Whitener Pilgrimage

My dad can trace his ancestors back to one of the first (or the first, depending on what you're reading) European settlers of Catawba County, North Carolina.  Since we live less than 2 hours from there, we headed that way when Mom and Dad visited a couple weeks ago. 

Most of the Whiteners in the U.S. are concentrated around Newton/Hickory, North Carolina and Fredericktown, Missouri.  One of the original American Whitener sons left North Carolina and moved to Missouri.  Before he did, he lived in this rock house in North Carolina, which is listed on the N.C. Historic Register.

The Catawba County History Museum in Newton had the original tombstones (inscribed in German) of the ancestors on display.

There was a map of the area from 1886 that listed all the households.

This is one of several close-ups I took.  There's a good chance that the Jarrett family on the map is related to the NASCAR Jarrett family (Ned and Dale).  They are from this area.

Newton happened to be having a MayFest the day we were there, which helped keep things interesting for the kids.

Jamie McMurray race car (Jamie is from Missouri, too!)

Petting zoo

Nearby in Hickory is the Catawba Science Center.  It had lots of great exhibits, but Joshua's favorite was the touch tank.  There were sharks and rays to touch.

I'm not sure if Jeremiah actually touched an animal, but he enjoyed splashing in the water.

If you ignore Joshua getting carsick on the way home, it was a wonderful day!