If you could make a documentary about your family history, what would it be about? #genealogy #genhour - ThreadSky

arynsyoungless.bsky.social • 29 days ago

If you could make a documentary about your family history, what would it be about?

#genealogy #genhour

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It would be about people with hope for the future, wanting a new life. Some were restless souls, others made a secure family life in new countries. The women, in particular, feature as adventurous, brave, and just a bit eccentric!

arynsyoungless.bsky.social•28 days ago

❤️❤️

bgirlla.bsky.social•29 days ago

My 2x great-grandfather, Rembrandt West, died in an accident while getting flowers to put on his child’s grave. It led to the break-up of the family, as children were farmed out to family, the youngest 3 including my ggrandmother were put in an orphanage. He died with the flowers still in his hand.

arynsyoungless.bsky.social•29 days ago

What an incredible and sad story. It’s so amazing how one moment can change the entire world.

Have you been able to document the journey of the family after they were farmed out?

bgirlla.bsky.social•28 days ago

And yes, it is amazing how one moment can alter things so much. I keep coming back to how Rembrandt clearly loved his family, as he was getting flowers for the grave, and yet that accident tore his family apart. My ggrandmother, who was only two when he died, apparently never knew her family. 1/

bgirlla.bsky.social•28 days ago

I say apparently because I never knew her. It also had generational repercussions. My mom ended up being the first in three generations of women on this line to keep and raise all of her children.

arynsyoungless.bsky.social•28 days ago

That’s an incredible story. I’m happy you were able to learn about this hidden story and thank you for sharing it with me. I hope you write it all down. It’s such a moving story.

bgirlla.bsky.social•28 days ago

You're welcome. Finding this part of my family that was lost has been very moving for me. Apparently my great-grandmother had a hard life. I wonder what would have happened for her if things had been different. It really shows how quickly our lives can change.

bgirlla.bsky.social•28 days ago

Yes, I’ve managed to track all but two, but at least one of those is the child who died. Of the siblings in the orphanage with my ggrandmother, her sister is with their maternal grandparents on the 1920 Census. Her brother was adopted by an older couple, but he clearly stayed in touch. 1/

bgirlla.bsky.social•28 days ago

His obituary (he was the last to die), mentions all his siblings. Only my ggrandmother was adopted out and lost to the family. With DNA and records I was able to find her birth family. Found out her siblings had gone to orphanage to get her back, but were too late, she was adopted out.

diann4kdz.bsky.social•28 days ago

I just saw his story in the newspaper. What a sad story. 6 children remained at the time. So very sad. You have a copy of the report of the accident from the newspaper?

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