Chris

May 7, 2025

Secrets and stories I never knew about!

Growing up my family didn’t go to big reunions or gatherings. In fact we had a relatively small family. After my dad passed there was a rumor that his dad had been born out of an affair prior to marriage. Back in the early 1900s this was not something people spoke of. Getting on ancestry I was able to validate this story. That my grandfather was born a without a dad, and that man had a different last name then the one I always took. Bc of this his brothers and sisters dismissed him. Even though my Step- great grandfather took my grandfather in as his own. The brothers and sisters did not, and never invited him to the family reunions. I am grateful to Ancestry to be able to track my family lineage. Both of my namesake and now this other last name I never knew of. Also being able to track my mothers side of the family to find out why my grandmother and all her siblings took the same middle name. Even though there was no lineage of this name. Come to find out her grandmother on her father’s side had been previously married. And that name was the name of the man that passed before remarrying to my 2nd-great grandfather. Something that I did not realize I would really get into, was the ability to look up census records and find occupations of my ancestors. Yes, there were many farmers. As well as, Shoemaker, Crane Operator, generations of Clothier Drapers. Blacksmiths and Bricklayers, Confectioners and Bakers! Generations of Piano Builders. I found out that my 3rd great grandfather on my dad’s side was an Axe Maker, and now I’ve started collecting vintage axes from the plant he worked at in Pennsylvania. Yes, Ancestry unearthed some secrets of the past. But it also opened up life to generations of family that I never heard about. About lineage and living that I would never know about if it weren’t for the records and access Ancestry gave me. Thank you for a service that is easy to navigate, and more than that amazingly fun to deep dive into! Thank you, Chris