Legacy

This semester I've been doing 100-hour 3-generation research project on the Bennett family. The three generations I'm studying are:

1. John Earl Bennett, son of...
2. William Jasper Bennett, son of...
3. John H. Bennett.

I have to admit. This project is for two classes, and my two professors have had me search several different places so far. Finding information on these folks has been quite difficult. I have a lot of clues, but it has been hard to track down solid information on these men. Some of the information I have is in the family tradition, but how much of that tradition is true?

As I've been searching for more clues to the puzzle, I've been thinking a lot. These men were ordinary folks, and we believe they were country folk, at that. (I love country folks. :) I've been able to find a few dates and places, but, as a girl, I want details. Who were these men? What did they do their whole lives? What was life like for them? What sort of struggles did they have? What were their triumphs? How was their family life? What can I learn from them, and how can I relate to them?

This gets me thinking even more. What will it be like for my descendants when they are looking for information on me? Will they know what I was like? Will they want to know what I was like? What sort of legacy will I leave behind in records for those who come after me to remember me by?

These three men are important to me; I wouldn't be here without them! I believe that, although they lived long before me, some of our experiences in life wouldn't be so unrelated after all. While I will never be able to learn their whole stories in this life, I can at least learn from the clues and try to imagine what life must have been like for them.

When I meet these ancestors in the next life, hopefully I'll be pleasantly surprised at how much I know about them already.

Another clue about John's parents

John H. Bennett was enlisted in the military for the US Civil War. He applied for pension later on in life.
At the bottom of the General Affidavit that was filed in McDonald County, Missouri on 8 June 1909, John listed some information about his parents.

"As stated to me by those who claimed to know, I am 72 years old next September. My father died in 1847 and my mother one week later. This occurred in Edwards County, Illinois. They left no family records."

What a find! We've been stuck on finding his parents for years. I believe there probably are some records out there that John either didn't know about or didn't have access to.
I searched on FindAGrave.com to see if anything came up, but no luck as of yet. I did a search on FamilySearch.org, and there are definitely some microfilms that I want to look through. Maybe I can send for the death certificates. I swear I just learned something about where to search for midwestern vital records...like this week. It's time to search my notes from class.

Any suggestions?