Getting Lucky, Genealogy Style! In 1979, I was 10 years old and still a few years away from kindling a real passion for my family history. I remember Christmas at my grandparents' house, and I remember the feeling (and perhaps conversation) from some of the adults about my great-grandparents coming for the festivities and how they wouldn't be around forever. I don't have any idea who had the thought first, but I was visiting on the floor near my great grand dad (Gramps) while he noted down the names of his parents for his children and grandchildren. He was 76, and his handwriting was probably never exceptional, but he had written the names of his parents and his siblings, especially his eldest brother. I fel very fortunate, as most of my family has expressed minimal interest in my endeavors, but someone did this tremendous thing!
Interestingly, one of the pieces of information that helped me so significantly on my search is still a mystery. Gramps recorded his mother as Florence Lee Farrell, her real name has consistently been in every record "Florence Lee Hughes." While there were indeed some Farrells in the area, I've never found a connection between Florence's known mother and father, or indeed her known maternal grandparents, to anyone named Farrell.
Still, information given by the son of the people in question has been invaluable and led me fairly early on to some excellent documents and correct locations (Gramps included his birth location, easily as invaluable for a man who grew up in the Mississippi/Ohio River Valley on the border of 5 states). A huge shout out to Gramps, Grandma and numerous aunts and uncles for a bit of assistive LUCK!
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