About Us
This website has been established to provide a central information network for the descendents of:
Alfred Alexander and Ida Frances Phelps Branch, William Franklin and Mary Avery White Gander and Harvey Smithton and Iona Hope (Branch) Gander.
Members of this family can use this site to research their ancestry, look for important dates, find addresses of long lost cousins, and just generally stay in touch and appreciate their history. Please look around and leave your comments at the Guest Book or send your Feedback.
Hello,
My name is Alice Bell Gander. I am your host for this web site. The name of the site comes from the brand name of sorghum molasses that was produced by Harvey Smithton Gander for many years. It is a name that I associate with the family breakfast table and outdoor farming activities such as making sorghum.
I am the youngest grandchild on both sides of my family - James Adelbert and Gertrude Lee (Bell) Jarboe and Harvey Smithton and Iona Hope (Branch) Gander. By virtue of the long, fertile lives of my ancestors, I bridge what would normally be four or five generations in other families. My mother turned 40 the year I was born and her father was 47 when she was born. This means that I must be one of a small number of Americans my age whose grandfather was born before 1870. As I have no children of my own, I pass on the legacy of my family through other means. I inherited a strong reverence for both sides of my family from my parents. The Ganders and Jarboes are just plain good folks. Fun to be around, solidly middle class, smart, healthy, excellent ethics and values, salt of the earth, etc. I was privileged to grow up surrounded by such great role models.
Future Features:
This site was first published January 25, 2000. It is in a constant state of growth and expansion. Features that I imagine in the future are "recipe swaps" for favorite family recipes, "remember when" discussion groups for people to leave their own personal memories of the family, a more structured genealogy database for search purposes, a media library for audio and video clips of the family and much more. You are a key part of building this web site, let me hear from you about what you want to see and how you could use this site at alice@gandersbest.com .
Enjoy your visit and please leave a message in the Guest Book!
Sincerely,
Alice B. Gander
This page was last updated on 11/27/17 11:36 AM