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Christian Listoe February 6, 2014 Professor Raymond Family Tree Project The Listoe Side

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Your name has so much meaning and is the only thing given to you when you enter this world. My name has deep roots in the military and in the south. My name is Christian Alexander Chavis Listoe. The name Christian is very common on my father's family. Alexander is also very prevalent on my father's side. Chavis is a common Native American last name and was my mother's maiden name. My mother's family mostly lived in Pembroke, North Carolina and still do today. My father's side is more interesting so I researched his ancestry. On April 27, 1846 in Copenhagen, Denmark my great-great grandfather Soren Listoe was born. In 1866, when he was twenty years old he came to the United States and settled in S1. Paul's, Minnesota. On March 22, 1872 Soren married the love of his life Joannah Johnson. After being married for two years, Joannah gave birth to their first child Grace Listoe. While living in Minnesota he then published a newspaper before ultimately joining the state militia. Maintaining the family's centuries old tradition of military service, from 1891-1901 he served as an officer in the American Militia. He achieved the rank of colonel and became the aide-de-camp to the governor of Minnesota for ten years. On April 4, 1894 twenty years after the birth of their first child, Joannah gave birth to their eighth and last baby, my great grandfather Alexander

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Eugene Johnson Listoe. There isn't much know about Alexander from birth until we then pick him up in Washington, D.C. While in Washington he attend medical school at Georgetown University where he was the youngest student to graduate. On July 12, 1917 he married Blanche Edwards. Alexander joined the army after graduation and served as a doctor in World War I. While serving on the front lines of France, Alexander's unit came under attack by the Germans who fired mustard gas into their positions. Mustard gas is "a type of chemical warfare agent. These kinds of agents cause blistering of the skin and mucous membranes on contact. They are called vesicants or blistering agent@s a doctor Alexander's concerns were for his

patients so he took off his facemask and placed it on one of his own patients keeping the solider safe, but putting his own life at risk. He inhaled the poisonous fumes causing him to become infected and damaging his lungs forever. In 1918, Alexander and Blanche would have their first child together Betty Listoe who is still living today in Bedford, Virginia. Two years later in Asheville, NC ~ would give birth to my

grandfather Alexander Eugene Johnson Listoe Jr. After the birth of their last child Hannah the family then moved to Colorado because it was believed that the air was healthier in a mountainous environment for their father due to the fact that he lost a lung in the war. The family later moved to Bedford, Virginia where Alexander Jr. would live the majority of his adolescent life until he would attend Georgetown University. Alexander Jr. dropped out of the university and moved to California. A few months later the United States entered World War" and he was drafted into the army. After serving started. One

in the war he returned to California and his career in electronics/computers

day at a party in 1952 that Alexander attended he met his future wife, Dorothy

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Robinson, through his friend, which was her brother. A year later in 1953 Alexander and Dorothy got married in Vancouver B.C., Canada. Alexander's career field caused him to move around many times and Dorothy accompanied him through this journey. Their first child Barbara Ann Listoe was born on February 11, 1954 in Portland, Oregon. After Barbara was born they continued to move with Alexander's job. Two years later in 1956 in Cleveland, Ohio they would have their second child, my father, Kent Robinson Listoe. Attending Kindergarten through fifth grade in various cities in California, Seattle, and Canada they then moved to the Washington, D.C. area as Kent was entering the sixth grade. For the sixth through ninth grades they lived primarily in the Virginia area. Alexander then took a job with the government, and in Kent's tenth grade of school they moved to Ankara, Turkey. At the end of that year they returned to the Washington, D.C. area for Kent's junior year of high school. As Kent was approaching his senior year his father took a job that took them to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Dorothy could not make this trip, so Barbara stayed behind to be with her mother. In 1974, while still in Ethiopia Kent graduated high school, and applied to Oregon State University. Kent went on to attend OSU where he joined the Army ROTC. In 1975, during summer break after his freshman year of college his mother, Dorothy, passed away. In 1978, Kent graduated with a degree in business and a commission in the army as a second lieutenant. Kent's first years in the military took him to Panama, Texas, Georgia, and then to Fort Bragg, North Carolina for Special Forces training. In 1984, while station in Texas his father passed away. While living in Fort Bragg, one night he and his friends went to a bar named The Firefly Lounge. At that bar he met his future wife, my mother, Belinda Rae Chavis. Being in Special Forces training it would cause him to have to go into the field

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for weeks upon end. When Kent would return after his fieldwork he would call Belinda. One day after he finished a couple weeks of field training he called Belinda, like normal, and no one answered. Kent then called her mother Margaret and asked where Belinda went. She told him that she had moved to Raleigh and Margaret gave Kent Belinda's new phone number. Kent then called and asked if they could go on another date. In February of 1985 they started officially dating. After a couple months of dating and Kent traveling to and from Raleigh Kent and Belinda talked about "when would you like to get married?" Belinda said she wouldn't want to be a June bride because it's too hot, and Kent said he would have to do it over a four-day weekend so his military friends could come in from out of town. They ultimately chose to get married on Veterans Day weekend, November 9, 1985. After they got married they traveled around with the military and seven years after being married on March 12, 1993 they gave birth to a little girl in Fort Campbell, Kentucky Caroline Margaret Listoe. When my sister was born we continued to move around, and we ended up in Germany for my dad's final assignment. This is where I was born on February 24, 1995. Dad retired from the military after 20 years of service, and my parents chose to raise the family in the Fayetteville area to be closer to family. My dad's side of the family is Danish so I researched some facts on Denmark. "The national flag of Denmark has a red field with a white Scandinavian cross extending across the edges of the flag. The cross symbolizes Christianity and the red stands for the courage, valor, and strength shown by the country men to protect the Kingdom from any foreign invasion." ould love to go back to Denmark and see

where my ancestors are from. Also I want to go back to Germany because that is where

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I was born. After researching some facts about Germany I found out that I am able to become a German citizen. I could take a test and if I passed it I would become a citizen. The test is 33 questions and to gain citizenship you have to answer 17 correctly. "The questions are divided up into three broad categories: "Life in a Democracy," "History and Responsibility," and "People and Society." There are also a number of questions pertaining to specific German states." ~

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Works CiterJ-

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About Sulfur Mustard." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. N.p.,
02 May 2013. Web. 2 Feb 2014.

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of Denmark." Maps of World. N.p., 06 Jun 2013. Web. 2 Feb 2014.

the CitizenshipTest: Could You Becomea German?"Spiegel Online,

09 Jul 2008. Web. 29 Jan 2014.

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