Family Mysteries

My husband's family history is fascinating - he is a direct descendant of one of the Salem witches, Sarah Wild (also spelled Wilde and Wildes). On his mother's side, he is as old school New England as they come, tracing many branches of his family back to 17th century Massachusetts, and can in fact trace his family back almost a thousand years in England. It blows me away.

But what is almost as fascinating to me is how little we know about my family, specifically my Dad's side. My Dad's parents were both children of Ellis Island immigrants, and because they were relatively poor when they crossed the pond, we know almost nothing about their pre-America lives. What's interesting is that my father's father was born in the US, and we still know very little about him. He passed away when my father was nine, and my grandmother was never forthcoming with information. Sure, she told the same Daisy the cow story every time we visited, but what my grandfather did for a living? Nope, she never mentioned. Where they got married? Not something she talked about.

We've come to discover that my grandmother was my grandfather's third wife. At least. Recordkeeping in the beginning of the 20th century was not what it is now, though light years better than the 19th century. In some ways, I am glad for the effect that the internet will have on future generations' ability to research their family history. But I am also sad for them because there will be no mystery, no discoveries, no dark family history slowly coming to light. Will they lose appreciation for it? Will they be as awed by their ancestors as I am today?

I think it is going to mean that the onus will be even more on parents to instill in their children the importance of history and genealogy, because it will not be a mystery naturally unfolding before their eyes. It will just be Google.