I didn't Find Much

 “Are there any surprising (and happy) things that you have found out about an ancestor or other family member?” 

This is probably going to be a short post because I’ve only discovered a few things. One was interesting, one was happy, and one made me feel bad. Let’s start with an interesting thing.

After my grandparents died my mother and her sisters had the job of emptying the old farmhouse where the grandparents lived. As they went through the master bedroom they found a small trunk that they’d never seen before. The trunk contained farm accounts which included bills, receipts, etc. There were also some old letters that one of the relatives, a soldier in the Civil War, had sent home. I’d seen his grave before so the letters were interesting to me. Come to find out he fought in the war when his brothers didn’t because he was the only one who had a spare horse. Apparently the family wasn’t wealthy. It was a shame, but he came home in a box. Not long ago I wanted to show the grave to my grandson who’s a history lover, but the little country cemetery had been swallowed by weeds, trees, and scrub, and I couldn’t find it. 

The discovery that made me unhappy was something else stored in that trunk. My mother found documentation that her great great grandfather owned two slaves before the Civil War. I had never known this before and was horrified that my ancestors actually held slaves. I just can’t imagine anyone even wanting to. I’m very thankful that as a culture we don’t allow slavery today. I’m not saying that everything is perfect today, but no one has to fear that they’ll be sold into slavery.

The last thing I discovered was a happy thing. After my dad died my husband and I had to clean out his house. I was especially interested in what I’d find in his old cedar chest. That was where he kept things that were important to him, including a story I wrote when I was five. I found an envelope whose contents put happy tears in my eyes. When my parents were first married they both worked in a cotton mill. Daddy worked on the second shift and mama on the first so they had limited time together. Often they left little notes for each other. I think my dad’s notes were better than Mama’s. They absolutely sang with love and happiness even when he was discussing mundane things. Once he told her, “Sweetheart, you don’t have to feed the hog today. I did it for you before I went to work.” I laughed about the hog. I guess by the time I came along the hog was long gone. None of the notes were very long, but I enjoyed this glimpse into my parents love story.