The Dive

Another image from the Saatchi website I painted in September.

Might as well just dive right into it.

Back in the Saddle Again

Even though history was my least favorite subject in school, thanks to an elementary school teacher who unfairly "filed" my history test in the "circular file" (ie trash can) and graded me accordingly, I have become more interested in the history of bloodlines lately.

Here's a photo of 5th cousin once removed Orvon Gene Autry from Film Daily 1953 who, despite certain excesses, apparently lived a full 91 years.

What I like most about researching genetics is discovering how long the Autreys and other relatives live - despite various poor lifestyle choices

Perhaps genetics trumps bad choice with a little bit of luck thrown in.

Mono Lisa - Saatchi Art

The link to the Saatchi website in the U.K. lets anyone sign up and paint. It's fun! It's easy to then download your art (as with one of the pictures I did in August included here).

Since this blog is supposed to be about Autrey art - if any Autreys are out there painting and want to send me jpgs of their art (+ how they are related), I'd love to post that and expand the blog's coverage to include more artistic Autreys. Painting on the Saatchi website then downloading the image created is one quick way to do that.

It All Started in Europe

The English Coles (relatives who owned Plymoth Rock and settled Rhode Island) married the Gatewoods (who fought in every American war) who married the Houskeepers who married the Autreys (who also fought in every American war).

In both marriage and war, the family has been fighting each other in America since colonial times and in England, France and Germany before that.

When A Name = A Symbol

From the Webster dictionary: AUGHT means anything and zero. It is also a NAUGHT (as in nothing) misdivided as an AUGHT.

The anything goes AUGHT (which is not a "nothing") combined with the strong and long lived TREE is the perfect definition for an AUGHTREE (AUTREY).

Since other Autreys use the 0 + tree symbol as a signature, (E.A. and Hercules to name two) I have chosen to personalize the family icon with my "lea" (Lucy Ellen Autrey) initials combined, when a digital signature is appropriate, with a Yellow-faced independent bee.

Relating cousins Lucy, Luke, Micajah and Gene

John Wesley Hardin, relative or just a friend of the family?

^2nd cousin (or is it 3^rd?) Luke Autrey came by today and stories were exchanged about John Wesley Hardin. Some relatives recalled buggy riding with John Wesley (probably in a stolen buggy) and others recalled being with him when they found a snake in their chicken coop. In that instance it was John Absalom who shot the head off the snake and not John Wesley. Apparently great grandpa was a hell of a shot also. But I have never been able to pin down whether John Wesley is a relative or just a friend of the family.

There are other John Autry/Autreys: -John Absalom, John Byron, John Ernest, Johnny Joseph – to name a few.

More information on John Wesley Hardin can be found at the Gene Autry Museum in Los Angeles http://www.geneautry.com/museum/. His gun is there in the impressive Colt Firearms Collection along with some cards he shot holes in.

His bio and photo are at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Wesley_Hardin.

He sure looks like an Autrey to me!