Week 7: Outcast (52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks – 2023 Version)

The theme for Week 7 is "Outcast." Sadly, it isn't uncommon to find someone who was set apart from their family or who was rejected by society. This week, you could give them back at least part of their story. You could also take a different angle and write about an object that was cast out, or maybe getting a cast off. Feel free to be creative! Click here to check out all the themes for 2023.

This brings to mind, the daughter my sister gave up for adoption. I was only 7 or 8 years old at the time, my sister had just turned 19. She got pregnant during her senior year in high school from her long-time boyfriend. They even were planning to marry, however the boyfriend’s mom was against the wedding. I guess she thought it would ruin her son’s future.

I didn’t understand the big deal of my unmarried sister being pregnant. I being the youngest, I had welcomed my first niece the year before, the child of my eldest brother and his wife. My sister had graduated early, after the first semester of her senior year and then she was sent to live in a girl’s home for unwed mothers in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Society appear to reject my pregnant sister. All I knew was that I missed seeing my sister every day. 

At first, my parent’s were thinking of adopting the baby, and then my aunt was too. However, in the end, my sister made the tough decision to give her up to a couple who could not have children. She was told that he was a doctor and she would be a stay-at-home mom. My sister really felt this was the best decision.

Her daughter was born on Aug, 30, 1971 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I know this day well, because in 1997, I gave birth to my youngest, a girl on this same day and my sister starting calling my daughter, her little baby. At the time, my sister was battling stage 4 breast cancer. I went and visit my sister in December of 1997. My sister was living in Arkansas with her husband and son. My husband, our four children and I drove to Arkansas on our way to Arizona to visit my parents and my two disable sisters who lived with them.

My sister was very weak and was unable to hold my daughter. I knew she thought of her daughter often, she told her son about his older sister. She wishes she was in a better place in her life to have kept her. She still thought it was the best decision for her daughter, to give a better life, a stable life, one she won’t be able to provide. 

My sister lost her battle with breast cancer on April 9, 1998 in Rogers, Benton County, Arkansas. Her wish to be reunited with her daughter never came true.

When I look at my DNA matches, I always hope that I will see that daughter. Hoping she will show up as an unknown close relative match. 

Even though my niece was set apart from her family, she is not an outcast. I have told my children of the cousin that was given up for adoption. My hope is that she will seek out her biological family. I hope she had a wonderful childhood in a loving home with loving parents. 

Week 6: Social Media (52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks – 2023 Version)

The theme for Week 6 is "Social Media." Social media can connect us to people we otherwise wouldn't have encountered. Have you made a family history discovery via social media? (What about in the social column of their newspaper -- that was basically their Facebook!) Have you ever imagined how an ancestor would have used social media? Write about it this week. Click here to check out all of the themes for 2023.

The Social column of newspapers can be gold mines. They report who is visiting whom, who is feeling ill, sometimes it will tell of surprise parties. Even marriages can be hidden in these social columns along with who from out of town is visiting for a funeral.

In this clipping I saved on Edward Hilts; I see “Mr. and Mrs. Clemons will occupy the house which Mr. Clemons recently purchased of Edward Hilts, December 1st. Mr. Hilts will move his family into the Bojus house at Fayetteville.” So I can see that he moved, in case I lost track of him, or wondered if this was the same Edward Hilts in this area. 

Look at the other postings in this little clipping, there are six different reporting’s in this little article.

This article told me about a Monument erected for my ancestor, Johannis Spangable (Johannes Spanknable as known with the Daughters of the American Revolution.). It even mentions that they have been unable to pinpoint the correct spelling of the surname.

I decided to create a Facebook page for my Revolutionary Ancestor, since I saw that 13 other people joined DAR with this Patriot. I created the Johannes Spanknable page so descendants of Johannes could connect. Also, when I write a blog post that involve the Sponable family, I create a Facebook post on this page to link back to the blog post. I have received positive feedback, I even received information or resources about the Sponable family. In fact, I read a little blurb in the newspapers that stated some library or museum had some papers of Johannes Spanknable which I wrote a blog post titled "#476 - Johannes Spanknable (1747-1825)." One of the followers of this page, stated they were going to the archive and they obtained copies of the papers and they shared them with me. 

Even though reading the social column of old newspapers can be time consuming, it is much easier if you have access to them via online either through a paid or free service. I remember many days of having to drive to the local library and using the microfilm reader machine and scrolling through numerous films. Now I have access to newspapers from all over the United States and elsewhere. I can type in a surname and the online website looks for the articles for me. Or I can go to a specific newspaper from that area (if available on line) and manual page through the newspaper looking for these little social columns.

I use Twitter to follow other genealogist to learn about resources or even to hear about their discoveries. I belong to many Facebook genealogy related groups to help me refine my genealogy skills, whether to get the most of my genealogy software package, or a genealogy website or just genealogy skills in general. I have even connected with a few distant relatives in these groups.

Remember to have fun and Just Do Genealogy!