Wednesday, January 12, 2011

I finally got the Henry County Books!!!

These two books were in a estate sale recently and posted on 'EBAY.' I was very luckey to buy them both!
"Henry County, Georgia -- The Mother of Counties" and the accompanying index, both by Vessie Thrasher Rainer.
 Both are out of print.

The Mother of Counties Privately published, 1971.
Then it was lublic published in 1988.
Illustrated with b/w photographs.


 The author covers the early history, education, military records, natural resources, development, railroads, industry, the Civil War, county government, and genealogical sketches of pioneer families: Alexander, Butler, Cleveland, Copeland, Crumbley, Elliott and allied families, Frear, Grier-Greer, Kimbell, Moseley, Pickens-Crockett-Brown, Pickens-Walkup-Brown-Carmichael-Hooten-Grant, Rodgers, Houston-Stillwell, Thrasher, Turner, and Zachary.

I can't wait until my little fingers and large eyes get to look and read both books! I have been looking for this book ever since I moved into Henry County and now I can say I have the 'History of Henry County Right in my Hands!' Now I can start my own book!


I love history!


Thursday, January 6, 2011

New Year and a new me!!!


I have to post this new page for you guys and gals out there. This is the year for me completely! 2011 is the beginning of the new me! My weight is and always been a very big factor in my life and it has tried to take me over! I am getting so tired and that every day seems to be a major struggle for me that I decided that I will see how much could I lose with four months. This is a very small goal but I really want and need to do this because my health is now in jeopardy. Also, my paranormal friends and I are trying to set up a paranormal show from the south and the producer and directer Senay Jackson keeps putting me on the AKA spotlight and filming me an d placing me on 'you-tube'. So with that said I need to lose some major pounds. I am a life time member of 'Watch Watchers' and I still have my old gold key. Embarrassed to go back, so I will try to do it a little at a time. I will need help and I am not afraid to ask for help out there. So this is my first month!
WISH ME LUCK!
Hugs and Kisses!
Melissa

Sunday, November 7, 2010

The B. B. Carmichael Funeral Home in Mcdonough Square GA


"The B.B. Carmichael Funeral Home"

McDonough, Georgia

The B.B. Carmichael & Company was begun by Benjamin Brown Carmichael who was born in 1848 and died in 1922. He was the son of James M. Carmichael who settled in Henry County from Butts County. He is shown on the census records for 1850 as living in Henry County. B.B. Carmichael was living on the farm but moved to McDonough in 1882 as the railroad was built through the area.

The B.B. Carmichael's newspaper advertisements tell of his business located on the Square in McDonough on what was known as Old Brown's Corner. Here are some examples: From the Henry County Times of the 1880's McDonough, Ga., September 8, 1884--With my customers, I can testify that "Eddystone" compares favorably with and leads many fertilizers sold in this market.


McDonough , Ga, July 27, 1888--All kinds of tombstones and monuments.

McDonough, Ga, December 2, 1888--Furniture--I keep constantly on hand an elegant line of furniture.
The undertaking department is full of all classes of coffins from the cheapest to the best.
Remember that I keep a nice "Hearse" which I send with a coffin when required, without charge, when the price exceeds twenty dollars.

Mr. Carmichael had the first hearse in Henry County and he furnished two later on.

One was for the white people and the other was for the African Americans. Mr. Johnson was in charge of the African American service.

In improvements on Square "B" (See Map) and Brown's Corner on August 27, 1897, B.B. Carmichael and sons were placing their goods in there new building on the corner of the public square. This lot, old Brown's Corner was the a stand belonging to Asa Brown the owner of the Brown House.

At the 100th anniversay of Henry County celebration Carmichael & Son Company said make the Carmichael Headquarters your headquarters. He offered his public rest room facilites on the second floor. The celebration was in 1921.

After the big train wreck of June 23, 1900 many of the victims were brought to this site for preparation by Mr. Carmichael. Some of the others were sent to Bunn's on the NE side of the Square. (Where the Movie Theater was built later.) As the victim's were prepared many were placed around the square to wait for their families to have them picked up.

Mr. Carmichael's sons had grown up in his business ventures and they followed their father in the different lines of his business. His son Harris continued in the lumber business and farming and started as his last business a hosiery mill. His son James was the one to continue the mercantile company. When he stopped this business he began making furniture. D. T. Carmichael took over the undertaking part of the business. He moved the funeral part to the Dr. Lewis Tye House in 1940 after he acquired the home from Dr. Tye's descendants. The B.B. Carmichael and D.T. Carmichael Funeral Directors began serving the community in 1888 and is still in operation today south of Stockbridge as the Cannon-Cleveland Funeral Home which is family to the Rainer-Carmichael Funeral Directors.



References:

1. History of McDonough, 1908, Scip Speer.

2. History of Henry County, 1921, Mrs. Nolan.

3. Mother of Counties, 1971, Mrs. Rainer.

4. Henry Co. Sesquicentennial 1971.







The above map shows McDonough after 1823 and before 1898. The parcel "B" is the location of the B.B. Carmichael Furniture and Undertakers Parlor. His establishment was on the southwest corner of the square in McDonough. The company was at this location from 1888 to around 1940 when D.T. Carmichael , one of B.B. Carmichael's sons, moved the funeral home to the Dr. Lewis Tye House on Hampton Street.

I know that the 'Dunn's funeral Parlor has been torn down quite some time ago. Now the area is the McDonough Square Court House Parking Lot. However, the site of B.B. CarMicheal's store is now a family Restaurant at the McDonough Square Ga. The AKA 'Paranormal Photo' on the front of my site is the 'French Doors shot looking out of the Restaurant as you see it today. Across the street is a parking lot, however; what I took 'one of three pics' one is listed, all three show activity in the photos.







The above photograph is taken from the area of the Old Masonic Lodge looking east. The two story building on the righthand side of the foreground is that of B.B. Carmichael & Sons. This is the location where Mr.
Carmichael conducted his merchatile, furniture, and funeral business. The area today is now mostly a parking lot for the City of McDonough. The above photo is taken circa 1897. This is the building where in 1900 after the Camp Creek train wreck Mr. Carmichael prepared a large portion of the victims and after preparing the victims most were place around the square according to eyewitness accounts of people like Mr. George C. Alexander who remember the incident well.
I couldn't find where or who post this wonderful article on the web! I do know that the above photos are from the 'Brown House in the McDonough Square GA.' That's where all of the the Henry, Clayton and other counties information are kept.
Melissa
 
If anyone knows who first posted this wonderful information on the 'Google site' Please send me a commit on my site, so I can place their information and give them all credit for this history of the family of Carmicheal's.
I needed to do my research of the Henry County Area and posted this to show the true historical history of the town square.
thank you so much!

Friday, November 5, 2010

Do I believe in Ghost?!? Well Yes I do!

Recently Donna from  An Enchanted Cottage  asked me if Do you believe in ghosts?

Well, Yes! I do! as my above title states....she sent me some wonderful pics privately to look and see what I could see and I asked her excitedly if she was by herself and when and where they where taken.....OMG! I want to visit her town sooo badly now! She has some great pics to show in front of a wonderful 'Red Door' of a local Restaurant! Taken another look guys at the left hand side of that door!
Great P. I. Pic Donna! Job well done!
Also, type into her blog! I just can't wait to see her Livingrrom for Christmas this year!!!!
Show more kitty's Donna  and Angels!!!
Question for you too:
Do you believe in ghosts? 
Just remember the saying:
Ghost were people too!
Melissa

Saturday, September 11, 2010

Classifying your EVPS!



I got to meet up with the TAPS group aka 'Ghost Hunter Show' at DragonCon down town Atlanta Ga this past weekend. Steve Gonsalves, Dave Tango and Amy Bruni were there. They had a 'Questions and Answers' panel where we in the audience got to ask two questions. Since I have been going to this convention for at least twenty years and seeing TAPS panel for the past five years it was very easy for me to step up to the microphone and say hello to them again.


My first question was, ' Who is your 'EVP Expert on the show?' 'Do you have someone to clean up your EVP's before you present them to the clients?' I guess I had two questions rolled into one sentence.

My answer was, 'We are'!' with excitement from the panel of three. I thought oh, OK. My answer to them back was guys you have to clean them up. You don't want the client to listen to nothing but scratchy noise and have they always 'guessed at the answer without cleaning them up? The group don't clean up their EVPS at all. They play the ones that they can pick up clearly and not the 'Click Audio Sound' EVPS. They prosent them raw and untouched. No wonder I have a hard time trying to figure out what the EVPS are saying. I still love you guys and gals anyway;)

What I mean cleaning up the EVPS this means that when you get EVP's they are disembody voices that are captured on a digital recorder. Later on you can play back the recorder and see what or who was trying to talk to you. Place the information in your computer and then take the 'background noise out.' 'The hissing noise out' then play it back. Then the EVP's will much clearer a better to understand than showing them without being cleaned up at all. Majority of the time I received EVPS that people completely miss because some are just too fate and the investigators don't want to AKA waist their time and trying to clean them up properly. That is where most of the best EVPS are mist. I am not asking for to clean them up too much just so that they are done just enough that you can understand the fraise.

My second question was that I was tired of people that watch ghost shows all over the TV and think that they can 'copy the professionals' so they can be on TV. They tell everyone that 'they are the experts' and get to go into places and buildings and even private homes claiming that 'We are just like TAPS!' 'We have all there equipment!' and then they never ever come back unless they want to try to get more evidence or put more information in their mini web site and never return to the clients at all. We as a large community don't want the pop up ghost hunters to come to our town because of what these ghost hunters if you call them that has not done for us. They may have all the equipment but don't know how to us them at all or how to conduct a proper investigation. They claimed that they spent thousands of dollars to get all of the equipment and still claim that they are the experts. I have never seen so many pop up web sites until TAPS the Ghost Hunter Show became popular! Their were only eight in Ga about six years ago in the web now their are hundreds!  I asked if TAPS could assist me with getting the message out to those aka 'ghost hunters want-a-bee’s' to stop trying to be 'just like them.' These groups are destroying our homes and business with their 'I want to be the next person on TV too.'
I did tell TAPS that I now teach the proper way to conduct a proper investigation the correct way. I don't use thousand of dollars of equiptent. Nor do I turn all my lights out. Sorry TAPS but I need to see how and where I'm going.
Happy Ghosting
Mel

Thursday, August 19, 2010

My other Author Reese Christian: Ghost of Atlanta!

Reese Christian from Roswell Georgia came by the local book shop "The Bell Book and Candle Shop" for a book signing of "Ghosts of Atlanta" her book.  I got to meet her. She is a medium and also has been on TV shows with the paranormal. She wrote this book and again I was compelled to read it from top to bottom. She also did a walk through the book shop and she picked up on allot of activity through out the store. Thanks to Jeff Wells, who brought her to the shop I got to know her and other authors! I hope that she and Jeff keeps writing more books! Below is a top copy of her book! Try to get it, turn your lights down and pop some popcorn and Enjoy!
Melissa

Two local Authors and two great books to read! Jeffery Wells and Reese Christian

This is on of  two of my favorite local authors.
Jeff Wells is a local historian and also professor and teaches world history. He wrote this book called "In Atlanta or in Hell!" based on the history of the "Camp Creak Train Wreak" that happened in McDonough Square in Henry County Georgia on June 24, 1900. I was mentioned in the book! I have to admit that this was my first book that I sat down after I bought it and read it five times in one afternoon! It was compelling and fascinating and I just couldn't put it down. If you get a chance please get his book, it will be worth it!!!
This is the book cover!
Melissa