Just an Old Made Up Mess

About the Book

At the tender age of fifteen, author A. M. Wadkins embarked on a journey that would last her a lifetime. A promise is simple enough on the surface, but in this case, that promise was the driving force that would see a young girl through life’s trials and tribulations. Each day, whether met with happiness or tears, diligence was always the key. It this book, meet the author and learn about the promise she made on a mountaintop in Virginia so long ago. Then travel back through the grains of time with the author as—through her research—she meets the people that helped shape the United States. Witness their struggles in defining not only who they would become, but who this country would become. Be there as men are sent off to war to fight for either the North or South. Then continue on through the turning of century, when life seemed golden. Take a walk through history with the people who lived it and get to know the faces that made it possible.

About the Author

A. M. Wadkins began her family’s genealogical research over twenty years ago and has dedicated a majority of her time researching through online sources, physical locations, and halls of records. Since embarking on this journey, A. M. Wadkins has established and maintained a Wadkins/Watkins family history facebook page (www.facebook.com/wadkinsfamilyhistory), a quarterly newsletter for those doing similar research under the Wadkins/Watkins surname and heads up the Written in Stone: Tombstone Restoration Project, which is a project that replaces old broken tombstones of individuals that can be found in the Wadkins/Watkins line. A. M. Wadkins also host a yearly family reunion, held each year in her family’s hometown of Wilkes County, North Carolina. A Maryland native, A. M. Wadkins lives with her husband, two daughters, and her dog in Calvert County. She enjoys educating herself about history, especially the US Civil War, visiting Civil War battlefields, reading, and spending time with her family. She is a member of the United Daughters of the Confederacy and has spent many hours honoring military veterans from a time that time has left behind. A retired technical sergeant of the US Air Force with twenty years of service, A. M. Wadkins is a member of the American Legion. She has a master’s degree in computer information systems from Webster University and currently works at the Smithsonian Institution as an IT Technician.