Jeanne Hemingway Sharpe, was for some of us Mama, for others she was Grandma, Great Grandmother, Aunt, Friend.

 

Jeanne lived by most measures a charmed life with a few bumps in the road along the way.  In her short 74-years, she brought so much to so many.  She was an loving and loyal wife and mother, she was a competent business person, and she was a good friend to many.  At her funeral in 1988, a number of women said to me, "Jeanne was my Best Friend".   I think that Jeanne would not have defined these people as 'Best Friends", but rather as "My Friends", with whom she shared herself in great measures.   Perhaps Jeanne's father, Reverend John Sharpe, who displayed the quality of giving of oneself that Jeanne emulated in her own life.

 

Jeanne had great values, love of family and friends, honesty and integrity, an unshakable positive attitude, backbone and confidence, and charm.  She was a worker and a doer who accomplished whatever she set out to do.  And even though from time-to-time she would stomp her foot, get a determined look on her face, and say with great conviction, " B U D", she truly did love her man.  Jeanne and Bud had been married for 37 years when he died suddenly, the last words spoken to each other being, "I love you".

 

Jeanne loved her boys and gave us a solid foundation, from which we have conducted ourselves.  She didn't play favorites, and we never felt neglected, as Mama shared herself equally with all in her family circle.

 

In reflecting on my Mama's life, I can identify only one flaw, that of her unshakable addiction to tobacco.  It is sad that Jeanne and Bud grew up at a time when smoking was "the thing to do" and before people knew of its dangers.  Unfortunately, they were robbed of long and healthy lives, a great loss for us all.  You will notice that in many of the photos contained herein, Jeanne and Bud had a cigarette in their hands.  Damn those cigarettes !!!

 

In the pages that follow, much is written and many photos and videos present Jeanne's and her family's lives up until the time of her death in 1988 and then beyond in her descendants' lives.

 

I hope that you enjoy this Website, as I have enjoyed bringing it to you.  In doing so, I have rekindled the love that I shared with my Mama and have deepened my feelings for my ancestors and my living extended family.  Through this process, I have become a more happy person, and I am grateful for the help I have received from my wife, Raleigh, from my brother, Jim, from my sister-in-law, Christine, and from my cousin, Carolyn.

 

My vision for this Website is that it be a living document, one in which you may share your memories, photos, stories, and feelings. I will post them to the site and alert all from time-to-time of updates.  As you have seen, I have password protected the content of this Website for the benefit of this extended family.  Please help to protect this security with your judicious care of the login.

 

Lastly, for now that is, as I have exercised my interest in genealogy I have built quite a database of knowledge of the Hemingway, Hamm, and Mckain ancestry on www.ancestry.com, in the Hamm/McKain/Hemingway Family Tree.

 

Affectionately,

John Hamm