompt this year called 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: 2021.  I'm going to try to participate more fully this year.  I like that she gives us "permission" to interpret the prompt however we wish and share it however we wish.  It doesn't have to be a blog post; it could be a family video, a letter to a child or grandchild, an e-mail, etc.  

The Theme for Week 10 (Mar 8-14) is Name's the Same.  Yes, I'm a week late with this challenge.

For this topic, I began to wonder how many people in  my family tree of 17,840 people were named Elizabeth, like me.  Elizabeth has consistently been a favorite name for newborn baby girls for at least 100 years.  It makes a good first name and an excellent middle name.  Then there is the long list of nicknames you can make out of Elizabeth:  Liz, Lizzie, Beth, Eliza, Betty, Liza, etc.  So many possibilities.  

So I went to my Family Tree Maker (FTM) 2019 software and pulled up an Individual Report under Publish.  For individuals to include, I chose any that in the Name field had Elizabeth.  I ended up with an 8 page report of 384 women in my family tree with Elizabeth as either a first or middle name.  That is 2.2% of my database!

They range from Elizabeth Julia Adams (1915-1993) who was my 4th cousin through my Swain line to Kaitlyn Elizabeth York (dates unknown) who is my 8th cousin, 2x removed through my Drake Line.

There are 10 women named Elizabeth Bush in my tree:

    Charity Elizabeth (abt 1771-1829)            6th Great Aunt

    Elizabeth (dates unknown)                        3rd Cousin, 4x removed

    Elizabeth (dates unknown)                        7th Great Aunt

    Elizabeth (dates unknown)                       1st Cousin, 6x removed       

    Elizabeth (dates unknown)                       1st Cousin, 7x removed

    Elizabeth (1631/32 - unknown)                10th Great Aunt

    Elizabeth (1796-1851)                              1st Cousin, 5x removed

    Elizabeth (1804-unknown)                       4th Great Aunt

    Elizabeth (1824-1879)                              4th Great Aunt  

    Elizabeth C. (1833-unknown)                  2nd Cousin, 5x removed

    Sarah Elizabeth (1880-1952)                   2nd Cousin, 3x removed

There are some with three middle names:  

    Louisa Elizabeth Jane Carr (1841-1928)                My 2nd Great Uncle's Mother-in-Law

    Rita Jayne Elizabeth Chabot (dates unknown)       Wife of my 3rd Cousin, 1x removed

    Georgia Ann Elizabeth DeVaughn (1850-1892)     5th Cousin, 4 removed

    Ollie Elizabeth Pearl Doss (1908-2005)                 Wife of my 6th Cousin, 1x removed

    Nancy Elizabeth Winfred Drake (1871-1947)        2nd Great Aunt

    Nancy Ann Elizabeth Hatcher (1845-1926)           Wife of cousin of my 2nd great-grandfather's wife 

    Sarah Ann Elizabeth McAfee (1865-1929)            Wife of 1st Cousin, 3x removed

    Elizabeth Ann Jane Pullen (1838-1866)                 2nd Cousin, 3x removed

    Mary Ann Elizabeth Pullen (1840-unknown)        2nd Cousin, 3x removed

    Mary Ann Elizabeth Webb (1856-aft 1920)          Wife of 2nd Cousin, 3x removed 

I also have 12 Elizabeths that their maiden names are unknown.  One of these is my 3rd great-grandmother (1824-aft 1880) who was married to George Washington Tapley.

I actually have 19 Elizabeth Tapleys in my family tree.  That seemed like a little much to list here.

Finally, there is my version, Mary Elizabeth.  There are 28 of us in the family tree!  A very popular combination!

So I hope you can see just how versatile the name Elizabeth can be.  

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun - Your High School Years

 From Randy (a cousin discovery!!) over at Genea-Musings:

it's Saturday Night - 

time for more Genealogy Fun!!!

Your mission, should you decide to accept it, is to:

(1)  This week we travel down Memory Lane again.  Tell us about your high school years with answers to ten questions.

(2)  Tell us all about it in your own blog post, in a comment to this post, or in a post on Facebook.  

Here's mine:

(1)  What was your high school's full name, where was it, and what year did  you graduate?

        

        Swainsboro High School, Swainsboro, Georgia (it was on W Church Street then; it has since moved across town to South Main Street), 1985

(2)  What were the school team nickname, and what are/were your school's colors?

        We were the Swainsboro Tigers.  Our colors were Black and Gold.  

(3)  What was the name of your school song, and can you still sing it?

        I don't recall that we had a school song.  We had a class song when we graduated, as I wrote about just last week here.

(4)  Did you have a car?  How did you get to and from school?

        I rode the school bus until my junior year.  Daddy bought me a car when I was 16, and I drove it, unless I got into trouble for something, and then it was back to the school bus!

(5)  Did you date someone from your high school? Or marry someone from your high school?  Were you considered a flirt?

        My father did not let me date until I was 18, so I only went on only two dates in high school.  Not being allowed to date pretty much put off any boys from asking me out.  In addition, I wore glasses and didn't wear designer clothes, so that put them off also.  I moved away right after high school, thus did not marry anyone I knew there.  I was not considered a flirt at school, but I was at my after school job. 

(6)   What social group were you in?

        I was definitely not in the popular group, but my friends and I made our own group.  It was made up of girls who didn't fit in with the popular group for whatever reason:  looks, clothes, parents' careers, etc.  Our school was definitely cliquish.  I was a smart kid - I was in the so-not-politically correct class called "Gifted."  Most everyone in that class was from the popular group.  They didn't mind working with me on school projects, but drew the line at friendship.  

(7)  Who were your favorite teachers?

        Mrs. Barbara Stokes was our gifted teacher.  She always pushed me out of my comfort zone and got me to do more; that has been good for me in my lifetime.  Mrs. Bennett and Mrs. Jersey were my FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America) advisors.  I definitely loved them.  

(8)  What did you do on Friday nights?

        Sat at home and watched TV with my parents like every other night.  

(9)  Did you go to and have fun at the Senior Prom?

        Like I said, I went on exactly two dates in high school:  my Junior and Senior Proms.  I remember I wore a borrowed dress to my junior prom, and went with a guy I liked named David.  I don't remember anything else.  For my senior prom, my dress was blue with white lace over it, and I think I bought it.  I went with a guy I worked with at the building supply.  He did it as a favor to me.  I do remember that I drank a tiny bit that night and ended up having a great time.  I'm sure my curfew was so early that we didn't have time to get into any trouble.

(10) Have you been to reunions, and are you planning on going to the next reunion?

        I went to one reunion - I think it was the 10th - and it was continuing drama like the years had not even passed.  Most of our class seems to have moved away, or at least the ones who would actually plan a reunion, so I am not sure we've even had another one.  I guess our next one would be the 50th in 2035.  If the stars aligned, I might go to that one.  Most of the people that held me at arm's length in high school have become Facebook friends, so I'd be interested in seeing the dynamic of being in person with them.  I was one of the ones who moved away, plus I came out, so even my closest friends from high school and I are no longer in touch.  

I really do not remember loving high school.  It was tense at school and it was tense at home.  I was just counting the days until I could move out and away.  

Go ahead!  If I can walk down this Lane and put my true confessions out there, so can you!

Enjoy the memories!  Or not... but please do share!

Time Capsule Tuesday, 1899

 

My father's oldest sister, Annie Jane Tapley Lampp, was born March 15, 1899.  Let's see what was happening in America at that time.

March 15, 1899 was a Wednesday.  

In the United States, the most popular baby name for girls is Anna.  This name was given to 5,115 baby girls.  For the boys, it is John. This name was recorded 6,990 times in the year 1899. 

The generation born between 1890 and 1905 is called The Lost Generation.  A large portion of the Lost Generation fought in World War I, and thus was named after those lost in the great war.  Actually, The Lost Generation lived through both world wars, the Great Depression, Korea, and the Vietnam War.  

The President of the United States was William McKinley.  The Vice President was Garrett A. Hobart. 

In the U.S., the 1890s were marked by a severe economic depression sparked by the Panic of 1893, as well as several strikes in the industrial workforce. The decade saw much of the development of the automobile. While most of the country was still rural, cities were growing at a fast pace.  

The period was sometimes referred to as the "Mauve Decade" - because William Henry Perkin's aniline dye allowed the widespread use of that color in fashion - and also as the "Gay Nineties," referring to the fact that it was full of merriment and optimism.  (However, the phase, "The Gay Nineties" was not coined until the 1920s.)  This decade was also part of the Gilded Age, a phrase coined by Mark Twain, alluding to the seemingly profitable era that was riddled with crime and poverty.   

1899 Prices

Bread:  $0.03/loaf

Milk: $0.28/gal

House: $4,200

Average Income: $635/year

(So there were [almost] no cars [on the road] nor a minimum wage in 1899!)

Top Songs for 1899:

She'll Be Comin' Round the Mountain 

The Girl I Loved in Sunny Tennessee

Always

People Born on March 15:

1767 - Andrew Jackson, Carolinas, 7th President of the United States (1829-37)

1916 - Harry James, Albany, Georgia, Trumpeter (married to Betty Grable)

1935 - Judd Hirsch, Bronx, New York, Actor (Taxi, Dear John, Ordinary People)

Literature of 1899

Anton Chekhov published Uncle Vanya 

Kate Chopin published The Awakening

Joseph Conrad published Heart of Darkness

Historical Events

March 15, 1899 seems to have been a slow news day.  However, there were some interesting events that happened over the entire month of March that year:

2nd:  President McKinley signs bill creating Mt Rainer National Park (5th in the U.S.)

6th:  "Aspirin" (acetylsalicylic acid) patented by Felix Hoffmann at German company, Bayer

17th:  Windsor luxury hotel in New York City catches fire; 92 die

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun - Your #1 All-Time Favorite Song

  From Randy (a cousin discovery!!) over at Genea-Musings:

it's Saturday Night - 

time for more Genealogy Fun!!!

Your mission, should you decide to accept it, is to:

(1)  What is your all-time favorite song? Yep, number 1.  It's hard to choose sometimes. If you made your favorite all-time Top 40 music selections, what would be #1?

(2)  Why is it a favorite? Do you have special memories attached to this song?

(2)  Tell us all about it in your own blog post, in a comment to this post, or in a post on Facebook.  

Here's mine:

I have so many favorite songs!  It all depends on where I am in my life at that moment, my mood, or if a song just "speaks" to me.  And no, I cannot explain why a song "speaks to me" - it just does!  

However, I just spent a good couple of hours poring over YouTube.com and listening to some great music - all favorites of mine - looking for a song to give the honor of "Favorite."

For today, the song that is my favorite for the purposes of this blog post is from 1985 - We are the World by U.S.A. for Africa.  It was a song recorded for charity - to help the famine victims in Africa - and the singers were a gathering of the best and most famous singers ever.  I can't even imagine trying to get all these people together in one room!

Here's the official music video:

Here are the lyrics:

There comes a time
When we heed a certain call
When the world must come together as one
There are people dying
Oh, and it's time to lend a hand to life
The greatest gift of all

We can't go on
Pretending day-by-day
That someone, somewhere soon make a change
We're all a part of God's great big family
And the truth, you know, love is all we need

We are the world
We are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day, so let's start giving
There's a choice we're making
We're saving our own lives
It's true we'll make a better day, just you and me

Oh, send them your heart
So they know that someone cares
And their lives will be stronger and free
As God has shown us by turning stones to bread
And so we all must lend a helping hand

We are the world
We are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day, so let's start giving
Oh, there's a choice we're making
We're saving our own lives
It's true we'll make a better day, just you and me

When you're down and out, there seems no hope at all
But if you just believe there's no way we can fall
Well, well, well, well let us realize
Oh, that a change can only come
When we stand together as one, yeah, yeah, yeah

We are the world
We are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day, so let's start giving
There's a choice we're making
We're saving our own lives
It's true we'll make a better day, just you and me

We are the world
We are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day, so let's start giving
There's a choice we're making
We're saving our own lives
It's true we'll make a better day, just you and mee

We are the world (are the world)
We are the children (are the children)
We are the ones who'll make a brighter day, so let's start giving (so let's start giving)
There is a choice we're making
We're saving our own lives
It's true we'll make a better day, just you and me

Oh, let me hear you!

We are the world (we are the world)
We are the children (said we are the children)
We are the ones who'll make a brighter day so let start giving (so let's start giving)

There's a choice we're making
We're saving our own lives
It's true we'll make a better day, just you and me, come on now, let me hear you

We are the world (we are the world)
We are the children (we are the children)
We are the ones who'll make a brighter day so let's start giving (so let's start giving)
There's a choice we're making
We're saving our own lives
It's true we'll make a better day, just you and me, yeah

We are the world (we are the world)
We are the children (we are the children)
We are the ones who'll make a brighter day so let's start giving (so let's start giving)

There's a choice we're making
And we're saving our own lives
It's true we'll make a better day, just you and me

We are the world (are the world)
We are the children (are the children)
We are the ones who'll make a brighter day so let's start giving (so let's start giving)

There's a choice we're making
We're saving our own lives
It's true we'll make a better day, just you and me

We are the world, we are the world (are the world)
We are the children, yes sir (are the children)
We are the ones that make a brighter day so let's start giving (so let's start giving)

There's a choice we're making
We're saving our own lives
It's true we'll make a better day, just you and me, ooh-hoo!

We are the world (dear God) (are the world)
We are the children (are the children)
We are the ones that make a brighter day so let's start giving (all right, can you hear what I'm saying?)
There's a choice we're making, we're saving our own lives

Source: LyricFind

Songwriters: Michael Jackson / Lionel Richie

We Are the World lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

This was our class song when I graduated from Swainsboro High School in 1985.  I was very proud of the song choice.  This is probably why it is a favorite of mine.  We were standing on the edge of the rest of our lives, and this song gave hope that our class would go out and change the world.  Even if only in our little corner of the world.

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: 2021 (Week 9): Multiples

 Amy Johnson Crow from Generations Cafe is again hosting the blog writing prompt this year called 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: 2021.  I'm going to try to participate more fully this year.  I like that she gives us "permission" to interpret the prompt however we wish and share it however we wish.  It doesn't have to be a blog post; it could be a family video, a letter to a child or grandchild, an e-mail, etc.  

The Theme for Week 9 (Mar 1-7) is Multiples.

This topic stumped me.  I have already written about the multiple men named Hosea in my Tapley tree.  We don't have twins in the family much.  We have no triplets that I know of.  I had finally thought of something... not a great something... but maybe I could have made it work.  Then I re-read what Amy had said about this topic... multiple marriages... wait.  This led to me to my Great Uncle Kenneth.

Kenneth Carter Ranney (1909-1989) was the only surviving son of Luther Boardman Ranney (1870-1943) and Bessie Alice Carter (1883-1960).  He was my grandmother Ethel Irene Ranney Tapley's brother.  

As far as we can tell, Kenneth was "different."  He was a wanderer, never stayed in one place very long.  He was uncommunicative; kept to himself.  He didn't keep in touch with his family.  Never had any children.  However, he was married five times.  

I have researched the records many times for information on Kenneth's wives, but what I have is still sketchy.

His first wife was Alice Wright, birth and death dates unknown.  Kenneth was 24 years old when he married Alice in Yuma County, Arizona on September 4, 1933.  At the time, Kenneth was living in Calexico, California and working for the U.S. Postal Service.  He must have met Alice there because their marriage license states she lived in Calexico also.

My grandmother wrote about this in her 1933 diary:

Sunday, September 3 [1933]: "...Kenneth came up about 4 am. He has a Ford V8. 1932."

Monday, September 4: "Kenneth went home about 2 am. Kenneth got married in Yuma."

 I stated then "This last sentence "Kenneth got married in Yuma." was written in a different pen...like it was added later. Probably the family did not know Kenneth was getting married or that he had gotten married until later."  He pretty much just showed up at his parents' house randomly and at odd hours.  

At this time, my great-grandparents and their daughters were living San Bernardino County, California.  Calexico was way down south on the Mexican border, 161 miles away.  Today it's a 2 and a half hour drive.  Back then, it was probably closer to 3 or more.  

Kenneth and Alice separated a short four months later on January 1, 1934.  My grandmother also mentioned this in her diary for that date:  "Kenneth & Alice split up."

At some point, Kenneth and Alice had moved to Mentone in San Bernardino County.  On October 16, 1934, a notice appeared on page 5 of The San Bernardino County Sun (San Bernardino, California):

(Yes that's Reno, Nevada.)

Kenneth's mother, my great-grandmother, supposedly said that she had never seen so much emotion expressed by Kenneth as the day he received his finalized divorce decree.  He actually jumped for joy.  

Kenneth's second wife was named Muriel "Mona" Espy.  She was born abt 1905, so she was about 4 years older than Kenneth.  She was born in Oregon. They married some time between 1935-1938 and lived in Los Angeles.

Mona

   

Here are Mona and Kenneth at my grandparents' wedding, December 1939.

Here are Mona and Kenneth in a family photo, circa 1940-42.

Mona and Kenneth divorced sometime before 1948.

Kenneth remarried between 1948-1950 to Laura Mae Byrd (1907-1980).  She was born in Charlton County, Georgia.  They were divorced by November 25, 1957 because that is the date...

Kenneth married his 4th wife, Beulah Lucille Smith (1906-1963).  Beulah was born in Illinois.  Their divorce was filed in 1960.  The following is from The San Bernardino Sun (San Bernardino, California), on May 5, 1960, Page 22:

  

Kenneth's 5th and final wife was Eva Arnell Byrd (1909-2003).  They were married December 8, 1961 in Bristow, Oklahoma.  Eva was the sister of Kenneth's 3rd wife, Laura May Byrd and was also born in Charlton County, Georgia.  I don't know how they met, but they were living in Tulsa, Oklahoma in the early 1970's.  Eva visited us in Swainsboro once (yes, by herself).  Soon after, they moved to Fort Worth, Texas.  

Either he was just getting too old and tired of marrying and divorcing or Eva was the one for him, as they were married until his death in 1989.  

Eva Arnell Byrd Ranney

It seemed that Uncle Kenneth was searching for something amongst his multiple wives.  I hope he found it at last with Eva.  

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: 2021 (Week 8): Power

 Amy Johnson Crow from Generations Cafe is again hosting the blog writing prompt this year called 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: 2021.  I'm going to try to participate more fully this year.  I like that she gives us "permission" to interpret the prompt however we wish and share it however we wish.  It doesn't have to be a blog post; it could be a family video, a letter to a child or grandchild, an e-mail, etc.  

The Theme for Week 8 (Feb 22-28) is Power.

When I heard this theme, my first thought was quite literal:  Power, as in electrical power.  The reason for this is I remembered finding the easements for right-of-way filed in the Johnson County, Georgia Deed records for my grandparents, Lusion K Tapley (1870-1935) and Nealie V Drake Tapley (1895-1970).  They signed these easements over to Georgia Power Company for them to run electrical lines and put up electrical poles on my grandparents' land for the Dellwood-Wrightsville lines.  

Evidently, my grandparents owned two pieces of land.  One was in Lusion's name, located in the 55th GM District,  and the other in Nealie's, located in the 1326th GM District.  His parcel must have been quite small because Georgia Power only paid him $10.00 for the right-of-way "upon a strip of land one hundred (100) feet in width."  Whereas Georgia Power paid Nealie $65 for the same sized strip across her land.  

These deeds were recorded on June 11 and June 16, 1927, respectively.  So that is when electric lights came to Johnson County.  All of my grandparents' neighbors granted the same basic easement right-of-way, being paid varying amounts depending on the size of their land.   

One of Lusion's neighbors, whose land his bordered, was C.M. Schwalls, the brother of Lusion's second wife, Mattie Schwalls.  One of Nealie's neighbors was W.S. Pool, though already passed by this time, who was the father of Lusion's sister-in-law, Reida Mae Poole.  Reida Mae was married to his oldest brother, James "Fella." (The W.S. could have also referred to Reida Mae's brother.  The land may have passed to him.)  Such is small towns (and counties!).

I recall the day I found these while searching the Johnson County Courthouse for deed records.  I was in awe.  I've had electricity my entire life.  I had never given any thought about when electrical lines were first run across the land.  My father was born a year after these easements were recorded, and evidently he found it interesting also.  I remember him poring over them.  I can't say that during his childhood, my father always had electricity, because the family was poor, and electricity wasn't free.  But electricity was available in the area his whole life.  [I am sure this had an effect on him and is why he was so diligent in paying the power (or "light") bill on time or early throughout his life.]

We tend to take power for granted.  Folks moan and groan when it goes out for a few hours or even a few minutes.  But once upon a time, less than 100 years ago, my family did not even have electricity run to their house.  I am grateful every time I flip a switch.