The Truth … According to Greg

Sometimes truth hurts. But it’s still truth. What I’ve always been able to do is express my opinion, even when it got me in trouble, and that’s what I do here as I explore the family history of, well, me.

If you want to know more about me, click here, but I have always been a voracious reader, a student of history, interested in how the world works, and wanting to know our place as humans in it. What is the meaning of life? Is there a meaning to life? Is there a point to the progression of human events, or, as has been said, is history just one damn thing after another?

It is these “big picture” concepts that fascinate me, but also draw me to the specifics of my own evolution as a human being that compels me to investigate it. 

At the same time, lately, I am also inspired to write about it by all those who feel the need to loudly proclaim their version of “facts” but demonize those who might think otherwise. You know who you are.

Well, actually, you probably don’t, but just know that you will always be welcome here. Challenge me, take me on, prove that I am just another one of those radical, left-wing California whacko snowflakes beholden to the mainstream media, the Clintons, the Obamas, George Soros, or any combination thereof. Show the world that I am “woke”!  

And so, The Truth … According to Greg is a blend of history, current events, politics, religion, education, and, well, you name it. And trains. There’ll probably be a lot about trains. It’s my take on the world around us, and it may not always be pretty.

What you won’t see here is the genealogy part of The World According to Greg. For that, I direct you to The Story of Us on this site and to my other site, finescalehd.com. In that regard, there are several parts to this project. First, there is the raw data — who is related to who, laid out in a tree or some other form, the emergence of DNA as a common tool, and the methods used in researching those connections. That can be exciting as one discovers connections or relationships never seen before. 

Second, there is the what happened when. Even more exciting — or touching, or gripping, or sad, perhaps — are the stories and things that bring us together as a family, that try to explain the meaning of our lives, or, are just plain funny. Or touching. Or gripping. Or sad.  The stories there are in no particular order, and as you will see, reading these stories and looking through photos, documents, and family trees, the story to date is expansive. It encompasses Hiles and Penroses, Bousmans and Korhonens.

Add in my wife’s family, and you have Baughs and Bensons, Huffines and Dudymotts, not to mention all the other branches extending out on both sides. Our family tree includes three American presidents, another major-party presidential candidate, a U.S. senator, some prominent scientists and doctors, business tycoons, and a family that extends back to the colonial era well before the American Revolution.

It also includes our share of scoundrels, philanderers, neer-do-wells, a domestic terrorist, and possibly even a murderer or two. 

And if you want it all together, check out The Gallery and The Archives, which, thrown all together, is perhaps the way it should be organized anyway.

Uh, How Old Did You Say You Were?
Penrose | The Family Tree

Uh, How Old Did You Say You Were?

Over at the Gogebic County courthouse on June 11, 1928, the Reverend Axel G. Pearson officiated the nuptials of 21 year-old Gisborn Sherman Penrose of Hurley, Wisconsin and 19 year-old Helmi Sylvia Johnson of Ironwood, Michigan as witnessed by Leo Penrose, the groom’s cousin, and Signia Johnson, the bride’s sister. At least that’s what the marriage license said.

Speaking of Bad-Ass Women …
Hile | The Family Tree

Speaking of Bad-Ass Women …

She’s as bad-ass as they come. In fact, she was born bad-ass, following a long line of bad-ass women, like her mother, her grandmothers, and the generations of strong, smart, powerful women before them. Of course, she’s only two, so there’s bound to be a certain amount of figuring out of stuff along the way, but with a face like this, who can doubt she’s going to rule the world some day.

William and Frances
Uncategorized

William and Frances

William and Frances Finding the Unexpected When You Least Expect it William Bousman was my great-great-great grandfather. Born in 1837 in Clark County, Illinois, William was one of seven boys and six girls born to William Delos Bousman and Nancy Biggs. In 1855 William married Frances Shoemaker of Cooper County, Missouri. The Shoemakers were a…

That Sound You Hear …
The Truth

That Sound You Hear …

The response to Sidney Powell’s admission that no reasonable person would believe her claims of electoral fraud proves the existence of what I now call AINOs — Americans in Name Only. It’s sad to see people you love reduced to this spectacle of their own doing.

Two Smirking Yahoos
Politics | The Truth

Two Smirking Yahoos

Does CAHOOTS work everywhere? Probably not — every community will have their own particulars to work out — but it’s a much better starting point for meaningful discussion and reform than two smirking yahoos. What do you think?

I’m Sticking with Joe
Politics | The Truth

I’m Sticking with Joe

People keep asking me who I’m voting for. The overriding question for me has also always been the ability to beat Trump, hold the House, and take back the Senate, and for awhile it seemed like Biden might go down for the count. South Carolina changed all that, and so I’m sticking with Joe.

CVCHS Football
Religion | The Truth

It’s Okay to Pray

Aside from the fact that their Bible calls those who demand a return to prayer in schools hypocrites for demanding such public prayer (Matthew 6:5-6), it’s also just not true that prayer is banned from high school football. At least not in God-fearing California.

At Home in the Universe
The Family Tree

At Home in the Universe

All people, at all times, must have created myths and stories to sketch a picture of our place under the sun. As I would ask myself what is the purpose of life and what is my role in that purpose, I came to wonder who in my past sat around a campfire and asked those same questions.

The Begatin’ Man
Uncategorized

The Begatin’ Man

Based on family oral history it is highly likely that I am related to William Jennings Bryan but exactly how is still not quite clear from the documentary evidence. This points out an important factor to consider when doing genealogy research, namely that one cannot sit in front of a computer and expect perfect, full, and complete answers.

Merry Christmas
The Truth

Merry Christmas

Christmas has not been always been that joyous of an occasion for me over the years. Still, Christmas has its moments, family traditions that only the family would understand and appreciate and covet, children discovering and rediscovering Santa Claus, or whatever is special for you.

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