I am born and raised in West Virginia as were both my parents. My first and middle names were given to me in honor of paternal and maternal great-grandfathers,
William Sutton Palmer from Wetzel County, West Virginia; and, Aquila Timothy Kyle from Harrison County, W. Va.
My paternal grandfather, Ralph Ulman, Sr., was born in Paris, France, in 1885. Both his parents are thought originally to be from Germany and family lore has it that his father, a physician and junker, and his mother, of the House of Koenig, expatriated so he might avoid military service under Kaiser Wilhelm II. My maternal grandfather, Edward Ramsey Smith, was born in Harrison County, West Virginia, in 1900, and his line may be traced back to British Colonial Virginia. All my contributions to Find A Grave I have some connection to. A treasure trove of genealogical history came from the old Smith house at 110 East Philadelphia Avenue, Bridgeport, Harrison County, W. Va. The old house spanned several centuries and survived fires, tragedies, and neglect before being plowed under for modern times. Yet, it remained till its end quite a remarkable, gothic time-capsule which somehow, against all, held on to its many old books, letters, photos, and newspaper clippings. Too bad only a few of the many old photographs had any information written down on them so that the identities of these folks from distant yesteryear are evermore most likely lost to time. A sentiment in closing, perhaps apropos to these reflections, comes from Martin Scorsese's film, "The Age of Innocence," a film that my mother deeply appreciated and enjoyed. In the context of Ellen Olenska's contemplation of an intricate, mysterious metal object that catches her eye in a museum, Edith Wharton wrote, "It seems cruel that after awhile nothing matters any more than these little things, that used to be necessary and important to forgotten people, and now have to be guessed at under a magnifying glass and labeled, 'Use unknown.'" Yet, we continue to visit them from time to time, remembering and wondering about them.

I am born and raised in West Virginia as were both my parents. My first and middle names were given to me in honor of paternal and maternal great-grandfathers,
William Sutton Palmer from Wetzel County, West Virginia; and, Aquila Timothy Kyle from Harrison County, W. Va.
My paternal grandfather, Ralph Ulman, Sr., was born in Paris, France, in 1885. Both his parents are thought originally to be from Germany and family lore has it that his father, a physician and junker, and his mother, of the House of Koenig, expatriated so he might avoid military service under Kaiser Wilhelm II. My maternal grandfather, Edward Ramsey Smith, was born in Harrison County, West Virginia, in 1900, and his line may be traced back to British Colonial Virginia. All my contributions to Find A Grave I have some connection to. A treasure trove of genealogical history came from the old Smith house at 110 East Philadelphia Avenue, Bridgeport, Harrison County, W. Va. The old house spanned several centuries and survived fires, tragedies, and neglect before being plowed under for modern times. Yet, it remained till its end quite a remarkable, gothic time-capsule which somehow, against all, held on to its many old books, letters, photos, and newspaper clippings. Too bad only a few of the many old photographs had any information written down on them so that the identities of these folks from distant yesteryear are evermore most likely lost to time. A sentiment in closing, perhaps apropos to these reflections, comes from Martin Scorsese's film, "The Age of Innocence," a film that my mother deeply appreciated and enjoyed. In the context of Ellen Olenska's contemplation of an intricate, mysterious metal object that catches her eye in a museum, Edith Wharton wrote, "It seems cruel that after awhile nothing matters any more than these little things, that used to be necessary and important to forgotten people, and now have to be guessed at under a magnifying glass and labeled, 'Use unknown.'" Yet, we continue to visit them from time to time, remembering and wondering about them.