|
|
Georgia has long been considered
the unofficial "capital" of the South. Michael grew up near Atlanta, before
moving to Ohio between seventh and eighth grade (1974). Georgia's population was 8.5 million
in 2002; but had grown to 9.8 million in 2010.
Almost 30 cities in China
have a larger population than this US state! Many Chinese students about
Atlanta (because of the 1996 Olympics), so it is easy to explain where "we come
from" (GA and her neighbor: SC).
During our 2006 family reunion, we attended a Braves
baseball game at Turner Field in Atlanta. Andrew had never been to a
baseball game before, and thought it was terribly boring. The Braves lost.
(When he was a kid, Michael watched
Hank Aaron play in the Braves' former
stadium. Aaron held the US record for the most Homeruns from 1974 to 2007.) |
|
 |
This shows Atlanta's skyline, from Turner Stadium (built
for the 1996 Olympics). Michael and Vivian were fortunate to attend some
events during the '96 Olympics, and were blessed again to do the same in
Beijing,
2008.
Atlanta is the home of Coca-cola, which should explain the
pretty, large Coke bottle at this stadium. Michael's brother is an
executive for Coke. |
On April 23-24, 2004, a number
of Michael's relatives gathered in Eatonton, Georgia, to explore our
roots. This is the main group who attended the reunion. In the
picture, from the left: Bill Carlton, "Uncle Bob" Holmstrom, Lisa (Bob's daughter & Michael's cousin), Robert DeJarnette, III (son
of Robert, Jr.), Michael's mom and dad, Andrew, Michael, and Robert DeJarnette, Jr. (Elise,
Bob, and Bill's cousin!). Vivian took the photos (this is actually three
pictures, stuck together!). Michael's brother and sister-in-law (packing
for a big move at the time) attended part of the reunion, but missed this
particular evening.
There was some travel involved in being
together. The DeJarnettes both live about an hour away from Eatonton;
Bill and Michael's brother are 2-3 hours away; Lisa lives in northern Florida,
with her dad in central Florida (6-10 hours); Michael's parents live in
Ohio (over 12 hours by car); and of course we were living in China!
We had a bigger reunion in 2006.
Click here to see those photos! |
|
|
|
| This is the
Rockville School, founded by our ancestor H.R. DeJarnette around 1890, and
recently restored because of its historical significance as Georgia's
first vocational rural school (see the plaque). H.R. had been an important
community leader, and his great grandfather (Reuben DeJarnette) had been commissioned to do the first
geographical survey of the area (in the early 1800s). The school's current caretakers were kind
enough to let us in (that's them, on the porch). A few of them even
remembered Michael's grandmother and aunt. Interestingly, Michael's Great
Uncle Herbert Carlton (Bill's dad) was the president of a vocational
college in northern Georgia, and Michael has many happy memories of
visiting their "mansion" in Clarksville, GA. (PS: Reuben
DeJarnette was also a soldier in America's Revolutionary War. It is an
interesting coincidence that Michael's grandmother [Sarah DeJarnette]
married Reuben Holmstrom!) |
|
This cabin is
the Uncle Remus Museum. We also learned
that Eatonton is the home of Uncle Remus, Brer Rabbit, and the other loved
"critters" created by Joel Chandler Harris (born in Eatonton Dec. 9,
1848). The sign under the rabbit, standing in front of City Hall, reads: "Brer
Rabbit, born and bred in the briar patch; he survives forever by his wit,
his courage, and his cunning." If you are one of our students, ask us to
tell you about one of his adventures! As to the picture on the right,
Michael couldn't resist snapping this photo in a bait and convenience
store near Eatonton. Somehow it captures part of the essence of "Georgia,"
the state
Michael grew up in (specifically: Newnan, GA, a couple hours' drive from Eatonton).
This southern state is filled with laid-back people who spend their spare
time watching college football, hunting, fishing, shopping at Walmart and
wearing hats to protect from the hot sunshine. The only thing missing from
the photo is a sign for the best university in the state, the
University of Georgia Bulldogs' rival: the Georgia Tech Yellowjackets! |
|
Most of these photos were taken during our 2004 trip.
You can also see other photos from that trip by clicking Colorado,
Ohio,
Pennsylvania, South Carolina, England, Scotland, and Canada (including Toronto and Niagara Falls)
Click here for a
US map
|
Click in the boxes below to go to some of our most popular pages. If
you get lost, just click "Home."
See our
Policy
regarding the use of materials available at Krigline.com or
Krigline.com.cn |
