Geneaology has always been of interest to me. What interests me most is not the usual "date of birth," "date of death," number of children," data, but rather the anecdotes.

The earliest anecdotes about my ancestors appeared in the late 19th Century; my Great Great Grandmother, Eliza Jane Brus (24 September 1840 - 22 June 1931), began to research our family tree at that time. She typed out the data and anecdotes that she gathered on a typewriter that had a green ribbon in it; I know this because her originals are in my grandmother's possession, as she is the eldest descendant.

One of my favorite anecdotes is Eliza Jane Brus telling the story of the first time she saw a bear. The actual spot where she saw the bear was pointed out to me from my Great Aunt Marian's house -- the same house that Eliza Jane Brus typed her geneaology in.





The first bear I ever seen was running across Ed and Tate's (Brus) field southwest over them hills. It was running southwest. I told my mother there was a black cow in the field. She came and looked and said it was a bear. John Humphrey was working north of the house. Mother called him and he took father's rifle and dogs and went after it but there were two other men chasing it before he went. They run it down in Gabbert's timber. It climbed a tree to get clear of the dogs and they shot it. It was in the year 1846. My father was in the pinery or granary. I was 6 years old.

In 1850 there was another bear killed north of here along where the railroad runs. Them were the only two bears I ever saw running wild in Scott County. I saw some deers, lots of wolves and lots of indians. My father always went wolf hunting in the winter. He always killed enough to pay his taxes every year.
The familia that lives next on my road has a bear for a pet. They keep it in a cage but sometimes they let it go out. It is not a big bear and it has no claws on his hands. I think it is a very sad bear becuase it is not home. They have big dogs that bark at the bear and make it more sad. I want to go let it out of the cage at night so it can go but there are no bears around us so it will be lonly and it will die. I wish I can help it.



New: The bear died when it was attacked by the dogs. The people ate the meat and they use the skin for a rug. I don't go over there any more.

Log in or register to write something here or to contact authors.