“Lives of great men all remind us: we can make our lives sublime,
and, departing, leave behind us, footprints on the sands of time."
-Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
 

It would not be fair to embark on this website adventure without acknowledging the contributions of the special people who have come before us. William Thomas Fluker, Jr. was an honorable man who, in 1862 at the age of 16, was willing to give his life for his beliefs. Luckily for the rest of us, that didn’t happen. William, or Billy as he was called, returned home after the war to Washington, Georgia to live a long, productive life. He fathered 14 children, 11 who lived into adulthood. Of the six girls, only two married and none had children. We are all descended from the five remaining sons.

But it was siblings Frances Cornelia (Nenie) and W. Henry Fluker who originally began the preservation of our family history. They almost single-handedly established the Kettle Creek Memorial Battleground outside of Washington, Georgia to honor our Revolutionary War ancestor, Owen Fluker. Nenie & Henry also preserved many other important records, papers and photos.

William passed away in 1942. Nenie passed away in 1961, but not before inspiring her nephew, Edward Hawthorne Fluker, Jr., to carry forth the genealogic torch. And what a fine job he did! During his days on this earth, Edward Fluker wore the “family mantle” with pride, making it his mission to preserve the ancestors who had come before him. He kept every piece of paper, organized reunions and utilized his amazing artistic talent to create beautiful coat-of-arms and historical booklets. Ed designed collages to give away to family members, not for accolades, but just for the pure joy of sharing his wonderful creations.

In 1984, Edward took on the task of reprinting the book “Confederate Gold” originally published in 1926 and authored by Annie and Mabel Winifred Fluker. Once again, he made these available to family members with no thought of time invested or desire of profit.

Edward Fluker adored his aunts as they, in turn, adored him. He listened to their stories of days gone by and would later pass these stories on to anyone who was willing to listen (and we did). But, one of Edward’s biggest regrets in life was not having the opportunity to know his grandfather, William Thomas Fluker, Jr. Perhaps this was the driving force in his efforts to honor and memorialize our family patriarch.

As William T. Fluker's children left us one by one, Edward Fluker became known as the family “go to” man and he cherished his role as family leader. His door was always open and the invitation of a phone call was always understood whenever a relative wanted to talk or visit. For those of us who shared time with him, I must tell you we are my father’s greatest legacy. We are now charged with the heavy responsibility of following in his footsteps, of carrying the message, of showing to others the kind of love, support and understanding he showed to us. We must ensure that the knowledge and wisdom he amassed in his time on this earth is carried forward.

Edward Fluker drew in many people and offered them his experience, strength and hope. He gave his love and support without condition and rejoiced in the successes of those he loved. It is in this spirit I have chosen to honor my father by creating this website. My desire is to preserve our family history and continue the legacy begun by my great-uncle, Henry, my great-aunt Nenie and continued by Edward H. Fluker, Jr.

And although he is no longer with us, I hope my father fulfilled his greatest wish: to meet his grandfather, William Thomas Fluker, Jr.

Miki Anne Eliza Fluker