A Walk Down Memory Lane
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CHECK out this old timey photo including my paternal grandfather Walter (bottom right). He was the youngest son in the family and only to inherit his father's copper locks, earning him the nickname "Red". We see a little strawberry in our blonde Beatrix!
Last Sunday morning, I woke up to a comment on my blog that hinted to having some history on my home and the original owners. What followed were half a dozen emails back and forth with a family member (hi Marilyn!) I learned a lot about my house (the original owners had a farm stand and sold apples and pears! We're growing apples and pears!!!) and piqued my interest in getting more solid details.
My first hit was a 1940 census report from my street with a lot of names I recognize! Both of my next door neighbor's parents are on it! People stay put around here! The land we live on was in the same family back to 1870 from what I've uncovered. Such a gift to find this information as we near the one year anniversary of buying our home. We love this piece of earth so so much. But I digress!
As for my family, I've traced my ancestry to early American colonists in some lines and as far back as 1544 in Switzerland in others (I only learned of my Swiss ancestry in the past few years!) The records are absolutely amazing! I've done this kind of research before but this time around I am yielding so much more. I'm using the LDS Family Search site and it's really good! And free!
Like I said, I want to go even further in depth with this and I will but I'm so excited I had to put post something now. Maybe for Mother's Day you take a little time with your own moms to work on your family tree or share some stories of your grandmothers this weekend. History is so precious - and by that I mean the tales of the people who came before us - not just the family lines and birth dates.
Speaking of history and Mother's Day, last week Adam gave me the surprise of my life... we're seeing Hamilton!! In less than a month! Since I started listening to the soundtrack I have wanted to get more background so I'm reading the epic 818 page whopper by Ron Chernow. And it's the little stories, the many many little stories that color his life.
So, long story short, I've assigned myself some homework and I want to record it here. I've been spending a lot less time on social media (guys... try it!) and spending more of my life getting in the faces of the people I love. It's awesome. Anyways, I'm going to flesh out my family tree, get some stories to go with it, organize my photos and reach out to family members for more! I've received some tips among the historians and researchers who follow my little blog and would love for more in the comments!
Thanks guys and Happy Mother's Day to all you mamas out there!
