It's amazing how much information you can find on this new internet thingy. I was googling names of family members (you know you've done it too) and I came across a fantastic genealogy site compiled by one of Dad's first cousins, Syd Landis Dickinson. The website traces the descendants of Charles Anderson Raine (1841-1902), my great great grandfather on my dad's mother's side. (There's also a similar page tracing Charles Anderson Raine's lineage back to one Abraham Michaux (1672-1717) of Champagne, France.) Charles Anderson Raine lived a fascinating life, as detailed in a brief autobiography he wrote in 1897. He fought for the Confederacy in Stonewall Jackson's brigade; survived Gettysburg, the Battle of the Wilderness, and life as a prisoner of war; started a successful tobacco manufacturing company in Danville, VA; and raised 12 children. One of his daughters, Rochet Venable Raine (1881-1956), married Clement Adkisson Sydnor (1875-1949), who descended from Fortunatus Sydnor (1640-1682). Clement and Rochet's 11th child (2nd daughter) is my grandmother, Rochet Raine Sydnor Blair. There are some excellent photos of the Sydnor family and even some family recollections of life in the Sydnor home. These sites are well done and absolutely fascinating. And the family names...WOW! Finding this website has sparked quite an interest in family genealogy, so don't be surprised if future posts further detail the history of the Boston Blairs.
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