One of my volunteer jobs is working in the Silverdale Family History Lab for a 4-hour shift each Tuesday. Some days there are a number of visitors needing attention and some days my companion, Ann, and I don't see another soul darken the doorway. This gives me plenty of time to work on my own family puzzles.
And puzzling it can be to discover where we come from and who we are.
This past couple of months I have made a small and thrilling discovery about my own extended family. I discovered that one of my grandfather's cousins was named Hazel Lorraine. I didn't know we had anyone with the same name as me, so that was a fun find. Then I received an email from a distant relative by marriage in the familysearch database asking about information on Hazel Lorraine, so we had a little email discussion. He suggested I look at Hazel's obituary, which he said was "very nice." So I did, and it was. [Side note: That guy I had the discussion with, it turns out, isn't even related, due to an error in the middle name of Hazel's husband, but it was a fortuitous conversation anyhow, and here's why.]
I read through Hazel Lorraine's obituary (she died in 2003) and was surprised to find that she was survived by a daughter, Gayle, who lived on Camano Island, Washington. I lived in the Stanwood/Camano area for 13 years in the 90s and early 2000s, so I found that fascinating, and wondered if we had ever crossed paths. I continued reading, and saw that Hazel was also survived by a granddaughter, Becky, from Camano Island, WHOM I ACTUALLY KNEW!! She was active in the community, our children had been on little league teams together, and her husband even coached my son's baseball team one season. What a wonderful family they were! I remember meeting the cousin-grandma Gayle sitting on the bleachers in the chilly Camano Island breeze during that spring. We all even had an end-of-season barbecue at Becky's beautiful home.
I sat down to write Hazel Lorraine's daughter a letter, thinking she would be about my mother's age, but discovered as I was searching out her address that she had died a few years ago. I intend to write to Becky, my third cousin, soon. I did facebook her, but I could tell she doesn't frequent the site much.
And there you have it. This was a testimony to me that our work in finding our roots connects us to our family members who came before, enriches the relationships we may already have, and helps us make new connections with people who have our common ancestors.
Now to find more information on Hazel Lorraine's grandma, Ida!!
And puzzling it can be to discover where we come from and who we are.
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| Hazel Lorraine |
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Gayle, my mother's second cousin, with grandchildren |
I sat down to write Hazel Lorraine's daughter a letter, thinking she would be about my mother's age, but discovered as I was searching out her address that she had died a few years ago. I intend to write to Becky, my third cousin, soon. I did facebook her, but I could tell she doesn't frequent the site much.
And there you have it. This was a testimony to me that our work in finding our roots connects us to our family members who came before, enriches the relationships we may already have, and helps us make new connections with people who have our common ancestors.
Now to find more information on Hazel Lorraine's grandma, Ida!!
