Monday, March 29, 2010

All those questions...

I was born when my parents were forty-one years old...the last of four daughters. Daddy was the youngest of seven children, born when his parents were older. I never knew my Daddy's parents. They both died before I was born. My mother's parents died when I was very young, so I really never knew them.

I was almost twenty-one when I married. Life was busy as we had children and our family grew. Searching my family's history was the last thing on my mind at that time. I was simply busy with life. By the time my sister Dot and I seriously began researching our family history, our mother had suffered a stroke and lost her speech. Not long after that, Daddy passed away. Since Dot was the oldest, she remembered a lot...still, there were answers she just didn't have.

Now, I want to know more. I want to find answers for all those questions I have. I wish there were more photographs...

In the circa 1911 photograph below, Daddy appears to have been about five or six years old, maybe? It appears he was holding something under his right arm. I wish I knew what it was. My firstborn grandchild has the same coloring as the great-grandfather he never met...the same dark brown eyes, dark brown hair and beautiful olive complexion (no other grandparent or great-grandparent has the olive skin).



My firstborn grandchild and me...

Just a few of the questions I would ask now if only I could...

How tall were your parents?
What color were their hair and eyes?
What were your grandparents like? Were they musical...artistic?
What was Mary Frances Cooper's father's name?! Mary Frances Cooper was my mother's grandmother. Mama would have known the answer, if I had only known to ask the question!
Did your parents or great grandparents ever talk about Scotland or Ireland?

3 comments:

  1. This Ozarks farm chick finds it amazin' as we get older we become so very interested about where we came from and our ancestors. I've been diggin' in the past myself. A cousin recently sent me a quilt my Great Grandmother made, I have many questions about her besides just her name. I popped over from PW and am just tickled I did.

    From the hills and hollers of the Missouri Ponderosa, ya'll have a wonderfully blessed day!!!

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  2. My father was 40 when I was born and my mother 33. I was the 6th out of 7 children. I was only 29 when Daddy passed away and I think of so many questions I wished I had asked him and my grandparents.

    Love the picture of you and your grandson. He is a cutie.
    My oldest son looked so much like my Daddy's pictures when he was a boy.

    Have a great day.
    Pam

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  3. I think we all wish we'd asked more questions! I often wish I'd listened better too, my mum often talked about her childhood and although I loved to hear about it I didn't really take it in properly and now I can remember bits and pieces but not all the details. And when I think of all my gran could have told me if only I'd asked.....

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