#38 Cousins Learned to work 52 Ancestors in a Year

#38 Cousins   A common ancestors,  52 Ancestors in a Year

If you are lucky to grow up with cousins, you are lucky as well as fortunate to have friends too.

Shaffner Cousins

1987

Gradpa's 100th Birthday celebration

Back row:  Bob, Geoffrey and John 

Front row:  Sydney, Gail, Grandpa & Donnee

I grew up in a small town of Dillon, Montana with family & cousins.  Holidays and birthdays and work were shared with family.  It helped that the patriarch of our family, my grandfather, John F. Shaffner lived until he was 103.  He was a central figure in my life for 41 years.  

Grandpa was a central figure in the lives of his grandchildren, my cousins.  We all got to experience Grandpa in many different ways.  One of the ways he influenced us was his work ethic.  He came west, working with the railroad and homesteading.  He worked 2 jobs to keep “afloat”.  Work was normal for the family and we learned to work until the job was finished.  We learned long days were the norm; work was not just eight hours a day.  There were a few others things he taught us such as reading a recipe is important, putting all the parts back together when working on machinery and living life, looking forward to tomorrow as yesterday is history.

The oldest, Donnee, worked with Grandpa for years with getting his pictures labeled and working with the genealogy.  She may have been his favorite.  I ruined her thunder when I arrived on the scene, (her words) but regardless we shared many interests.  My first horse was her hand me down!

Sydney, next in line, had many experiences with Grandpa!  I should write a book and have others contribute too!  I share his love of family history and genealogy.  He was maybe the 1st babysitter I remember.  At least horseback!  When Dad bought the ranch, Grandpa was our babysitter!  Or maybe my sister & I took care of Grandpa! 

Bob, a rancher, horse trainer and saddle maker & equipment operator, is very talented.  He probably had more experiences with Grandpa.  Since we are the same age, I have a few memories of "family time" while skiing or haying or horseback!  Another hard worker!

John might be the most talented of the cousins.  We all admire his work on many TV show sitcoms.  Another hard worker who learned from Grandpa to work until the job is done.  Grandpa often stayed with John's family in Missoula, helping!  Helping is a used very loosely....but it always involved work.

Gail, also very talented with sewing, crafts, works hard on the ranch.  Too hard. Her experiences with Grandpa even involve looking for him and his black horse at night!  She & her husband lived with him for a few months.  She may have a few stories!

Geoff, a logger and bookbinder, learned about hard work through family work at the ranch, at the bindery and working in the forest.  Geoff grew up working along side Grandpa at the bindery and at a ranch in Bannack.  

Cousins are the legacy from a common ancestor.  Learning life from an ancestor is priceless.  We were the lucky ones!  And yet, I think Grandpa felt he was the lucky one sharing his life, lessons, principles and history with his grandchildren.