While I’ve
been spending time puzzling over the mystery of the Fort Wayne newspaper report
asserting that John Kelly Stevens had a nephew in Lafayette named Raphael
Kruse, another family puzzle seemed to be resolving itself, thanks to some
online collaborative work. And yesterday, with several details coming together,
a group of those Tully family collaborators got to meet, face to face, in the
Chicago area.
The
gathering yesterday extended to both second cousins and third cousins. And me. If we got this right. There is still
that doubt over the connection, since there is not any solid documentation—only
labeled photographs naming “cousins” and that connect-the-dots exercise of
tying one relative to another—but we are most likely on the right track. If we
are not entirely correct, our margin of error should only involve one
generation. At least we are still talking about family.
The journey
for this family requires working backwards through United States census records
through 1880, then jumping the border to a small town in the County of Brant in
Ontario, Canada. But we are all on it—all joining in to research this branch of
the Tully family tree. So far, we are back to the 1850s, with some reliable
leads back to the family’s origins in County Tipperary in Ireland.
The ability
to meet third cousins—some of whom have lived in the same suburb of Chicago,
never realizing anyone else living in that town would be a distant relative—was
such a great experience. Although we’ve communicated by email and shared our
findings via both Ancestry.com and notes through the last year, we had never
met face to face—until yesterday.
Now, heading
back home to California, I’m looking forward to jumping back into the data and
seeing what else can be found. This calls for us to enter new territory—international
research—but I’m looking forward to it. It’s good to stretch a bit and learn
the ropes on a new chapter of genealogical research.
And there is
nothing like getting to meet some new relatives—especially those who share that
zeal for the search. Hopefully, now combining our efforts, we should see that
search supercharged.
Up to mighty London came an Irishman one day,
ReplyDeleteAs the streets are paved with gold, sure ev'ryone was gay;
Singing songs of Piccadilly, Strand and Leicester Square,
Till Paddy got excited, then he shouted to them there!
"lt's a long way to Tipperary,
It's a long way to go;
It's a long way to Tipperary,
To the sweetest girl I know!
Good-ye, Piccadilly!
Farewell, Leicester Square!
It's a long, long way to Tipperary,
But my heart's right there!"
:) Welcome home.
Yes, it definitely is a long way to Tipperary, and after just flying back home from Chicago, I'm trying not to think of how long a flight like that will be :)
DeleteTo borrow--and horribly mangle--an old saying: it's the destination, not the journey! It's the "getting there" that will allow me to do the research I've been just chomping at the bit to do!
Now that face-to-face must have been exciting. I had a similar experience a couple of weeks ago when I met my Foss family "cousins." I think I also identified a couple of died-in-the-wool genealogist types -- tho they don't know it yet.
ReplyDeleteBTW, great work, Jacqi.
Thanks, Joan. And I remember some of the research you've done and how it led you to meet some distant relatives, too. When it turns out just right, it is the grandest opportunity in the world, I'd say!
DeleteI've been away, so I just read the last week's entries without commenting. I enjoyed reading your process and am confident your experimentation with international research will be just as interesting and successful.
ReplyDeleteWell, I dunno, Wendy...it's got me trembling in my boots just now. There is so much preparation to do--and all those hopes that everything will turn out perfectly, when everyone knows things never go exclusively the way we hope. At least I have a year to get my head around it all and do everything I can to prepare.
DeleteMissed seeing you, Wendy, but certainly understand. Glad you are back. Summertime and all it brings can really impact the regular calendar, can't it?
What fun for you! Like minded relatives! :)
ReplyDeleteIt was such a blast to meet them! There's always that nagging doubt when meeting someone that we only know from online associations, but usually, when I meet someone also smitten with the genealogy bug, we have the grandest of times and carry on for hours...
Delete