Saturday, April 10, 2010

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun - Which Ancestor...

Hey, it's Saturday Night, time for more Genealogy Fun!!!

Your mission, should you decide to accept it, is to:

1) Tell us: Which ancestor or relative do you readily identify with? Which one do you admire? Which one are you most like, or wish that you were most like? Which one would you really like to sit down and have a heart-to-heart conversation with?

2) Write your response in a blog post on your own blog, in a Facebook note or response to this post, or in a comment on this post.

Here's mine:

This was harder to choose than I expected, because there are so many possible candidates!

In the end, my choice was my second great-grandfather, Isaac Seaver (1823-1901). I know so much about the highlights of his life, but nothing about his daily walk with family and friends. I know that he was a blacksmith throughout his life, and admire that. I know that he suffered personal tragedies - the loss of his father at age 2, the loss of his first wife in childbirth, the loss of his second wife at age 56, and that he served in the Civil War. I admire Isaac's perseverance and steadfastness - the fact that he overcame personal hardships to be a success in life. He was described in the military record in 1865 as ""age 40 years, a blacksmith, eyes blue, complexion light, hair sandy, 5 feet 10-1/2 inches." Hmm, that sounds like me at age 40!

But there are still so many questions! How did he meet his three wives? How did he treat his children? Where was his blacksmith shop in Leominster? What excited him about life? What scared him? Why did he join the Union Army? What was the best experience of his life? What was he proud of accomplishing?

1 comment:

Jo said...

Randy, thanks for the fun prompt for SNGF. This is my first time participating but I've read several of your previous ideas. Check out my post at http://arnspiger.blogspot.com/