As the drifts of snow in Northern Illinois reach several feet and the temperatures consistently have a minus in front of them, I have been spending my evenings on Glassilaun Beach in Ireland. The pure white sand, clear blue water, and mountains in the backdrop make for the perfect place to escape. Why did my great grandmother leave the place that every fiber in my being longs to go to?
I think with time and, I begrudgingly will admit, age, comes an appreciation for our ancestors. Why did they make the decisions they made and how did those decisions affect us? How did I end up living my entire life in the McHenry and Kane Counties in Northern Illinois within the United State of America? What would have happened if Mary McDonnell had decided stay in Culfin, a small fishing village in Ireland? What if in 1883, Heinrich and Margarethe Sellenmerten had chosen to continue to raise their family in Osterwiehe, Germany instead of boarding a boat to Boston Massachusetts?
Genealogical research has become an interest of mine this winter. Free time is spent staring at a computer screen searching for answers to questions that were posed over 100 years ago. here did my great grandparents marry? Ireland? The United States? Why are the two years listed under my great grandmother’s name so very close to each other? My daughter, Mary, is a wonderful older sister to her 2 younger siblings. Was her namesake great great-great grandmother a caring older sister to her 9 younger siblings?
I have begun to actively research my ancestry. Mine, like yours, I am sure, is fascinating. I grew up with the knowledge that I had 4 cousins, but in reality, I never saw them. Miraculously, at the age of 15, I gained another cousin. At age 30, I gained yet one more still. Thanks to genetic DNA testing and Ancestry.com, I now know and can connect with 963 glorious wonderful cousins! I have begun communicating with several of them. Each have been grateful for the opportunity to connect with a ‘long lost’ family member and offers to help with genealogical research have been numerous.
Twenty-five years ago, without the assistance of DNA testing, my cousin’s wife and I traced our family’s history to Germany. Throughout those years, I have kept in touch with a close cousin, Marco, who is charged with protecting a large portion of the Black Forest. Many days, when I am spending my time with maple, elm and honey locust trees, I fondly think of him working amongst the spruce, beech and fir trees.
Last evening, while working to flush out the branches of my family tree, I came upon an article about the history of Allegan County, Michigan. It was about my grandfather’s grandfather. In great detail it described where he was born, his travels throughout the Midwest, his land purchases and his volunteer duties as a director of the school board. Honestly, it could have been written about my grandfather. It seems that although we may wish to differentiate ourselves from our ancestors, there are far more similarities than differences.
Are these hours and hours spent researching decisions that were made over 100 years ago time well spent? I believe so. The results of this time are beautiful nuggets of information to which I will hang onto as my life continues to unfold. Perhaps one day, future generations will wonder why I chose to stay in Northern Illinois. I will know, what they may find out, it’s the people that keep me here.
