Blessings and Burdens: Growing Up Poor and Rich - Softcover

Scotch-Irish immigrants poured into America prior to the Revolutionary War, seeking economic opportunity and religious and political freedom. Many pressed west into what is now the Alleghany Mountain region of Eastern West Virginia. Here they settled in the hollows and vales, and stayed. This book covers the first twenty-one years of the life of a 5th generation Scotch-Irish descendent. He was born in Pocahontas County, West Virginia on Halloween, two days after the 1929 bank crash. Two years later his parents, Edyth and Mitchell Sharp, were forced into bankruptcy, and lost their home. Fortunately, their ancestry had engrained in them a talent for managing such things. They believed that their well-being rested on their shoulders and theirs alone. If they wanted a better life hard work was their only capital with which to purchase it. As the twenty-one years progress, sadness and heartbreak visited the family. But so did joy, love, progress and the evolution of a way of life. Though fraught with self imposed setbacks, the author is satisfied that Edyth and Mitchell, who preached "Work hard, save your money, and amount to something" are resting in peace.

Curtis Sharp was born in Northern Pocahontas County and grew up in Greenbrier County, West Virginia. He spent his adult years in conservation plant research at various locations around the country, publishing numerous papers with a scientific focus. Upon retirement, he began researching his ancestors and soon learned there was little or nothing about them except a few vital statistics in the courthouse and one or two generations of memories. What if some great grandchild wondered what this Curtis Sharp and his parents, grandparents, and siblings were like? They would be out of luck. So he decided to leave a written record. The author learned much from the effort, not just the facts and figures, but how his life forming experiences produced the person he became.