Ancestors

“If you look deeply into the palm of your hand, you will see your parents and all generations of your ancestors. All of them are alive in this moment. Each is present in your body. You are the continuation of each of these people.” Thich Nhat Hanh

Maeve is Irish, German/Prussian, French-Canadian, Icelandic, Scottish, and did I mention German? A lot of German.

My husband and I have been enjoying Ancestry.com's free 14-day trial, getting as much out of it as we can.  We've discovered things his father didn't know about his own father, and we've traced family on his side back to one of the founders of Maryland, and one line on my side of the family back to 1350's Iceland - the Icelandic people keep very meticulous records, and their system of naming helps immensely.

It is so interesting to see stories unfold in these trees.  I own a Bible that belonged to my great-great grandmother, Henrietta, which was given to her by her husband.  We saw in the family tree that Henrietta only lived to be 24, and died the same year my great-grandfather was born, most likely in childbirth or due to complications afterward.  And my great-grandfather? He became a doctor.  I admit, I got a little verkelmpt thinking about it.

Life was so different for the mothers of the past - so many families we saw had more than six children, and many had more than ten.  Whether German, Icelandic, or Irish, families were big and inevitably some children did not survive to adulthood.  I found myself surprised to see later offspring being named after their elders who had died.  How could a parent decide to do that? Wouldn't that name want to just stay in your heart?  I don't know, I can't imagine what life was like, when a family would have as many kids as possible to help support the family, and to make up for the losses of other children.

It's exciting to see the rich history that Maeve is inheriting, and I look forward to learning together as much as we can about this storied lineage we share.

My great-grandfather, the doctor

My Maeve, my Sunshine