One of the first Genealogy 101 suggestions is to quiz your oldest relatives about what they know about past generations. I've done that, and it's worked to give some depth to the family tree.
I am that relative too.
I'm just a few weeks removed from being the oldest of my generation on my mom's side of our family. As such, I'm the only one among my first cousins who can recall meeting our still-living great grandparents. Three of my eight great grandparents were still alive when I was born.
We had to drive under the railroad to get to his place. His retirement home had a lion drinking fountain. As he sat up in his bed, he had a bunch of young women around him in a bedroom not much bigger than mine.
Those were my memories of Great Grandpa Elmer Armstrong. He died March 4, 1971 when I was only four years old so the memories are, understandably, sketchy.
Today, I can piece the sketchy memories into a narrative. One would drive under the CSX line underpass to get from I-71 to Wesley Glen in the Clintonville neighborhood of Columbus. The view approaching that underpass hasn't changed in 45 years. I don't know if the Lion drinking fountain is still there (road trip kids?), but the young ladies must have been health care workers helping him prepare for our visit. He had a one-room retirement center suite.
I wrote about General Armstrong (he was actually an Army Colonel, which I learned after showing it to my grandparents) in the fifth grade. I inherited his bedroom furniture and still use it in my house today. I have some old photos and personal documents in my possession too.
Future generations can come to me to ask about Great Grandpa Armstrong. I'm ready to talk.
No comments:
Post a Comment