Who Were They

Time and time again, I ask myself this question. I would love to tell my children and family members about our ancestors. Retell all the stories I found while doing research. I feel as if my head is full of knowledge, but there weren't any stories. And even though I've tried a few times, I always feel that I can't do them justice when I put "pen to paper."

I didn't have the opportunity to know them while they were alive. Meaning my 2nd great-grandparents and beyond. I didn't interview their children or anyone that knew them. Unfortunately, I wasn't smart enough to truly enquire what my grandmother knew about their lives. Although, I did get some names, so I probably didn't want to push my luck with her. "Leave the past alone," and "leave the past in the past" were phrases I remember hearing. Even now, those phrases make me feel that pain was being covered up. The trauma of what happened in the past, the anguish of remembering, and protecting me from it. 

The main things I have to go on are records I have spent years collecting. Each record is a snapshot of their life at that moment. From birth and marriage records to census and will records. Even if I have 50 of these snapshots, that is just a fraction from a life that lasted 70 years. So I do not have and never will have a complete record. And let's be honest, some of these snapshots will be false, just like they are today. But I will do the best I can to enlighten you as to what I have found.