Oh How They Lived

Welcome. I have started this blog to celebrate my (our) ancestors. I believe that all of us, and all of those before us, have lived miraculous lives and done things that are amazing and interesting. Though few of us are descended from prominent figures like John Adams, Frederick Douglass, or Eleanor Roosevelt, everyone has contributed to the events of their times and their stories are fascinating. My goal is to do some research (or perhaps more often, use the research of others) and tell the stories of my ancestors.

The idea for this blog came from hearing some of the oral history of my family and seeing bits and pieces of the genealogy that my father and my uncles (maternal and paternal) collected. With each story I heard and each record I saw, my thirst for more information grew. I was getting a glimpse, but I wanted a full picture.

For example, I have a grand uncle that was a monsignor in the Catholic Church. But I don’t know what exactly what that means – what authority did he have and what things did he do?

In another example, I know the battles in which my relatives died during the Civil War. But I don’t know what other battles they fought in and where those battles fit in the overall thrust of the war.

I also realize that there is so much that my relatives did that I don’t even know about yet. I only recently learned, as I started this project, that my grand aunt was in the Women’s Army Corps. But I don’t know what she did, nor do I know anything about the Women’s Army Corps.

And then beyond individuals and individual events, I don’t know a lot about the world people lived in. What was Ireland like when my ancestors came over to America? What were my great grandparents’ lives like?

So I have embarked on a research project to fill in the gaps between what I know, and what else I want to know to get a fuller picture. I will learn by reading what my father and uncles have already found and searching for new information. I will also read about the historical events around those records. Finally, I will ask you all to tell me what you know and remember.

As I go along and learn, I will publish short pieces about our ancestors on this blog. I recognize that wading through 1920s census records is not everyone’s idea of a good time. I hope that by telling an interesting story, I can make genealogy more accessible to everyone in the family.

So thank you for joining me on this project. I only hope that I can inform and entertain you – and do justice to the amazing lives our ancestors lived. They struggled, they celebrated, and oh how they lived.