Sometimes family history research leads you to a record. Sometimes it leads you to a story, and every once in a while, it leads you to family you never knew you had.
Around 2017, while researching my family, I came across my cousin’s name on a funeral program and a death certificate. I decided to Google him, and I discovered that he had lived at the same address for more than 20 years. I figured there was a good chance he was still there, so I took a chance and wrote him a letter. It turned out that my hunch was right.
His grandfather and my Granny’s father were brothers, making us cousins. Since that first letter, we have stayed connected through phone calls, holiday cards and greetings, and he even follows my Journey Through the Generations blog. I remember telling my father and my uncle that I had found family member. I think that may have been one of the moments when they realized just how serious I was about my family history research.
Fast forward several years, and we finally had the opportunity to meet in person last week. My cousin and his wife were traveling through the area, and we had dinner together with my sister, son, husband, and me. It was wonderful to finally put a face and a voice with someone I had known for years through letters and phone calls.
I started researching my family history because I wanted to find my family and learn the stories behind the names on the records. That night, I was reminded that sometimes the best discoveries aren’t found on a census, a death certificate, or a family tree.
But something else happened that night that I hadn’t really expected. I could see my research come to life for my son and my sister. They weren’t just hearing me talk about names, dates, relationships, and people I had found through my research. They were sitting at the table with one of those people. They were hearing his memories and stories firsthand. In that moment, the family history I had spent years researching became something they could see, hear, and experience for themselves.
I’ve said once, and I will say it again. I just never know where this journey is going to take me, or who I will meet along the way.
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