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"Butch" was an eccentric and brilliant man who passed away at the age of 59. When he was in his 30's, Butch worked for the Cavalier Vending Corporation. He was an engineer and invented the coin indicator mechanism on Coke machines. Although he was not a good father, I respected his intelligence.

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My maternal ancestors are all farmers who had many children. Families were so big because many children were needed to help run the family farm. It could be assumed that academics are not valued in many agrarian households. However, my grandfather who ran a family farm was also a school teacher. He taught for several years in a one-room school house in Walker County. He had a reputation of being very strict and somewhat mean. At the age of 76, my grandmother returned to school and received her GED. Because of this remarkable achievement, she was recognized by former Georgia governor Joe Frank Harris.

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William Malcolm Pettigrew and Annie Mae McCoy were hard working people who ran a farm and raised 13 children. Annie's father, James William McCoy, was an Irish immigrant.

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My Great-Grandfather was a streetcar conductor in Chattanooga, Tn

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My maternal grandmother, Mary Janette Caldwell Pettigrew, raised seven children and worked her entire life taking care of her husband's family. My grandfather, William Malcolm Pettigrew, died before I was born. He had 11 brothers and sisters.

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My dad's mother, Ethel Isabel Lowery Bowman, is pictured here with her sisters. I have so many fond memories of my grandmother. She was so sweet and loved her family so very much.

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My mother has instilled in me the importance of strong work ethics. She is 76 years old and is an actively working insurance sales agent.

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I attended a Presbyterian kindergarten and Lutheran first grade, but we did not attend church regularly as a family.
Our children both attended preschool at our Methodist church. When they were little, we were very involved in church, but stopped going when our daughter started playing competitive softball.
The last couple of years, my husband, son, and I have been attending a non-denominational church in Ringgold.

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My husband Michael and children, Kristin and Jake

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I have been married to Michael Bonine for 21 years and we have two wonderful college-aged children. I value my family and our relationship more than anything else. They will always be my number one priority.
I grew up in Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia in a single-parent home. My sister, who is 12 years older, and I were raised by our mother. Growing up, I was very close with my paternal grandmother. My father was never around, my mother worked a lot , and my sister was off at college so my grandmother really helped fill in the gaps when I was little.  She was very nurturing and attentive. My family was slightly dysfunctional and we didn't really have family traditions. I feel that this is why having a strong family who makes special memories together is so very important to me.

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My ancestors are primarily from Irish and English descent. Though internet research, I discovered that my mother's great grandfather was an Irish immigrant. He came to America in the mid 1800's and lived in Alabama. Most of my mother's paternal side of the family were born in Georgia and Alabama. However, my mother's maternal side of the family originally lived in New York. In the late 1880's, my maternal grandmother's parents migrated south and eventually settled in Walker County Georgia.  Most of my maternal ancestors were farmers who raised cotton.  Unfortunately, I discovered that my 3rd great grandfather was a slave owner who had 12 slaves.  Around 1875, my mother's paternal family name was changed from McPherson to Pettigrew.  I asked my mother about this and she said it was due to a molestation scandal. My great-great grandmother took her children and fled from her abusive husband (McPherson).  She and the children changed their name to her mother's maiden name which was Pettigrew.

My father's side of the family have lived in the Tennessee Valley or North Georgia areas for at least 5 generations.  My paternal grandmother was from Chattanooga. Both sides of her family had lived in the city for at least 2 generations.  My grandmother's father was a streetcar conductor.  His route was on Dodd's Avenue in Chattanooga.  My paternal grandfather and his family have lived in the Ringgold and Rock Spring, Georgia area for several generations.  Most of them operated family farms, but also travelled to the city for work.