The first 3 chapters in the book are devoted to possible beginnings of the Rose family in the New World. Unfortunately we do not know where the Roses originated but we have tantalizing evidence and agonizing puzzles. We believe that the Roses were either Irish or Scottish, especially considering their 'redheadedness'. There were Roses on some of the earliest ships to come to the New World Colony of Virginia in the 1620's. Abner Rose was the first of our line that we have reasonable confidence. He was in North Carolina in the late 1700's. It is at least possible that he was a son of a Bennett Rose who came into North Carolina from Virginia. Intensive research is still being conducted on that and alternate theories.

The next several chapters deal with Abner Rose and his children. We still have puzzles and unknowns but we do have extensive records concerning his life and travels. And, travel he did. He came from North Carolina to Tennessee, then to North Alabama, then to Tennessee again and finally to Mississippi where he spent his last few years with one of his daughters. Many of these early sketches are based on the research of Seymour and Christine Rose of California.

Chapter 6 deals with Bennet Rose who, along with his father Abner Rose, pioneered the newly opened Indian lands of Limestone and Lauderdale County. Bennet, who served in the War of 1812, was entitled to receive Government land and he took advantage of it. He also married Nancy Burney, daughter of Samuel Burney, a Revolutionary War veteran. In that chapter you will read what we know of their marriage license and the twisted puzzle of just when did they marry. Nancy (Burney) Rose named one of her sons after her father and her uncle. That's where Samuel Adam Burney Rose got his name. The story of the Burneys is a fabulous story in its own right, especially the story of their squatting on Indian lands and apparently being ejected by the military in 1810 or 1811. The Burney's story is not part of the main chapters. That story is told in the Appendix, which I will say more about later.

Chapter 7 tell the story of Bennet & Nancy's children, at least what we know of them. We have fabulous individuals there also, including civil war soldiers and those that joined the gold rush in California. The tale of Samuel Adam Burney Rose is told in chapter 8 and has already been described above.

Chapter 9 is the most fascinating chapter in the book. It tells the stories of the children of S. A. B. Rose. There were 17 of them, 14 who reached adulthood. I have never read or heard of a more interesting group of siblings. They were preachers, lawmen, cowboys, bootleggers, cultists, farmers and loners. They reached the heights and the lows of human existence, bending life to their will and eking out a living for themselves and their families in the hills and hollows of Western Limestone & Eastern Lauderdale Counties, or on occasion on the frontier further West. Two of them even became involved in the Mexican Revolution and met Pancho Villa in the early years of the 20^th Century. They did great things, and sometimes not so good things, but almost never only ordinary things. It was a difficult chapter to write because it was never my intention to tell only the good. The not so good, and embarrassing, is not dwelled upon, but it was not ignored either. I hope they would have wanted it that way.

Chapter 9 is notable in another way. It is at this point in history that photographs became commonplace for the general population. There are photos in chapter 8 but chapter 9 is full of them. With only one or two exceptions we have photos of all those children of S. A. B. Rose who reached adulthood.

Chapter 10, as you would expect, tells the story of my grandfather, James Bascom Rose Sr. Like his brothers he was an uncommon man, but also a very devout man. He was a brave man who, as a lawman, helped make Western Limestone County safe for his family and neighbors. He had none of the characteristics his descendants would find embarrassing. On the contrary, he and his wife Flora, were individuals that made their descendants proud to say that they belonged to them. Jim was known far and wide for his religious devoutness, his honesty, his bravery, his love of family and his willingness to help his fellow man.

But, that was not all that "Jim" was. He was a man of many quirks, which provided his family with many humorous but loving tales during his long life. I hope this chapter shows him as he was and as his family remembers him. He, like his siblings, was an uncommon man, a man most of us can only strive to be and seldom ever attain.

Chapter 11, the final chapter, concerns the children of James Bascom Rose Jr. They, also, were uncommon people, but modern civilization was beginning to take hold, partly as a result of the successful efforts of the previous generation. They did not need to be pioneers, nor deal with a wild and untamed world. Still, their paths were not always easy and they also had to make hard decisions. They came well prepared for life's tribulations though, because of the rearing by devout, uncommon parents. Some of the stories are humorous, some sad, and hopefully, all interesting. I assume that all will forgive me for the telling to the world of the triumphs, joys, failings and sadness that highlighted their lives because most of it came directly from them.

Finally, there is the Appendix. The Appendix of most books is where you put the material that is only indirectly germane to the telling of the story. The main story is told in detail in the regular book chapters, but the Appendix is not to be missed. The appendix includes, for example, a sketch of the ancient calendar quirks, a history of the 16^th Alabama Infantry, North Alabama Counties, etc. The better stuff is in the sketches on the Hargroves, the Casteels, the Ramseys, the Murder of the Moores, Pancho Villa, the Mexican Revolution and the Burneys. It's all connected and you will have to see the book to see how it all actually connects.

Finally there are the lineages. Lots of lineages. The backbone of the Rose lineages are based on the 1960's efforts of Seymour and Christine Rose from California. There are, of course, many additions and updates. There is the main Rose lineage, then lineages of three of Bennet Rose's sons (S. A. B., Burtice and William Jefferson). Finally there is a Casteel lineage, which of course is the family of my grandmother Flora, wife of James Bascom Rose.