Tuesday, November 15, 2016

The Leaves of Life



Genealogists do not gather facts,
 but breathe life into all who have gone before
Family Tree Magazine 

 
The Leaves of Life


By Cathern Agnes Harrison (Originally written January 30 2011)
  
In the spring leaves bud fresh and green.  Throughout the summer they yield to weather and the atmosphere surrounding them. In the fall they change colour, turn brown, wither and dry up, fall to the ground and are forgotten.


Completely revamped  this in November 2016 because it is time to start sharing what I have created or collected since finding  the 24/7 library, the WWW. This week I wrote my first blog and feel the urge now to continue along that vein but in a completely different direction; that of our roots and stories.  Spent too much time searching for the stories I have written through the years to get started on this blog as they are ‘lost’ among the humongous amount of ‘stuff’ I have put aside to share or finish another time.
…………………………..

WHAT ARE WE BUT OUR STORIES?

From Sam’s Letters to Jennifer a book by James Paterson

Some never make a mark - they come and go with little fuse much like a leaf.  Many do not even get fifteen minutes of fame and if it were not for descendants giving them ‘life’ after death, all they’d be are memories that fade away eventually. Many remain faces in dusty, faded unnamed photos and untold family stories.
 Some do not even have the correct birth dates or other records of life and very little fanfare when they leave this life. Nor can anything be found before their birth, if that is even found.
This has been on my mind for several months or years now since I began researching our family trees.  Very thankful for what has been discovered,  some proven branches go back to the 1600’s. Found roots to Nouveau France on my maternal Grandmother’s side of the tree. In my husband tree, there are possibilities of ancestors that came over on the Mayflower though his father’s roots .

Have come across history, stories or explanations to back up records and add to our family history. Cannot forget the delight of meeting descendants, second and third cousins, some even farther removed  - most are more than willing to share or help to gather our records together so we have much more than a list of names and dates.  Yet it is also sad not to get anywhere with some of the members of our roots, my paternal grandmother is one of those lost in records before marriage.

At this time I am comfortable with our trees as they are. There is not a need to expand what already has been collected. However, our ancestors need to come out of boxes and folders to live in the world again.
And that is why I woke with the need to find my writing and stop procrastinating about getting it organized then start sharing before it is completely lost. 


This writing is dedicated to all those that have gone before us




Found at "Looking at Robert Wood"   http://lookingforrobertwood.weebly.com/

No comments:

Post a Comment