Family resemblances

Most of you know I love researching our family histories and that I've done it off and on for over 30 years. It's been loads of fun and it's been really, really frustrating at times too. But along the way we've connected with loads of family that we didn't know and that has been a blast.

One of my grandmas was raised by another family and claimed she never really knew her real family...she shared what little bits and pieces she could remember but she was very little when she was separated from them and didn't remember much. Always drove me crazy because even with a very unique first name I could NEVER find out anything about her past no matter how hard I searched. Then I got an e-mail back in 2001 in answer to a plea I put on a message board and that message contained the text of an obituary from 1918 listing my grandmother as one of five children surviving her father!!! I was flat astonished to find that she did know her real family and was in contact with them at least at this time. She was already married and had three children by then!

So, the hunt began in earnest. I tracked things down and found that she had a total of five brothers and sisters. Brothers William, Major, Jr and Joseph and sisters Sarah and Hattie. WOW! I even tracked down some relatives of her two aunties that lived near Bellingham (so close and yet she never saw them that we knew of) but they were unconvinced of the family connection, so I finally gave up on them.

Recently, though, two of my cousins that I knew of but had no idea how to contact caught up with me and we have been having a blast since then. They have given me some very cool pictures and have cleared up one of the mysteries that I suspected but could not confirm...who my great-grandmother was!! You see, great grandpa was married at least three times that we are sure of and I wasn't quite sure where grandma fit into the family scene. Still don't know what happened to great-grandma or why grandma and her sister Sarah were not raised in the family home, so still lots of work to do but what a great blessing it has been to have at least part of the mystery solved.

Here are some great family pictures they've sent:

Great Grandma Emma Rose and Great Grandpa Major on their wedding day in 1879:



My Great Aunt Sarah and my Grandma Vernie in a composite I made plus their mom Emma Rose:



My Aunt Louise, Grandpa Alfred and Aunt Alta:



And the note that was on the back of this photo written by Grandma Vernie to Great Aunt Sarah:



My Uncle Peter, Aunt Alta and Aunt Louise, they are my grandparent's older children:



And many years later, my Uncle Major in his carriage:



Thanks Mike and Pam for sharing all of this and much more!!