On With Your Story

Have you been watching the TV series, Who Do You Think You Are. I have and I’ve been struck by the almost universal response to the discovery of a family connection. When Spike Lee discovers an ancestor who worked as a slave in a Confederate pistol factory, he wonders what the man may have thought about the situation. When Sarah Jessica Parker finds an ancestor who left his family for the 1849 California gold rush and died shortly after arriving, she wonders what he must have thought about the collision of his dreams with reality. The discoveries bring mysteries that intrigue and questions that can’t be answered.

We have a mystery in our family tree, too. My husband’s father seldom spoke about his own father and mother. He spoke of an uncle affectionately, but on his mother and father he was largely silent. In searching Ancestry.com, I came across some facts that when put together provoke more questions than they answer. Fact one: My husband’s father  (we will call him John A.) was born in 1916.  Fact two: In the 1920 census, his father (we will call him John L) was living with a wife whom we will call Lucille. No other person was listed as part of the household. Fact three: In the 1930 census, John L was listed as living with a wife, whom we will call Marilyn. Also part of the household in 1930 was a 14 year old son, John A.  The questions begin: Where was 4-year old John A in 1920? How did he happen to appear in 1930? Is he Lucille’s child or Marilyn’s? What happened to John L.’s first marriage?  What was John A’s experience during those years? The facts provoke certain speculations, but we will never know the truth because the family tree can’t talk, and John A and John L took the truth to their graves. They didn’t keep journals, write memoirs or personal histories, or even tell family stories. How would I handle this mystery in a family history book?  I’ll address that next time . . . .