Heritage

The State of West Virginia has put many of their historic birth, death and marriage records online and available for free search.  Thanks to The Health Care Law Blog by Bob Coffield of Charleston WV for posting this info.

I found my great grandparents marriage certificate.  They were married in 1899, she was 16; he was 27.  My great-grandfather was a teacher, and that is recorded.  I wonder if I inherited my love of writing from him. 

I also found the birth register for my grandmother, born in 1908.

What a wonderfully sentimental way to start the day.  I will spend today thinking about my heritage, about the strength and courage of my ancestors. 

My grandmother grew up on a small farm and married the boy next door. They were married in her family's parlor, and rode by horse and buggy to the groom's family home for the reception. She raised children, loved her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, rode in cars, trains, and airplanes, watched television, and learned a little about computers.  She watched Neil Armstrong take one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.  William Howard Taft was president when she was born, and she witnessed the inauguration of fifteen more. 

What a remarkable slice of human history my grandmother witnessed during her 91 years. 

She loved to laugh, and was a wonderfully pragmatic woman.  She mourned the death of her daughter, my mother, but always focused on the joys and adventures in her life.  She was a "girlie girl."  She paid attention to fashion, dressed well, and had her nails manicured the morning of the day she died.

She moved to the west coast before I was born, so I didn't get to know her as well as I would have liked, but I like to think there's a lot of her in me.  I hope so.

Comments

[Kim]

Grandmothers are the bestest thing in the whole wide world. I intend to be a good one....someday....not now..... LOL! I'll spoil the dickens out of 'em, teach them good penmanship and give them books like my great-grandmother gave me (don't treat your books badly,they are like a friend and you would never treat a friend like that).

By the way, I forgot to say what a wonderful job you did on Grand Rounds last week! I loved it! I'm such a trekker I was floored when I found out that Ricardo Montalban was wearing a fake chest as Kahn. I thought the guy was just in great shape. : D