Fearless Females: March 10

The Accidental Genealogist is running her annual “Fearless Females” month of March. I’m so happy to be joining in, although admittedly a little late. I will attempt to catch up before the end of the month. If you want to see her blog and prompts you can look here: http://www.theaccidentalgenealogist.com/2015/02/back-for-sixth-year-fearless-females.html

The prompt for March 10:

“What role did religion play in your family? How did your female ancestors practice their faith? If they did not, why didn’t they? Did you have any female ancestors who served their churches in some capacity?”

My maternal grandmother, Peggy Barbour Straughen, was very active in the church until she died. After she married my grandfather she left nursing and when they moved to Dayton she joined Normandy United Methodist Church, the same church my mother and I each grew up in. In 1973 she went back to school and earned a bachelor’s degree in theology, even though she had three kids at home she graduated with departmental honors and summa cum laude! She was a steadfast member of the choir and served as a layperson on occasion as well as attending and leading numerous other events. I wasn’t even called by name at church growing up! I was “Peggy’s granddaughter”.