#7 LOVE #52 Ancestors
Contemplating the topic of LOVE and deciding what to write has been a challenge!
I don’t know of any outstanding love stories, although I know that many of the ancestors of both my husband and mine were married for 50 years, one for 57 years. I haven’t found any steaming love letters either!
I do know that my ancestors LOVED family history; both maternal and paternal. Through their collections I learned to love family history. Was it love or genetics? The collection includes family group sheets, pictures (before 1900), letters from 1820, funeral cards, and newspaper clippings. At least 5 generations loved family history enough to keep the memorabilia.
The other constant love through many generations of both my husband’s and mine has been land. I have documented land ownership to the 1820’s. Why did they own land? Was it a way to get ahead or survive? Leaving land in Missouri and crossing to Oregon on the Oregon Trail in 1845 meant the availability of obtaining more land. Moving to Washington in 1859 meant owning their farmland. Moving to Montana in 1916 to homestead meant free land to ranch.
Why own the land? I think it meant control of your life and income and subsistence from the crops you raised to feed your family. There had to be love in order to continue to battle the harsh life of agriculture and deal with the issues of weather, price as well as the hard work.
I am the 7thgeneration to own land following the footsteps of my maternal ancestors. We continue the love of agriculture raising crops and cattle. My other family lines (including my husband’s) also owned land, but I have not documented them for as many generations.
When does it become love or genetics?
Very enjoyable, Sydney. I was able to picture the land from the east coast to Missouri and following the Oregon Trail to South Pass, Wyoming and beyond.
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