Genealogists do not gather facts,
but breathe life into all who have gone before
Family Tree Magazine
The Leaves of Life
By Cathern
Agnes Harrison (Originally written January 30 2011)
In the
spring leaves bud fresh and green.
Throughout the summer they yield to weather and the atmosphere
surrounding them. In the fall they change colour, turn brown, wither and dry
up, fall to the ground and are forgotten.
Completely
revamped this in November 2016 because it is time to start sharing what I have
created or collected since finding the 24/7 library, the
WWW. This week I wrote my first blog and feel the urge now to continue along
that vein but in a completely different direction; that of our roots and
stories. Spent too much time searching for the stories I have written through the years to get started on this blog as they are ‘lost’ among the humongous amount of ‘stuff’ I have put aside to share or
finish another time.
…………………………..
WHAT ARE WE BUT OUR STORIES?
From Sam’s Letters to Jennifer a book by James Paterson
Some never
make a mark - they come and go with little fuse much like a leaf. Many do not even get fifteen minutes of fame
and if it were not for descendants giving them ‘life’ after death, all they’d be
are memories that fade away eventually. Many remain faces in dusty, faded unnamed photos
and untold family stories.
Some do not even have the correct birth dates
or other records of life and very little fanfare when they leave this life. Nor
can anything be found before their birth, if that is even found.
This has
been on my mind for several months or years now since I began researching our
family trees. Very thankful for what has
been discovered, some proven branches go back to the 1600’s. Found roots
to Nouveau France on my maternal Grandmother’s side of the tree. In my husband tree, there are possibilities of
ancestors that came over on the Mayflower
though his father’s roots .
Have come
across history, stories or explanations to back up records and add to our
family history. Cannot forget the
delight of meeting descendants, second and third cousins, some even farther
removed - most are more than willing to share
or help to gather our records together so we have much more than a list of
names and dates. Yet it is also sad not
to get anywhere with some of the members of our roots, my paternal grandmother is one of those lost in records before marriage.
At this time
I am comfortable with our trees as they are. There is not a need to expand what
already has been collected. However, our ancestors need to come out of boxes and folders to live in the world again.
And that is why I woke with the need to find my
writing and stop procrastinating about getting it organized then start sharing before
it is completely lost.
This writing is dedicated to all those that have gone before us
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