Another Nut in the Tree

Being from a relatively small town, I have found most of the core families are related in some fashion. This became very clear while working on the family tree. Many marriages, divorces, second marriages and events have caused much intermingling of blood. One would at first think the pool of available candidates was rather limited, but that is not the case at all. Living on the eastern end of Long Island , back in the day , boats were used like automobiles. It was a short sail across the sound to Conn , Shelter Island was right there as well. New Jersey was accessible. Fact is, they probably went over to Conn. and such a lot more frequently than I ever did, or my parents for that matter. With the use of automobiles more traveling was done going west up the island than across the sound. In my estimation three generations and more back they were far more worldly. Even though we like to think of ourselves otherwise.

I enjoy looking for and making those connections. I went to school, or more properly we all went to the same school , and had little or no idea how we were related to one another. First cousins we knew, mostly , but beyond that not much. I have made some interesting discoveries. For instance , a neighbor of mine that I knew as a child , he is my Mom's age, turned out to be a fifth cousin. Who knew ? By studying these connections a lot can be learned. The hows and whys of things can be ascertained or a least an educated guess made. The origins of names is one thing. The obvious ones of course are being named for your father or mother. But I have found others. Look closely at the census. The neighbor may have been a close friend. Other names come from local heroes of the day. A Preacher or maybe a Judge. Many times in the small communities the leaders were held up as examples to be emulated. My own father got his name from a friend of my grandfather. Austin Bennett. That was the man's name. He was an older gentleman that taught my grandfather about commercial fishing. Evidently Grandfather admired the man a great deal. I now carry the name Austin Bennett Reichart,Jr. as a result of this friendship. I have located this man in the census records and know something of him. Fascinating if your name comes from that.

So I was chatting with a friend and mentioned we may be related. With the information she provided I was able to make a connection. Had to go back a ways but there it was. Her Great Great Great Grandmother is related to me. She was the stepdaughter of the wife of the grandson of the husband of my 5th great grandmother ! So there you have it. I just discovered a new relative hanging in the branches of the tree. The world is indeed a small place. Welcome to the family ! You know you you are.