Peggy Brooks Moore

***An update - long overdue on Peggy - she is at home, recovering still but very happy and comfortable. I visited with her last week and she kept me in stitches. My Mom, Jeanne and my brother, Scott also were with me as we visited family in Burlington.****

Peggy Brooks Moore, daughter of Garland and Belva Brooks, sister of (surviving) Jeanne, Katherine, Ronnie, wife of William Moore, and mother of Mark Bright.

What a darling of the family - she needs our prayers right now. She is in Alamance Regional Hospital undergoing tests. Send a card her way or a visit if you can. She is a very special person in the Brooks family and we wish her all the best in her recovery!

Important link to Civil War heroes

Findagrave.com is a fantastic link to our ancestor's graves and RJ Shepherd's Civil War Shepherd's memorial site on FindAGrave.com is definitely worth a visit.

He has extensively researched and documented with pictures as well as written material as many Shepherd war veterans as possible and done a fantastic job of it. Many of these are our direct ancestors. You may have to join Findagrave.com to look - I am a member with many links to our ancestors. My name is DiffeeDenise on the site.


Joining the site is very easy and I hope you all will find it interesting and helpful.

John Rufus Shepherd (1860 - 1894) - Find A Grave Memorial

John Rufus Shepherd (1860 - 1894) - Find A Grave Memorial

This is a picture of Lonnie Edwin Shepherd's father,one of our ancestor's graves, located in the Saint Mark's Church cemetery, Alamance county, NC. He was the son of Joel George Shepherd(1834-1863) and Eliza Martha Reid Shepherd (1837-1922)

This picture and all information is linked to JR Shepherd's memorial site on findagrave.com.

Be sure to see the new picture of Steve Brooks!

One of my most favorite things to do when I was a child was hang with my cousins Steve and Delores (Dee) Brooks at their country (ahem) estate. They had a barn with hay that we could climb up into -and I think Steve used to actually jump out of the upstairs window. At another house of theirs they built a racetrack for some kind of race cars that his father, Tom and Ronnie, our other uncle built just for BOYS. The reason I say just for boys is because they would not let me drive or ride in one! There was no way I was getting into one of them and driving. Maybe I was too little or maybe it was because they were chauvinist pigs - I am not sure (hehehe). I just remember how jealous I was. It was a great racetrack in their backyard. I can still see it. Steve always used to tease me too and scare me to death - but I loved it! He would harass Dee and I constantly and mostly just thought I was annoying as well. I'm sure I was! I just posted a picture of Steve when he was in the Navy (I think) or was it the Marines? He will have to confirm. See it in the gallery of pictures.

Maggie Terrell Shepherd's gravestone

Findagrave.com is a wonderful site for doing genealogy research. There are volunteers all over the world who will go to graveyards, photograph each stone and grave and post them with the appropriate obituary. I have asked for help from several of these people over the years while researching my family. Just yesterday I asked for help with finding our ancestor, matriarch of the Terrells - my grandmother Brooks' mother, Maggie. Today my wish was granted!

Calling all Terrell Shepherd Brooks Family members!

Hi again everyone! Just an update on Mom. She is moved in and has been there a month. She is meeting new people every day, and enjoying her new friends and lots of adventures. Since she is very mobile - she is getting lots of exercise moving around the one story facility safely! I am happy about that! She has a piano to play and sing along with and sometimes people come to play and she enjoys that too. Lots of family members of other residents come on a daily basis since they live very close by and always enjoy talking and visiting with Mom and her roomie, Thelma. Mom is like another Mother to Thelma who is an alzheimers patient. I have seen improvement in Thelma's demeanor this week - and know it is because of Mom's love shown toward her. I told Mom she is really helping someone and to be proud of herself. I think she is! So that is a quick update and don't forget you can send her a hello or a card. If you would like her personal phone number, let me know - I don't want to give it out here. Denise Hi everyone - just thought I would let you know that Mom/Jeanne Carol is making a big move tomorrow. She is moving into the Ridgewood Nursing Facility in Washington, NC, a new residence to hopefully make her life more safe, more fun (some friends for a change!) and more relaxing (no dogs barking constantly!) Even though my husband and I are a little sad - we are mostly happy for her safety as she has become quite a fall risk. Mom is legally blind due to macular degeneration advancement, using a cane to walk - due to a hip fracture 5 years ago while living here. She can still continue to receive mail here at our home as I will be visiting quite often. It is only a 25 minute drive from my house to Ridgewood. Mom has been there before and really loved it - when she rehabbed after her hip surgery. It is a special place with lots of love and laughing. My husband and I travel a lot also and staying here alone has become impossible for her. We are all looking forward to this move even though for Mom it is a little scary I'm sure. She is not complaining. If you would like to send a note/card to say hi - I'm sure she would love to hear from you!! Here is the address: Jeanne Diffee 185 Rivercrest Drive Greenville, NC 27858

New Pictures added today!

Here are a few new pictures - thanks to Dee Brooks Manning (Tom and Doris's daughter as well as our Aunt Katherine Brooks Halfpenny!! If any of you have pictures that you would let me share and document on this blog - please let me know!! We can get them either through scanning from your computer to email to me, or I can tag them on Facebook easily. Enjoy! This first one is a picture from the 1950's we think, of Tom, Doris (his wife), Ronnie (the little guy), Patsy White and an unknown who could be Katherine!

The next one is a photo of the three Brooks sisters, Jeanne B. Diffee, Peggy B. Moore and Katherine B. Halfpenny

This one is of the Brooks siblings, in 2012 I think - at Ron's house in Durham. Peggy, Ron Jeanne and Katherine standing.

Next is an old picture from Christmas at Jeanne's house in Burlington (probably the 80's) Ron, Granny Belva Brooks, Jeanne and Peggy

Here is a picture from Katherine's collection - Papa Garland Brooks - from the 50's it appears to be

Back in the 1970's - you can tell from the haircuts! This was a family reunion at Tom and Doris's home with Granny Belva and Grandpa Garland and the grandchildren who lived in the area of Burlington. Steve Brooks, Delores (Dee) Brooks, Joey Brooks, Denise and Scott Diffee. Billy's son,Billy Boy, who lived in Burlington was probably too young and I'm not sure they were even there. Also missing is Mark Bright, Peggy and Otis Bright's son who is the same age as Scott, and Joey is a little younger!

Tom and Doris Brooks - dating days

Here's a picture submitted on Facebook by their daughter, Dee. Ronnie Brooks is the little guy standing beside Doris at the top. We're waiting for Kathy Brooks Halfpenny to figure out who the others are. I think she was too little at the time to remember though, don't you??