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Week 25's theme is "Unexpected." There can be all kinds of unexpected discoveries when we research our family history. What have you found that was unexpected? Have you found anything in an unexpected source? What about an ancestor who experienced something unexpected?
There were a few unexpected that's that's happened to me.
Unexpected #1
When I was growing up, I asked my mother if she had any brothers or sisters as I didn't have a memory of them. She told me no. The only person she had from that side of the family was her mother who was in state care where she was put when she was a child. "Everyone else is dead." She told me more than once.
I grew up, got married, and moved to Australia. As we were getting ready to leave for the airport, she brings out a medal wings and hands it to me. "What's this?" I ask her because I hadn't ever seen it before.
James' wings he gave my mother and then she passed along to me. Credit: J. Fitzgerald
"I got it when I was a girl from my cousin Jimmy. Please take care of it as its the last thing I have of him." she requested.
"I'll take great care of it, but if it means so much to you shouldn't you keep it?" I ask back at her while trying to figure out where I should put it for safekeeping.
"No. Its time it moved on. And we won't be talking about this again." she demanded.
I took the medal and put it into my wallet with my money figuring it would be the safest place.
About a year later, we were at my husband's aunt's house, and we started to talk about genealogy and tracking things down. I told her about the medal and she was really interested. I told her don't worry about it as at the moment we had more pressing things to worry about (wouldn't any newly weds?).
A few more years, and once again we were talking and genealogy came up once again. I told her about the medal and how I'd love to get a picture and story to go along with it. She set out feelers and told me how to start going about researching.
I found out what happened to Jimmy and his plane.
I finally started to find stuff on my mother's side. Dad's not so much as expected. However, Mom's was like a goldmine with information especially the few newspaper sites which were out there.
Unexpected #2
I found my 2 uncles, my grandmother and grandfather with my mother on some of the census'. I now had names and Mom did have brothers. I figured I would find something which caused them all to die, a disease or something. Instead what I found shocked me.
It was unexpected when I found out I had many cousins within 15 minute drive of where I grew up. Mom's father had many brothers and sisters out there. Each of them were listed and they were in areas my mother would never travel to. Then when I started to find out more and more I realized the reasons for her not being happy about going to my vocational graduation was because she might run into a relative. Same thing with where we always shopping, doctor visits, and the list went on.
Then came the bigger revelation - I had at least 1 uncle which is still alive and lived nearby unless he died recently. I had found a newspaper clipping of his wedding. After that, I stopped looking because I didn't know if I really wanted to know or not.
Credit: The Evening News April 10 1972
We started talking and I started to ask about the family's history and telling her how I found her mother, etc, etc. Apparently her mother, Helen, had been looking for my mother for years to pass along a message. Teri didn't know what the message was but her mother died still holding that message.
Then she hit me with "I know who you should contact. Another cousin. His name's Jason." and gave him his email address. I asked how we were related and she told me she was Uncle Jimmy's son, Jason. Remember, I hadn't looked into that side of the family, so this shocked me. I found a direct cousin!
I waited until the next day then sat down and started an email. I stated who I was, who gave me his information, and asked him some questions. He got right back to me stating I was completely correct and Jimmy was his father.
This was the best and one of the most unexpected findings of my entire researching history. When we visited in 2019, I made sure that I visited with my uncle, Jason and one other cousin, Jenine.
My uncle, cousins and myself in 2019. Credit: J. Fitzgerald
Unexpected #3
The other one that was just as big was when I went to visit my great grandmother, Bernice Jagodzinski, grave, as I approached, I looked up and the headstone behind hers was my grandmother's. We never knew where she was buried. We only knew she had died because I found her entry in the Social Security Death Index. To look up and see her headstone sitting there floored me.
Picture of my great grandparents and grandmother's (in back) headstones. Credit: J. Fitzgerald
What made it that much more was it was about a month after my brother's death and only a few days after his memorial service. I had my brother "with me" and decided to have this picture taken to mark the occasion. He has at least one picture taken with our grandmother. Too bad he didn't stick around to go with me in person.
Myself, my brother (in tiny urn) and our grandmother. Credit: J. Fitzgerald
All I can say, is if you are searching, keep on going. Try everything and look around at who's nearby and see if you can somehow connect them to the story. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't.
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