Family Tree

I spent some time at my parents house tonight. This is not such an unusual thing since I live across town and work two blocks from where they live. I did get free food, yummy, and just basically some quality time with the 'rents.

This past Wednesday while at a meeting at Church my cousin (2nd cousin I guess, shes my mom's first cousin) who was also in the meeting starting showing me pictures of our family when my mom was a little girl, one of which included my grandfathers mother. I had to ask my cousin Susan what her and my moms grandmothers name was because I could not recall it. I knew it was either Leela or Cleola, as it was always a running joke that a good name for a child would be Leela Cleola, but I didn't know which name belonged to which of my grandparents parents. Her name was Cleola Jewel. I think she went by Cleo.

This question to my cousin and the need to tell my mom about seeing these pictures of her with some cousins and this grandmother of hers I knew little about drew me to ask Mom many unanswered questions about that side of my family. Dad's side has always been relatively easier to know, largely because we have a hand written family tree that traces much of the lineage of his two parents back several centuries. But Mom's family was not as easy to know.

My Mom's dad passed away a little over a year before I was born (for years I actually thought he passed away on his way to see me being born as the phrase was used just before you were born...) so I never got to meet him (much like all of my Cousins except for Ray and my brother who were the only ones born at the time of his passing) and or hear stories about his family or whatnot. My mom's mom never has really seen the point I guess in discussing family matters such as these, I guess I have never really asked either. So tonight I asked mom about her grandparents and her parents siblings and tried to get some of these facts into my head.

For instance, my great grandmothers on my moms side as mentioned earlier were Cleola Jewel and Leela May (might be Mae not sure) And great grandfathers were Franklin Strueble (who had an identical twin brother William Rueble) and Hulen Clyde (who was actually born Clyde Hulen but apparently thought the other way was better and changed it). On my Dad's side my great grandmothers were Cassie and Mary or Tweesy as she was called. I still am not sure that I could straight tell you my great grandfathers names on Dad's side though. Clearly I was named after my great grandmother Cassie, my Grandmother Carmen's mother.

All of this family tree stuff has always interested me greatly I guess mostly because it helps me find out who I am from know where I came from. Also I am a sucker for old classic names and stories and such and getting some of this from my parents and previously my grandmother Carmen and hopefully before its too late from my grandma Bobbie, just gets me at the core. The history of my family is something that is long and complicated and I am 100 percent positive I will not be able to get everything that I yearn to know about or need to pass on but I am going to try to get as much history and spirit of the blend of people that have made me me and will someday be passed onto my children.

Speaking of which I need to see if my dad can tell me the story of how his parents meet the way his mother would tell it so I can learn it better. At the end of a long busy day that has been spotted with school, friends, my God Son Jackson, and my family, I am thankful for ... everything.