About 20 years ago a first cousin on my dad’s side of the family provided me and our other cousins with a copy of the genealogical record of our ancestral families as he put it, “that make us what we are today.”
Obviously, it took a great amount of work on his part and that of his wife as well.
He resides in Plano, Texas and I haven’t seen nor talked to him in about 10 years since I attended his father’s funeral.
As he indicated, it was still a work in progress and he was continuing to research more of our family’s history.
I hadn’t taken a look and read this in several years. But as I was driving the other day, the thought came to me that it would be good to peruse over it.
I didn’t know any of my great grandparents on my dad’s side of the family. Fortunately, I did on my mother’s side of the family.
My great grandfather and great grandmother McCormick both were born in Ireland. He emigrated to America in 1861 when he was about 14 or 15 with two brothers and landed in New York City but it’s unclear which port they might have come in to. Probably either Boston or Philadelphia.
My cousin was able to find little information on my great grandmother. It’s unclear when she came to America.
My great grandfather lived to 81, a ripe old age at the time, and she was 90 when she passed away in 1940.
They are buried in Ft. Benton, Mont.
My grandfather McCormick was born in Pocahontas, Iowa in 1886 and he lived until he was 89.
I was among the pallbearers at his funeral as I was at my grandmother McCormick’s funeral in 1987. My grandfather was one of eight children
My grandmother was born in Lebanon, Ky., and she was the fourth oldest of seven children. She was 97 when she passed away.
She outlived all six of her siblings.
Little is known about my grandmother’s parents other than her dad was born in Marion County, Ky., and her mother was 31 when she died.
As I looked through this genealogical record again last week, lots of different thoughts kept racing through my mind. It’s hard to imagine how my great grandparents managed to have and raise so many kids in those days.
I think sometimes that today we have tough times but it must have been so difficult for them and our grandparents as well. My dad was one of five children, my mother had seven siblings.
For sure, I should be more mindful of the blessings I and all my family members, immediate, extended and beyond have and count them today.