Charlotte:struggling to keep our identity (Salisbury, Kings Mountain: college, taxes, place to live)

[mullman]

Originally Posted by silverwing

I tell others with the same interest that they'll have to get away from the metro areas to meet the southerners who shaped the state up to the point where we transplants began flooding in. For me, it's always when I've been out on my motorcycle.

+1

I am a native and I do it all the time.
Took a fellow two-wheeler (transplant) to Gold Hill today where we spent an hour or so reading the history and enjoying the restored village.
Then we had lunch at Darrells BBQ in Rockwell NC - the first restaurant my parents took me to after I was born (7 weeks).
Yes, same place since the early 60s.
Good Times.

[chicagocubs]

Originally Posted by mullman

Great post, Brian.
I think the difference is between your attitude and people who move here and want CLT to be the next Borough or complaining about how CLT is not NY/NJ/OH or ATL - It's Charlotte. It's my hometown, and after globetrotting it is where I returned to raise my family. I like the low cost of living, climate, proximity to the mountains and coast. I love that next Sunday my kids will go to an annual family reunion (always Easter Sunday) on the old family farm that has been happening for 125+ years. We eat at the house that my great grandmother's parents built (obviously we have restored it).

I took a ride today on one of the bikes and ended up at a cemetery where my great-grandmother is buried.
I spent a moment reflecting on our great times together and how wonderful she was.
A few steps over is where her great-grandfather is buried and I do remember her telling me stories of him.
I love that my roots are here, and can't imagine not being able to share such things with my children.

Do people not want to be near family anymore - their history, will it all be forgotten?
Is money the only goal?

I just get tired of people moving here and complaining about what we are not.

mullman; I find it fascinating that you are here among your history. That is not something that I am used to. One of the things that I have always credited to my life in the south was learning what it means to be a family.

Your post is particularly poignant to me. Recently, in the last few years as my family members have died off at an alarming rate, it became more obvious to me that I (and my remaining cousins) truly have very limited knowledge of our family. Our history has literally died with the people. This is not something that is thought about up north. Family is not as important there as it is here...with the exception of some families whose heritage is Italian. . Otherwise, it is just not thought of as being important. But, now, as I try to even recreate our heritage as close as grandparents, I am finding that it is almost a futile effort. The information is just not there. And, that saddens me now because I really would like to know! I guess the greatest example was when I went to my brother's funeral last year and his youngest daughter (my niece) had to introduce herself to me. I had not seen her since she was a baby and she was then in her mid-30's.

So, to answer your question, it is not a question of the pursuit of money or anything else. Being around family is just not considered important.

[JanuaryGirl]

Originally Posted by chicagocubs

mullman; I find it fascinating that you are here among your history. That is not something that I am used to. One of the things that I have always credited to my life in the south was learning what it means to be a family.

Your post is particularly poignant to me. Recently, in the last few years as my family members have died off at an alarming rate, it became more obvious to me that I (and my remaining cousins) truly have very limited knowledge of our family. Our history has literally died with the people. This is not something that is thought about up north. Family is not as important there as it is here...with the exception of some families whose heritage is Italian. . Otherwise, it is just not thought of as being important. But, now, as I try to even recreate our heritage as close as grandparents, I am finding that it is almost a futile effort. The information is just not there. And, that saddens me now because I really would like to know! I guess the greatest example was when I went to my brother's funeral last year and his youngest daughter (my niece) had to introduce herself to me. I had not seen her since she was a baby and she was then in her mid-30's.

So, to answer your question, it is not a question of the pursuit of money or anything else. Being around family is just not considered important.

I think people that have roots somewhere like this, where it is still somewhat affordable, are lucky because they don't have to make that choice. I had to leave behind 120+ years of family history in IL not because we couldn't afford a big fancy house there, but we couldn't afford ANY house. In areas that have become really expensive, it's hard for families to stay together because so many young family members can't afford to settle down the way their ancestors had, and (in my case) couldn't afford to keep the family farms running.

I hope Charlotte, and the areas around it, stay somewhat reasonable so the people that do have roots here can afford to keep living here, and find work to pay the bills.

Thanks to the posters that gave recs for history websites, etc., I will check them out!

[mullman]

Originally Posted by chicagocubs

mullman; I find it fascinating that you are here among your history. That is not something that I am used to. One of the things that I have always credited to my life in the south was learning what it means to be a family.

I greatly appreciate your post.

My wife is from rural MA, but her family history in this country only goes back to the early 1900s: Irish and French immigrants.


I just cannot imagine not being able to regularly take my girls to their roots. Next Sunday is Easter where we will celebrate our risen Lord with a huge dinner with 300+ people and the kids will chase the goats and fish in the old pond. I always promise my girls $5 if they can catch a goat within 5 minutes of entering the pen. They will fish at same pond that I used to fish & swim at, and my great-grandmother used to fish at and her great-grandfather built (17xx).
IMHO, there is something special about that.

I cannot help but be somewhat shocked of the people who just want to ignore their family roots and relocate with seemingly zero thought about their history.
Will it be lost, do they care?

I have been fortunate enough to travel the world, but always thought there was something special about where I was born and chose this area to start my family - maybe karma, I don't know.

We are planning a trip this summer to the Isle of Mull (UK) where my surname should be from, although our old world searches lead to Bavaria Germany and Switzerland.

[southbound_295]

Originally Posted by mullman

I greatly appreciate your post.

My wife is from rural MA, but her family history in this country only goes back to the early 1900s: Irish and French immigrants.


I just cannot imagine not being able to regularly take my girls to their roots. Next Sunday is Easter where we will celebrate our risen Lord with a huge dinner with 300+ people and the kids will chase the goats and fish in the old pond. I always promise my girls $5 if they can catch a goat within 5 minutes of entering the pen. They will fish at same pond that I used to fish & swim at, and my great-grandmother used to fish at and her great-grandfather built (17xx).
IMHO, there is something special about that.

I cannot help but be somewhat shocked of the people who just want to ignore their family roots and relocate with seemingly a zero thought about their history.
It seems people just do not care anymore...

Mullman, I think it's nice that you know & are near to your roots. I knew some of my roots before becoming involved in genealogy. Cubs is not speaking for me or my family.

My former house was about a mile from a house once owned by one of my ancestors. He died in 1782.

My ancestors moved a lot. I'm just keeping on with the family tradition.

[BrianH1970]

Originally Posted by mullman

I cannot help but be somewhat shocked of the people who just want to ignore their family roots and relocate with seemingly zero thought about their history.
Will it be lost, do they care?

Should that really be a factor?

We could get into a whole discussion over what ultimately defines a person. Is it your upbringing? Your hometown? The people you buddied around with and everything that created them? How much of all three constitutes you? Speaking completely for myself, if one of the things that defines me is a freer spirit, then remaining completely grounded in my roots and history does me little good.

I miss home greatly, every day. I also know that a small piece of me is a changed and better man for moving a bit away from my history and not maintaining those old staid and static routines. Even if years down the road I actually do find myself back in New Jersey (I don't put s**t past me anymore), I'm a better person, more of my own man and one less regret in my older age.

People relocate...hell, settled an ocean away from their family roots and history (I sure love a turkey leg on Thanksgiving day). History is what it is: something to be acknowledged, revisited and learned from. To me it ends there. That's not showing any disrespect for mine or anyone else's history. For some there's a time to make your own history as opposed to just reading about it.

[chicagocubs]

Originally Posted by mullman

I greatly appreciate your post.

My wife is from rural MA, but her family history in this country only goes back to the early 1900s: Irish and French immigrants.


I just cannot imagine not being able to regularly take my girls to their roots. Next Sunday is Easter where we will celebrate our risen Lord with a huge dinner with 300+ people and the kids will chase the goats and fish in the old pond. I always promise my girls $5 if they can catch a goat within 5 minutes of entering the pen. They will fish at same pond that I used to fish & swim at, and my great-grandmother used to fish at and her great-grandfather built (17xx).
IMHO, there is something special about that.

I cannot help but be somewhat shocked of the people who just want to ignore their family roots and relocate with seemingly zero thought about their history.
Will it be lost, do they care?

I have been fortunate enough to travel the world, but always thought there was something special about where I was born and chose this area to start my family - maybe karma, I don't know.

We are planning a trip this summer to the Isle of Mull (UK) where my surname should be from, although our old world searches lead to Bavaria Germany and Switzerland.

Mullman, I hope that you know that I think that your sentiment and loyalty are lovely. IT is a true expression of what I perceive to be an example of "being southern". Now that I am older, I really wish that I had paid attention more or talked more seriously with my grandparents to find out their heritages. I know that they were either immigrants themselves or first generation immigrants, but, I would like to know more. I'd like to know if some of the stories that my one surviving uncle (he's 92) is telling me are true...or, are they embellished...or, simply dreams. See, I've only been getting answers to these kinds of questions in the last couple of years and never heard most of this previously. None of my cousins had heard these things either, so, we are left to try to research the info...but, without concrete facts, that is impossible.

I hope that your kids appreciate the rarity of experiences that they have. To be able to be in the house that their great-great grandparents built is awesome! I have nothing that tangible. To have a family reunion (no, we don't have those either) that has over 300 people in it... fantastic!! With the exception of my youngest niece who has decided to make up for the rest of the family, we could put our entire family in a small living room. Now, my niece has 7 kids now, so, we probably would have to go outside somewhere...

It's not a matter of not caring. It simply is not something that is thought about. And, that is sad.

[chicagocubs]

oh, yes, I am hoping to go to Norway next year (2010) to see if I can research my grandmother a little more. I have joined a Norwegian club here in Charlotte to learn about the culture some. It is the only straw that I have. However, it is amazing to me, how many of the personality traits that I have with only that sliver of the culture in my blood!! And, it is even more amazing to me how much I resemble the folks in this club that are actually from Norway. I honestly feel at home with these people...and, they are all virtually strangers. But, that is what comes of knowing and connecting with your roots, I imagine...

[chicagocubs]

Coming back to the original thread, Ani, as long as there are folks like you & Mullman that are here (and I know at least one other family like that) who preserve their family heritage here in Charlotte, that identity will not be lost (in my opinion).

[kb1980]

I don't get any sense of southern culture in Charlotte - not compared to towns like Charleston, Savannah, etc. Sure, there are parts that are charming and have some sense of "individualism" but most of the city seems to consist of shopping center on top of shopping center, chain restaurants, and house farms.

Am I wrong?