'My home is not a place, sir... it's people' -Lois McMaster Bujold

Well, not exactly. There used to be five of us, exactly like in the song. Accident #4 was born on my prom night; and then there were six. But if you don't count me, the song still fits.

We live in a small town in Georgia, except those of us who are spending Dad's hard-earned money on college. We are a diverse and obnoxiously independent lot, except for the baby (who prefers to do as she pleases with another human being within annoying range, rather than by herself). About the only things we all have in common are books, impossible hair, and a tendency to turn our hobbies into our lives. Oh, and some ancestors, who will be described in the geneology section down below.

Being the oldest of four is interesting. I wasn't big enough to change diapers on Rob, but I was for Andy and Lulu, to my great joy. On the other hand, they all started talking at an early enough age to be interesting, and Andy at least never left us with a dull moment (he started walking at 8 months). In all, I think it's better for the oldest child to have several younger siblings if she has to have any at all, because it keeps parental attention spread out and economizes babysitting time. Also, the more sibs you have, the more trouble all of you can get into together. Four minds are better than two. Exponentially ^_^

Dad is an anesthesiologist (a doctor who puts people to sleep for surgery) and an avid hunter. Sometimes I think he has more fun cleaning his guns, building deer stands, and scoping out sites than he does actually hunting. But it's a family tradition, so I don't complain too much. Also, he's an English major with a soft spot for Robert Frost and a much better grasp of the English language than most people, including me. He also cooks. I almost forgot that, since he hasn't had time in so long. But he used to get up and cook us pancakes for breakfast on mom's birthday. And none of that low fat stuff either.

Mom is kind of the opposite of Dad in many ways. She's louder and more extroverted than he is, and she's got a redhead's temper, but most of the time she's laid back about life. She used to be an ER nurse, but after she had the third kid, she gave up and started doing volunteer work. She teaches various Red Cross courses, like lifeguarding, CPR, and First Aid, and she used to be a Girl Scout leader and a camp nurse. Recently, she worked with Mrs. Margaret to start up our local Healthy Start, a program to help high-risk mothers reduce infant mortality and morbidity. Since our region has some incredibly high infant mortality rates, it seemed rather important. In doing this, she's learned yet another skill that has made her very popular: grant writing. Healthy Start is now pretty big and employs dozens of people part-time. From what I can tell, it really is working.

My oldest brother Rob is at a state school. I don't know what his major will be, but he's the family computer whiz, especially with hardware. I remember him as a kid, taking apart our old computer when we got a real live 386. He also loves computer games and has made it possible for me to identify the game being played (and the version!) based sound alone- often from 3 rooms away. He used to read all of my adventure SciFi books, but I don't know if he still does. I do know I still find my David Eddings books strewn around his room. The family picture on my main page is him holding Lulu and trying to keep her quiet- a monumental task at times.

The next one is Andy, who is a freshman in high school this year. An outdoorsman like Dad, he used to shoot in competition in 4-H, and he still hunts and fishes avidly. He swims like a fish, climbs like a monkey, and has had more near-death experiences than the entire rest of the family combined. Not only has he almost drowned twice, had his skull cracked with a golf club, and fallen out of many a tree, but he is getting his learner's permit in February. God help us.... Anyway, he seems to be settling down; he currently has three parts in Flowers for Algeron in our high school production, and he takes studying very seriously. But I predict he'll try out for the soccer team and be back to his old tricks any month now...

Loo, loo, skip to my loo.... Yep, that picture up on the left is Lulu skipping through the Smithsonian Museum of Art. True to form, she was running off in the wrong direction to find the people she wanted to bug. Like any other three-year-old, she has her moments. She's extremely photogenic and knows it- even as a baby she would turn toward the camera and smile with no coaching. The blond hair is a recessive gene from a couple of generations back. The curls are a dominant. Anyway, Lulu loves stickers, tattoos, coloring, computer games, sending mail, anime (smart kid), music, dancing, jewelry, and just about anything that will be expensive when she gets older. Oh, and food. Just like the rest of us. She also loves being the center of attention. Is this a surprise?

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There are also five cats in my family right now. This is funny, since my father hates cats and doesn't understand how we ended up with so many. They are all characters, and living with them is like living with five haughty four-year-olds, all of whom expect butler service from everyone else in the house. It's true- a cat is always on the wrong side of the door.

Feline #1 is Conrad (named for the vet who saved his life), the oldest. He is extremely lazy whenever he can get away with it, and he loves people. He's the official "couch cat" of the family, and he seems to get an odd sort of kick out of taking up half the chair someone is trying to sit in. He is also the primary suspect whenever there is yowling and catfighting outside- he doesn't like the neighbors, apparently.

Orange is younger than Conrad by about 3 months. As a kitten, he followed my parents home after their Thanksgiving afternoon walk, and stayed around for supper. He hasn't left yet. Since he was pretty scrawny at the time, I doubt any owners were looking for him. He has a really neat mutation- 6 toes on his front feet. I've noticed that's more common in cats than in humans, but it's still neat. Anyway, he's a shy one, but he's the best mouser we have left.

Then we get to the two sisters (technically twins). Lisa Loki is orange and fluff-brained beyond belief. You can almost hear the valley-girl accent. She doesn't drink like a normal cat- she sticks her paw into the water, then licks it. Does this seem productive? Only if the water in question is in some unsuspecting human's glass that's too narrow to fit a cat face, I suppose. But her royal fluffiness also thinks that if it's raining out one door, we should check all the rest anyway, just in case. Daddy says it's just like that Heilein book, The Door Into Summer.

Callico Freeda is no more sedate than her sister, but she has more brains about her. And more foolhardy courage. She's the smallest of our cats, but she eats constantly, and this leads her to jump onto the counters with alarming frequency, and she won't get down unless she's absolutely sure you are getting up and coming after her. The only person she's truly afraid of is Lulu. The only thing she really hates is water; she tends to look like a drowned rat after sudden rainstorms.

Last, but certainly not least and she'll let you know it, is Adorable Isis, aka Dora. This black beauty is probably partly British Shorthair, because she is sleek, well-built, and has a yowl like a Siamese. My first personal rescue, she started what will most likely be a long tradition of litter-training, de-worming, and hand-feeding skitish baby cats until they grow up to be obnoxious, yowling, beat-up-the-neighbors, sleep-on-your-face big cats. But they're worth it. Really... ^_^;

We also have a dog and a fish. They are the survivors- we used to have 2 dogs and 2 fish, not to mention rabbits. Our yellow Labrador Graceful Lady (aka Gracy) is still with us, and Splash or Steve or whichever one of the goldfish survived, still swims around in circles showing off his beautiful tail. Gracy is one of the sweetest dogs known to mankind- matched only by her late mother Lady. She shares most of a backyard with the cats, and they get along just fine. The fish lives in the bathroom.

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I have an extensive extended family. My parents can't even count all of my second cousins, since they have enough trouble with their first cousins, and they don't know who all has kids.

On my father's side, there is Granny (painter, Southern cook, and infinitely patient), Grandpa (gardener, hunter, cook, and dabbling mechanic and woodworker), Uncle John (who loves the War Between the States, cats, old Fantasy, and gardening), Uncle Cecil (mechanic, motorcycle owner, also a cat-lover), and Grandma Jennye, my great-grandmother. They make up the Orr family, the Morris family, one set of Halls, and various other names.

I also have several cousins on that side. These include the Stroud, Summerour, and Barber families, as well as others I have never met.

On my mother's side, I have Grandma (avid reader, computer programmer from the days of punch cards), Grandad (pilot, builder of computers and planes), Beverly (inventive cook, active church member, and reader), and Uncle Lee (artist, systems annalyst); Uncle Frank (loves skiing, biking, computers, and geneology), Aunt Anneke (airline interpreter, loves to tell jokes), Steve (another joke-lover, sax player, and soon to be seeking a new job...), and Linda (speaks Spanish and wants to teach ESL). These link me to the Clemmer family and the other Halls, among others.

We also have a family that lives down the street that we might as well be related to. Evie is a nurse, too, and Danny works at the same hospital as Dad. The girls are three redheads, all around the ages of the oldest three of us. We used to go on trips together in their van, to places like D.C. and Disney World and such. Since we were all homeschooled together, it was like having another set of parents sometimes. To this day, if Andy is nowhere to be found, we call them first to see if Anne is missing too. Katie, the oldest, is at the same school as Rob, Mary is in D.C., and Anne is still being a tomboy back home, since she's in the same grade as Andy.

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Several of my relatives are interested in geneology, so I have quite a collection of ancestors on this page. There is not room for all of the information that we have on all of them, but I will do my best to make this section as concise and clear as possible. I also have links to other pages which have a bearing on my family history. If you think you may be related to my family (on either side- we have passels of relatives), well then, howdy cousin! You can email the pertinent geneological info to me, and I will forward it to the real geniuses in the family tree, who can put the pieces together.

But even if you aren't in any way related to us, I hope you find this section interesting in terms of history- it goes back to before the Revolutionary War in this country, and back to the territorial disputes over Alsace and Lorraine in Europe. But we're really Southerners, born and bred, and that's the history that's clearest on this page. Enjoy!

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(Wilson, Miller, Levinston?, Bradford, Eccles)

Data compiled by William Baxter Orr
Text by John Morris
("you" = Megan, John's niece)

Your great-great-great-great grandfather was John Orr Sr. (1760-1828). A family story (without proof) is that four brothers of the Orr family, of Scotch descent, sailed from Cork County Ireland. One died on the way over, the remaining three landed in Virginia. They separated. John, Sr., came south, eventually to Jackson County, Georgia.

More likely are the claims made by his descendants that he was native born and a Revolutionary Soldier. One such claim refers to him as "John, Jr.", born about 1760 in North Carolina and a resident of Georgia during the Revolution. This claim we will suppose to be true. It is more than likely that John, Sr., did "assist in the establishment of American Independence," as defined by the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Exactly where and when he served is unknown. No record of Georgia service has been found. His name "John Orr, Sr. Revolutionary Soldier" appears on the 1827 Land Lottery Eligibles List of Jackson County,Georgia. After his death, "Nancy Orr, widow of Revolutionary Soldier," and "John Orr's orphans" were listed as Eligibles on the 1832 Land Lottery Lists, same county.

In about 1785 John, Sr., married Rebecca (last name unknown). There were three children. Daughter Rebecca was born May 3, 1786; son John October 7, 1787; daughter Jennett 1789 (her name is spelled variously as Jeanette or Jennette. She is sometimes referred to as Jane). Very little is known of this family during Rebecca's lifetime. Their son John was reported in the census of 1850 as having been born in South Carolina. However, 30 years later, one of John Jr.'s sons, William Eccles Orr, reported to the census taker that his father and mother were both born in North Carolina. In any event, the family probably had not relocated to Georgia prior to the Revolution.

Rebecca died about 1800 at the age of forty. Land records show that John Sr. and his children were in Jackson County by February 15, 1806 when he bought a large tract of land. It is supposed that John Sr. and his family were affiliated with the nearby Thyatira Presbyterian Church, but there is no proof. John Jr. and his family were members in later years. Daughter Rebecca married Robert Wilson on October 16, 1808. She died in 1830. Daughter Jennett (Jane) married William (or Thomas) Miller on July 13, 1813. No more is known of Jennett. We will speak more of John Jr. later. John Sr. remarried at some unknown time late in life, probably after 1825. Her name was Nancy. Not much is known about their life together.

On April 15, 1828, John Sr. had prepared and put his mark on his Will. The Will reads in part: "... I give & bequeath unto my wife Nancy Orr five dollars in money ...unto my wife's daughter Martha Levinston Orr ten dollars ... unto my wife's son Thomas Orr ten dollars ... unto my wife's daughter Ann Orr ten dollars ... unto my three children John Orr, Jr., Rebecca Wilson and Jennett Miller all my property ... to be equally divided between them ... I nominate & appoint John Orr, Jr. and ... my executors ..." (The name "Levinston" is indistinct - some see it as "Leverton" or "Silverton.") It is unknown when John Sr. died. On June 20, 1828, he put his mark to a land deed, apparently selling some of his old home place to his son-in-law Robert Wilson. He must have died before November 3, 1828, when his Will was proved in court.

John Orr, Jr. (your great-great-great grandfather) married Polly (or Minnie) Bradford on April 12, 1810. He was twenty-two, she was eighteen. She was born October 1, 1791, place unknown. John and Polly had one child, a son named James, born October 4, 1812. It is thought that Polly died in childbirth. John remarried probably within a year after Polly's death, although the date and place are unknown. Her name was Elizabeth Eccles, the daughter of William Eccles and Margaret Huie Eccles. It is assumed that the family made their home on land John Jr. bought from his father, John Orr, Sr., on Parks Creek in Jackson County. Apparently, father and son were farmers and neighbors.

These are the children of John and Elizabeth:
William Eccles Orr, born October 3, 1814
John Christopher Columbus Orr, born March 15, 1818
Joseph L. Orr, born November 15, 1820
Samuel Alexander Orr, born August 12, 1823
Robert Baxter H. Orr, born November 25, 1826
David Woodborn Orr, born July 1, 1829
Alexander Lynn Orr, born March 5, 1832 (your great-great grandfather)
George Columbus Orr, born June 9, 1836

The family moved to Cobb County, Georgia sometime after March 1833 and before 1837. George Orr's descendants say he was born in Jackson County, which narrows the date of the move even more. The family settled first a few miles southwest of Acworth, near Proctar Creek. A few months later, they moved to a site near Allatoona Creek where they made their permanent home. The Mars Hill Presbyterian Church in Cobb County was organized in January, 1837. The eight charter members included John and Elizabeth. The 1851 Tax List, Cobb County, 20th District, tells us that John Orr owned 2 slaves (one negro woman and child) and 360 acres of land.

John Orr died April 22, 1855. Elizabeth Orr died August 6, 1864. They are buried in Mars Hill Cemetery, in the family plot with her mother and several of their sons.

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Text by John Morris
("you" = Megan, John's niece)

JAMES ORR -- born 4 Oct, 1812 I have found no service record for him yet. If he did serve, it was probably with a local militia unit. Many of these records were lost or purposely destroyed.

WILLIAM ECCLES ORR -- born 3 Oct, 1814 Private, Company C, 7 Georgia Infantry (State Guards) Period of service: Sept. 5, 1863 to Oct. 21, 1863. When paid: Jan. 31, 1864 Amount: $33.98 Remarks: clothing Another page of records gives his enlistment as July 29, 1863, at Cobb County by Capt. G. W. Johnson for a period of six months with the remark that he was discharged Oct. 21, 1863. The same page of records says "The 7th Regiment Georgia State Guards appears to have been formed about September, 1863, by the consolidation of Lester's Battalion and Neely's Battalion, Georgia State Guards; Lester's Battalion forming Companies A, C, E, G, K, and L, and Neely's Battalion forming Companies B, D, F, H and I." Another record card lists him as a Private in Capt. Johnson's Co mpany (Acworth Grays), Lester's Reg't, Georgia. this Regiment commanded by Col. G. N. Lester, for local defence, to serve in the State of Georgia. Joined for duty and enrolled: July 29, 1863 Where: Acworth, Ga. By whom: Capt. G. W. Johnson Period: 6 months Age: 48 years Height: 5 ft. 5 in. Where born: Jackson, Ga. Complexion: dark; hair: dark Occupation: farmer This is the only brother whose physical description is given. Perhaps the entire regiment was discharged on October 21st. This would be about a month after the battle of Chickamauga, where the invading Yankee army was whipped and consequently bottled up in Chattanooga. Was William Orr called out again in the spring of 1864 when the invading hosts again entered Georgia? Probably, but I have not yet found subsequent records.

JOHN CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS ORR -- born 15 March, 1818 I have found no service record for him, yet. He too, like his brother William, may have served in some sort of militia unit, but I do not have proof.

JOSEPH L. ORR -- born 15 Nov., 1820 Private, Company D, 1st Georgia Cavalry Enlisted: March 8, 1862 at Dallas, Ga. by W. R. Seawright Period: Three years or during the war Last paid: June 30, 1864 (This information comes from a muster roll for November and December, 1864.) Another muster roll for June 30 to December 31, 1863, lists him as "Absent, Sick in Atlanta Hospital." It does not specify the cause or exact dates of his hospitalization, but curiously gives another enlistment date of August 1, 1863 at Dallas, Ga. by S. R. McGregor. But, the same card says he was paid to June 30, 1863. Perhaps August 1st is when he rejoined his unit. Joseph was the oldest of the brothers known to have joined a regular fighting unit. He was 41 at the time of his enlistment in 1862. He also was the oldest of the three brothers to marry a McMillan sister (Martha.) All three Orr brothers (the other two being David W. and Alexander Lynn) who married McMillan sisters fought in Company D, 1st Georgia Cavalry, where they were joined with two brothers-in-law, R. H. and G. W. McMillan.

SAMUEL ALEXANDER ORR -- born 12 August, 1823 I have yet to find any military service records of him, but I have information of him from another source. He was a Presbyterian Minister. He graduated from Oglethorpe University in 1851, and Columbia Theological Seminary in 1854. In the Ministerial Directory of the Presbyterian Church, U.S. 1861-1941, his biographical sketch has the following: Ordained, army chaplain, October 22, 1864, Ouachita Presbytery (Arkansas). Confederate Army Chaplains served in many capacities. Fighting in the ranks was not uncommon.

ROBERT BAXTER H. ORR -- born 25 November, 1826 This is the last of the brothers of whom I have no military service records. He may have been living in Texas during the war and there joined local militia, but that is speculation on my part.

DAVID WOODBURN ORR -- born 1 July, 1829 Private, Company D, 1st Georgia Cavalry Another card says,"Private, Captain Seawright's Co., Lt. Col. Morrison's Batt'n Georgia Cavalry. This company subsequently became Company D, 1st Regiment Georgia Cavalry." Camp Morrison Ga. Roll dated Mch 31, 1862

Muster-in date Mch 8, 1862
Joined for duty and enrolled:
When Mch 8
Where Dallas Ga.
By whom Capt. W. R. Seawright
Period Three years or during the war
Valuation in dollars of Horse 200
horse equipments 20

PAY ROLL for Apl 17,1862:
Volunteered: When Mch 2, 1862
Where Dallas Paulding Co. Ga.
Bounty due $50; paid $50 (I think this bounty was paid because of his age, which for some reason was listed as 27 when he was really 32. The bounty was paid for being over aged, so I do not know why he would be listed as any younger.)

The Company Muster Rolls for Sept & Oct, 1862 and Nov & Dec 1862 list him as "Absent Cobb Co. Ga. on sick furlough." Nevertheless, he apparently was still paid "40 cents per day for use of horse, arms, etc." during these months of sickness. He was listed as "present" for the Jan & Feb, 1863 muster roll. He appears on a "RECEIPT ROLL for clothing," dated July 13, 1864. The Nov & Dec, 1864 muster roll lists him as "Absent Prisoner of War." He possibly was taken prisoner during the time of the Battle of Atlanta when his brother-in-law (whose case is well documented) was also taken prisoner. (I remember when we were cleaning out your great-grandmother Morris' house someone found a light colored wooden box, which I believe had a small sliding drawer. It was perhaps 4 in. by 3 in. by 2 in. Inside was a note saying it had been carved by Uncle Dave while in a Yankee prison camp. I believe your great-aunt Mary Lynn took it.)

Alexander Lynn Orr is your great-great-grandfather.

ALEXANDER LYNN ORR -- born 5 March, 1832 Private, Company D, 1st Georgia Cavalry. His enlistment records are identical to brother David's listed above. He too was paid a $50 bounty. His age is listed as 25 when he was really 29 when he volunteered and 30 at the actual muster-in date. His horse was valued at $200, horse equipments at $5. The July & Aug, 1862 Company Muster Roll lists him as "Present sick." For Sept & Oct and Nov & Dec, 1862 he was "Absent Cobb Co. Ga. on sick furlough." He was present for the Jan & Feb 1863 muster roll. The Nov & Dec muster roll says he was paid last to June 30, 1864. Another record card contains this curious note, "See personal papers of Joseph Douglass, Co H 1st S (here the letters are very faint, but I believe they are C C. Perhaps this is Co. H, 1st South Carolina Cavalry(?).) According to his widow's pension application Alexander Lynn Orr was present at the Surrender on April 26, 1865 near Adkins River, North Carolina. This information was sworn to by Mr. J. H. Ragsdale who served in the same company with A. L. Orr for three years (possibly this is their entire enlistment period.)

GEORGE COLUMBUS ORR -- born 9 June, 1836 Private, Capt. J. J. Carter's Company, Hubbard's Reg't Texas Infantry. This company was known at various times as Captain Carter's Company, Hubbard's Regiment Texas Infantry; Captain Carter's Company Texas Volunteer Infantry, and Company H, 22d Regiment Texas Infantry.

Joined for duty and enrolled:
When: May 10, 1862
Where Quitman, Texas
By whom B. S. Watts
Period 3 yrs.
Number of miles to rendezvous 8
He was paid a $50 bounty.

He appears on a register of C. S. A. Rock Hotel Hospital, Little Rock, Arkansas:

Disease Dysenteria
Admitted Dec 22, 1862
Returned to duty Feb 27, 1863

He appears on the Company Muster Roll for Jany & Feb, 1864 as last paid to Aug 31, 1863.

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