February’s Theme and Week 5: Influencer (52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks – 2024 Version)

The theme for Week 5 is "Influencer." Although the word "influencer" has been watered down because of social media, all of us have had people who have influenced our lives. This week, write about that person or perhaps someone you know who influenced someone else in your family. Maybe you have a relative who would have been described as an influencer in their community. Don't let me influence how you interpret this prompt! Click here to check out all the 2024 prompts.

I decided to write about who the influencer of my genealogy was. It was three small children, who lived and died over a hundred years before I was born. 

One day my father asked me if I wanted to visit some relatives. I said sure. We went to his sister’s house and she led us to a small cemetery in Elba, Columbia County, Wisconsin, USA. We found this small gravestone, which was laying broken on the ground. Since then, someone repaired it by standing it up. The stone has lost the very bottom portion of the stone, however on that day, I wrote down the information on that stone and I have the missing information at the bottom, which was his age of 2 years and 19 days and thus, I could calculate his birthdate. 

This gravestone started my many genealogy questions. Did the parents have any other children? Did they have to start their family over from scratch? I can’t image having to bury two children in less than two months apart. What did they die from? 

Many years later, I was able to answer some questions. The parents, my 2nd great grandparents did have other children, they had seven more children. These three children were their first born. Eliza being the oldest, Ann the second born and Patrick the youngest. I believe Patrick was name after James’ father. 

My 2nd great grandmother, Mary Ann McMahon was pregnant with her fourth child, my great grandfather, David who was born May 15, 1864, less than 2 months after Patrick died. The death of their first three children wasn’t the end of the parents outliving their children. Their daughter Rose, died during childbirth at the tender age of 24 in 1890. Their daughter Mary, died at the age of 17 in 1896. In 1899, Mary Ann died and left her husband a widow and raising their motherless granddaughter, Rose who was named after her mother.

Their youngest son, James died at the age of 28 in 1909. Finally, their daughter, Jane died in 1918, the mother of eleven children at the age of 46. 

James died in 1923 at the age of 91. 

Remember to have fun and Just Do Genealogy!