I am working on a family book for DH's family. His dad is one of 10 children. Their father died an untimely death when the oldest child was 14 and the youngest was 3 months. The cause of death was never discussed, by the family. Of course every one else knew.
Anyway I am getting information from all the family members, making a book with names,DOB, and pictures where possible. It is very interesting. Some of the cousins have not seen each other in many years. Some of the 10 children (now great-grandfathers) are sharing some of their stories. Most of the children were "placed" in other homes after the father died and were only able to come home for a school year in some cases. One of the boys was placed in 10 different homes from the time he was 2 until he was 18. Yet all but one of the children married and raised families.
My FIL told stories of being made to work in the tobacco patches and how sick he got at first from the nicotine. He went to the doctor, doctor gave him "pills". After he felt better, he went back to working in the tobacco fields.
While I was at it I decided to check the history books and see who all the ancestors were. So do other families have these huge books?
What I found interesting in all this....As far as I can tell there was NO immigration from another country in our direct family line. Our children will be the first immigrants 275 years. I don't know I think that's kind of sad.
I also got to thinking...with all this talk about "family lines" will my younger children wonder ....did one of their ancestors weigh 400 lbs, where did they move in the 1800's, how many children did my great-grandmother have?
There will be no big thick books with that information, I am very happy to make my ancestors theirs, but that question still sits in the back of my mind.
The other thought,- those first Zimmerman's were 15 y.o. boys when they came to the new country...their decisions affected a lot of people, it is impossible to know exactly how much they affected us, but I can't help but think that our quality of life now, did depend quite a bit on their early decisions.
God did bless these ancestors of ours and I hope we can pass down the positive traits and lay down the negative.
Happy 4th!
Anyway I am getting information from all the family members, making a book with names,DOB, and pictures where possible. It is very interesting. Some of the cousins have not seen each other in many years. Some of the 10 children (now great-grandfathers) are sharing some of their stories. Most of the children were "placed" in other homes after the father died and were only able to come home for a school year in some cases. One of the boys was placed in 10 different homes from the time he was 2 until he was 18. Yet all but one of the children married and raised families.
My FIL told stories of being made to work in the tobacco patches and how sick he got at first from the nicotine. He went to the doctor, doctor gave him "pills". After he felt better, he went back to working in the tobacco fields.
While I was at it I decided to check the history books and see who all the ancestors were. So do other families have these huge books?
I looked back 10 generations to Hans and Christian Zimmerman- boys who came from the Palatinates, along the Rhine River in Germany, they probably had fled religious persecution in Switzerland. They came to Phila. aboard the ship Pink Plaisance in 1732. Christian Wenger, another ancestor came from the same area in Europe on the Ship Molley in 1727.
In 1959 the Wenger families numbered 1050, I have no idea the number at this time.
The Zimmermans' book is more up-to-date they number 12102 families in 1988.
In 1959 the Wenger families numbered 1050, I have no idea the number at this time.
The Zimmermans' book is more up-to-date they number 12102 families in 1988.
What I found interesting in all this....As far as I can tell there was NO immigration from another country in our direct family line. Our children will be the first immigrants 275 years. I don't know I think that's kind of sad.
I also got to thinking...with all this talk about "family lines" will my younger children wonder ....did one of their ancestors weigh 400 lbs, where did they move in the 1800's, how many children did my great-grandmother have?
There will be no big thick books with that information, I am very happy to make my ancestors theirs, but that question still sits in the back of my mind.
The other thought,- those first Zimmerman's were 15 y.o. boys when they came to the new country...their decisions affected a lot of people, it is impossible to know exactly how much they affected us, but I can't help but think that our quality of life now, did depend quite a bit on their early decisions.
God did bless these ancestors of ours and I hope we can pass down the positive traits and lay down the negative.
Happy 4th!
Have you read Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China? I'm finishing it now and hope to blog about it in coming days. The author tells the story of her grandmother, her mother and herself. While it doesn't give me specifics about my son's history, it is helping me understand the history of the Chinese people.
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