Great Grands

There are still a lot of holes in my family tree, but as time goes on, I'm able to fill in some gaps, thanks to the input of some of my estranged relatives.

I thank my cousin, Tammy, for shedding some light.

Until I recently sent off some DNA and registered myself with Ancestry.com, my knowledge of family members only went back as far as my grandparents. I've always known about my grandmother and grandfather, on my mother's side of the family, and I had some recollections of my grandmother on my dad's side of the family.

My dad's dad died when my own father was only two years old.

It wasn't until DW and I were expecting Kid 1 that I learned my grandfather's name, Sydney^*. It was a name that we considered for our first-born, and on a visit with an uncle, when we shared possible names, that he told me that that was the name of my grandfather.

Coincidence.

Sydney was in the top-two name choices up until Kid 1 was born, but when I carried her from the delivery room to the pre-natal care room (she was born six weeks early and didn't take to oxygen very well), I looked into her sweet little face and convinced myself that she didn't look like a Sydney.

DW was relieved: she was afraid that she might get misnamed "Cindy" by people, and DW hated that name.

So, when I was expanding my family, through Ancestry, I learned about another branch in the tree: my great-grandparents. I learned names, though some were only partial. For example, my great grandmother, on my mother's side, is known simply as F Fairey.

That instantly rang a bell, as my mom's name—or one of them—is a variation of the French translation of a fairy. Though it's not her first name, everyone refers to my mom as Faye.

When I expanded the details of my great grandmother, I was presented with a single photograph:

I don't know who the boy is. I really need to sit down with my mother, as he is obviously one of her uncles. But I only knew my grandmother, Vena, and her sister, Mae.

Clearly, there is more to my family tree, yet to discover.

But the woman in the photo is clearly related. I see my grandmother in her face, as well as some of my mother's sisters. Even my mother bears a resemblance.

I'm hoping to get more information in the coming months. I feel like I'm doing some time travelling in the process.

Happy Thursday!

^* I've seen varying spellings of my grandfather's name and I've even spelled his name Sidney in previous posts. According to Ancestry records, Sydney is the accurate spelling.