BUT What About the Dog? ~ Canine DNA

 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks 2023: Week 16 (SHOULD BE A MOVIE)

Our dog gets extra treats because I love watching her eat them.

I have never seen a dog who chews her food more mindfully. 

When she's chewing I think she looks like she's talking so have wanted to add a voiceover. 

This week for SHOULD BE A MOVIE I decided to do it!

The video was 13 seconds long so I created a 13 second voiceover related to genealogy for this week's blog.

To be honest I have created voiceover for Tori since she first arrived to us 11 1/2 years ago as a foster dog, but never in video. 

Right from the start she had a face that looked thoughtful. 

Every morning she meets me in the kitchen, and sits with a hopeful look that she will receive the exact same morning treat she has received for years. When I dawdle she will look shifty eyed to the top of the fridge and the drawer where the treats are kept. If I try to leave the kitchen she will herd me back to the area where her treats are dispensed. The voiceover goes like this "Hurry, use those thumbs. Let's get this breakfast party started." 

In looking at the video I'm not sure she looks like she's actually saying the words. 

Maybe it's my video skills?  

Maybe it's my voiceover skills? 

Maybe it's the software?  

I don't think I will pursue the skill and training to actually turn the dog into a spokesperson, but I am fairly confident I will continue her day-to-day voiceovers. 

Frequently heard is "BUT what about the dog?" at meal, snack, or leaving the house times.

That was what I was thinking about when I created the voiceover script. 

I had run out of humans I wanted to do DNA for so had looked at the dog as the next candidate.

When we adopted her they said she was an Irish Terrier X. Her puppy fur was the non-shedding Irish Terrier. When her adult fur came in there was no doubt she was crossed with German Shepherd (or maybe Lab) due to the excessive shedding. 

When she arrived as our foster dog we were told she was full grown. She was perfect sized, and her fur was the Irish Terrier non-shedding. 

Then she started to grow, but her fur was still non-shedding.

Then we discovered she was at max 6 months old when she arrived to our home, and she doubled in size becoming a house hippo. 

When her adult fur arrived she became a shedder. We realized her cross was some sort of shepherd or maybe a lab.  

We wondered what her cross breed were so I began researching which company had the best reviews for Canine Breed DNA.

We had almost made our decision when I I read the article "How accurate are dog DNA tests? We unleash the truth" from CBC on March 4th 2023 (linked in sources below)

"Marketplace recruited two mixed-breed dogs, one purebred dog
and one human (Marketplace's very own Travis Dhanraj) to test the
accuracy of consumer dog DNA tests. Their DNA was sent to four
companies that claim to specialize in dog genetic testing:
Wisdom Panel, Embark, Accu-metrics and DNA My Dog. 

Nearly all the results were different, even for the same dog, despite
all claiming nearly 100 per cent accuracy rates." 1 

After reading the article we decided not to test the dog's DNA since the results would likely be suspect. 

We will likely never know the story of how she was found abandoned on the Abby Mission Highway, and then spent 2 weeks at the shelter unclaimed. 

They sent her to us to foster while she recovered after being fixed. 

How could we not fall in love with her. 

She arrived as a friendly & obedient 6 month old puppy. 

She had obviously been cared for. 

She attached immediately with all she met regardless of species, and regardless of how they felt.

BUT, what about the dog!!! 

This is why I search - 

Cause ... 

You can pick your friends, but you can't pick your family you know!

***Any errors are my own. Please send me any updates or corrections via the comments at the bottom of this blog post***

Somehow Related Past Blogs:

Footnotes:

1  Cowley, Jenny & Travis Dhanraj. How accurate are dog DNA tests? We unleash the truth. CBC News, Business, Marketplace. Originally published March 4th 2023. Retrieved April 16th 2023 from
https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/marketplace-dog-dna-test-1.6763274 

Sources:

Cowley, Jenny & Travis Dhanraj. How accurate are dog DNA tests? We unleash the truth. CBC News, Business, Marketplace. Originally published March 4th 2023. Retrieved April 16th 2023 from
https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/marketplace-dog-dna-test-1.6763274

Photos & Video:

Personal

Links:

Amy Johnson Crow, 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge
https://www.amyjohnsoncrow.com/52-ancestors-in-52-weeks/

If you reference or use my blog posts in any way please

include a link to the specific blog and

credit http://somehowrelated.blogspot.com/

My blogs are ©Deborah Buchner, 2014 forward.

All rights reserved.

Please & Thank you!

______________________________________________________________

Alone ~ Edgar Allan Poe's Poem

 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks 2023: Week 15 (SOLITUDE)

April is National Poetry Month.

What better way to celebrate than to share this:

"In Alone, Poe reflects upon a life experienced as an emotional outsider.

The narrator’s experience of perceiving life and emotions differently to
others in Edgar Allen Poe's Alone, has led to him feeling isolated and here
he is questioning why he sees things so differently. The beauty and irony of
Alone's major theme - that of feeling isolated, different, misunderstood -
is one that many people can relate to, the very act of expressing these feelings through poetry connects the writer with others who feel the same." 1

Edgar Allan Poe wrote the poem ALONE in 1829, but it wasn't published until 1875 when it was found after his death.

Alone

From childhood’s hour I have not been
As others were—I have not seen
As others saw—I could not bring
My passions from a common spring—
From the same source I have not taken
My sorrow—I could not awaken
My heart to joy at the same tone—
And all I lov’d—I lov’d alone—
Then—in my childhood—in the dawn
Of a most stormy life—was drawn
From ev’ry depth of good and ill
The mystery which binds me still—
From the torrent, or the fountain—
From the red cliff of the mountain—
From the sun that ’round me roll’d
In its autumn tint of gold—
From the lightning in the sky
As it pass’d me flying by—
From the thunder, and the storm—
And the cloud that took the form
(When the rest of Heaven was blue)
Of a demon in my view— 2

When I think of solitude I think of being alone in a positive way. This poem identifies that feeling of loneliness in being alone. 

Edgar was one of 3 children born to his parents, David & Elizabeth (nee Arnold) Poe. 

Elizabeth was the granddaughter of the infamous Benedict Arnold who I will have to write about another time.

The children were Henry (born 1807), Edgar (born 1809), and Rosalie (born 1810). Sometime in 1810 (before Rosalie's birth) David left the family. In 1811 his mother, Elizabeth, died  of Tuberculosis. The three children were placed in 3 different homes. 

When reading Edgar Allan Poe's work through a trauma lens it's not hard to see the early loss impact on his story telling. 

As an adult the losses in his life continued.

At the age of 40 he died leaving a mystery behind. 

I work in a public library, and have always been intrigued by the writing, life, and death of Edgar Allan Poe. 

What I didn't know is he and I are related.

Edgar Allan Poe is my X2 great grandfather's 9th cousin - making him my 9th cousin X4 removed. 

These are our shared Great Grandparents (his 8th and my 12th):

John Webster

BIRTH 14 AUG 1535 • Cossington, Leicestershire, England

DEATH 11 OCT 1594 • Cossington, Leicestershire, England
and

Alice Olven

BIRTH 1544 • Cossington, Leicestershire, England

DEATH 11 OCT 1594 • Cossington, Leicester, England

The line runs through our maternal grandmothers' paternal lines.

Finding life's meaning in the published works of your distant relatives!!! 

This is why I search - 

Cause ... 

You can pick your friends, but you can't pick your family you know!

***Any errors are my own. Please send me any updates or corrections via the comments at the bottom of this blog post***

Footnotes:

1  FEATURED POEM: ALONE – EDGAR ALLEN POE. The Reader. Originally published April 24th 2018.  Retrieved March 13th 2023 from
https://www.thereader.org.uk/featured-poem-alone-edgar-allen-poe/#:~:text=In%20Alone%2C%20Poe%20reflects%20upon,he%20sees%20things%20so%20differently.

2  Poe, Edgar Allan. Alone.  Poem. Original source: Source: American Poetry: The Nineteenth Century (1993). Retrieved March 13th 2023 from
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/46477/alone-56d2265f2667d

Sources:

Edgar Allan Poe. The Poe Museum. Retrieved March 13th 2023 from
https://poemuseum.org/

Photos:

Edgar Allan Poe. Derived from File: Edgar Allan Poe, circa 1849, restored.jpg; originally from http://www.getty.edu/art/gettyguide/artObjectDetails?artobj=39406
Retrieved March 13th 2023 from
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Edgar_Allan_Poe,_circa_1849,_restored,_squared_off.jpg

Links:

Amy Johnson Crow, 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge
https://www.amyjohnsoncrow.com/52-ancestors-in-52-weeks/

If you reference or use my blog posts in any way please

include a link to the specific blog and

credit http://somehowrelated.blogspot.com/

My blogs are ©Deborah Buchner, 2014 forward.

All rights reserved.

Please & Thank you!

______________________________________________________________

Begins With a Vowel ~ X3 Great Grandmother Anna Elisabeth (Eliza) Oertli

 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks 2023: Week 14 (BEGINS WITH A VOWEL)

My husband's X3 great grandmother on his father's paternal side had all 3 names (including her nickname) beginning with a vowel.

Anna Elisabeth (Eliza) Oertli
BIRTH 15 MAY 1828 • Teufen, Appensell, Switzerland
DEATH Unknown

According to the information on her children's documentation over the years she was also known as:
Eliza Ortley
&
Elizabeth Ertley

On March 14th 1849 she married
Bartholomew Walser
BIRTH 30 MAY 1793 • Teufen, Appensell, Switzerland
DEATH 14 JAN 1868

Four months later their children began arriving.

Elisabeth Walser
BIRTH 17 JUL 1849 • Teufen, Appensell, Switzerland
DEATH 7 FEB 1858

Johannes Walser
BIRTH 2 SEP 1850 • Teufen, Appensell, Switzerland
DEATH 2 AUG 1937 • Detroit, Wayne, Michigan, USA

Susanna Walser
BIRTH 31 AUG 1851 • Teufen, Appensell, Switzerland
DEATH 27 FEB 1852

Daniel Walser 
BIRTH 5 FEB 1853 • Teufen, Appensell, Switzerland
DEATH 2 SEP 1908 • Detroit, Michigan, USA

Johann Jakob Walser
BIRTH 18 JUL 1854 • Teufen, Appensell, Switzerland
DEATH 6 NOV 1854

Anna Walser
BIRTH 7 MAR 1856 • Teufen, Appensell, Switzerland
DEATH Unknown

Anna Barbara (Barbara) Walser
BIRTH 13 APR 1860 • Teufen, Appensell, Switzerland
DEATH 1950 • Norfolk County, Ontario, Canada

Sigmund Walser
BIRTH 2 MAY 1863 • Teufen, Appensell, Switzerland
DEATH 24 JUL 1863

Bertha Walser
BIRTH 18 DEC 1864 • Teufen, Appensell, Switzerland
DEATH 28 MAR 1927 • Walkerville, Essex, Ontario, Canada

X3 great grandma Eliza was the daughter of
Andreas Oertli
BIRTH ABT. 1791
DEATH 31 JUL 1852 • Teufen, Appenzell Outer Rhodes, Switzerland
and
Anna Barbara
BIRTH ABT. 1792
DEATH 10 OCT 1860 • Teufen, Appenzell Outer Rhodes, Switzerland

Eliza named her 7th child (and my husband's X2 great grandmother) after her mother whose maiden name I have not yet discovered.

Confirming the research are DNA matches between Chris and the descendants of Daniel & Bertha. 

Discovering the ancestor who passed specific the ethnicity results discovered in your DNA testing!!! 

This is why I search - 

Cause ... 

You can pick your friends, but you can't pick your family you know!

***Any errors are my own. Please send me any updates or corrections via the comments at the bottom of this blog post***

Sources:

Marriage to Bartholomew: March 19th 1849.  "Schweiz, Katholische und Reformiert Kirchenbücher, 1418-1996", database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:66VW-ZLB9 : 28 June 2022), A Elisab Ortle in entry for Bartholome Walser, 1849.

Links:

Amy Johnson Crow, 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge
https://www.amyjohnsoncrow.com/52-ancestors-in-52-weeks/

If you reference or use my blog posts in any way please

include a link to the specific blog and

credit http://somehowrelated.blogspot.com/

My blogs are ©Deborah Buchner, 2014 forward.

All rights reserved.

Please & Thank you!

______________________________________________________________

Blow Out a Candle ~ Make a Wish

 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks 2023: Week 13 (LIGHT A CANDLE)

The moment I thought about this prompt I couldn't stop thinking about blowing out a candle and making a wish.

Then I pondered -- shouldn't I be focusing on lighting the candle, and not blowing it out?

BUT, I couldn't stop thinking about wishes.

I really do wish I could get past one of our brick walls, but that isn't the wish I am referencing.

We  have the name WISH that is a 'brick wall' in our Bramble Bush.

My X2 great grandmother on my mother's paternal line is
Edith May Lake
BIRTH 25 NOV 1886 • Mankato, Minnesota, USA
DEATH 13 MAR 1960 • Oakland, Alameda, California, USA

In the few documents I have found there are a variety of birth years, and details.

Also are conflicting names for her parents.

Records said her father was John Lake or Fred Lake, and her mother Della Wish or Zundal Jackson. 

AND now we understand why I began thinking about X2 great grandma Edith -- X3 great grandma's maiden name might have been WISH!

Then again maybe the records aren't for the same person. 

Wishing for a visit with X2 great grandma Edith May Lake to help clear up the conflicting information and break down this brick wall!!! 

This is why I search - 

Cause ... 

You can pick your friends, but you can't pick your family you know!

***Any errors are my own. Please send me any updates or corrections via the comments at the bottom of this blog post***

Somehow Related Past Blogs:

Secrets Exposed - Still Working Out How the Deuchars & Lambs fit

When you're named after your NPE ~ Nellie May Cannon

John Patrick Cannon -- Remembering The Forgotten Brother

Photos:

Personal

Links:

Amy Johnson Crow, 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge
https://www.amyjohnsoncrow.com/52-ancestors-in-52-weeks/

If you reference or use my blog posts in any way please

include a link to the specific blog and

credit http://somehowrelated.blogspot.com/

My blogs are ©Deborah Buchner, 2014 forward.

All rights reserved.

Please & Thank you!

______________________________________________________________

Freemasons Secret Society ~ Thomas Thomson Stonemason

 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks 2023: Week 12 (MEMBERSHIP)

I have always been fascinated by secrets. 

It's why I first began genealogy. 

I had a desire to find out who my grandfather really was. In the end I discovered there was more than one secret in our Bramble Bush, and I am confident I will find more.

I grew up hearing about the secret society of Freemasons. 

The idea of a secret society that was sort of public knowledge always sounded fascinating to me.

It was only this week that I discovered the original members were all Stonemasons. 

I was struggling to understand why Stonemasons needed to have a secret society with only other Masons accepted so decided to learn more about the members of this secret society for this week's prompt. 

I has always thought Freemasonry was a secret religion with secret symbols & rituals. 

Encyclopedia Britannica tells us

"Freemasonry evolved from the guilds of stonemasons and cathedral builders of the Middle Ages. With the decline of cathedral building, some lodges of operative (working) masons began to accept honorary members to bolster their declining membership. From a few of these lodges developed modern symbolic or speculative Freemasonry, which particularly in the 17th and 18th centuries adopted the rites and trappings of ancient religious orders and of chivalric brotherhoods. In 1717 the first Grand Lodge, an association of lodges, was founded in England.
Freemasonry has, almost from its inception, encountered considerable opposition from organized religion, especially from the Roman Catholic Church, and from various states. Freemasonry is not a Christian institution, though it has often been mistaken for such. Freemasonry contains many of the elements of a religion; its teachings enjoin morality, charity, and obedience to the law of the land. In most traditions, the applicant for admission is required to be an adult male, and all applicants must also believe in the existence of a Supreme Being and in the immortality of the soul."  1

It's still not clear to me how Masons evolved into this type of organization. 

The Grand Lodge of Ohio explains

"Freemasonry is one of the oldest fraternal organizations in the world. It unites men of good character who, though of different religious, ethnic or social backgrounds, share a belief in the fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of mankind. Freemasonry offers a system or blueprint for the good man to further improve his character and actions through its system of degrees, symbols, and fellowship opportunities.  ...

Modern Freemasonry was established in England in 1717, although its exact origins are lost in the unrecorded history of medieval times. Its roots are found in guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons. As a stonemason grew in his craft, he was entered into the appropriate rank: apprentice, journeyman (now called Fellow Craft) and master mason.
At each stage, the craftsman was entrusted with the secrets of each level, which include passwords and grips (or handshake) made known to him only upon due inspection of necessary proficiency by a master of the craft. This way, as stonemasons migrated across Europe to the next job, each man was assured proper pay and privilege commensurate with his skill level, and clients were assured of the quality of work. Today, Freemasonry shares this same system of secrets, ritual and growth, though the work has shifted from building edifices to building oneself in good character." 2

My great grandfather, Thomas Thomson, was a Stonemason. 

Thomas Thomson with brother-in-law Dave Slicer

My dad's notes about his grandfather's carvings as recorded
from conversations with his mom (daughter of Thomas Thomson)

I have never seen any records or symbols attached to him to suggest he may have been. At the same time, he was a Stonemason in Scotland & Canada during the right timeframe so he could have been a Freemason.

He is not the only probable member of the Freemasons.

In researching the Mason members in the areas where my husband's family roots are it's appears as though his family does have membership history with the Masonic Lodges. 

Recorded in the Grand Lodge, A.F. & A.M of Canada. In the Province of Ontario book (in sources below) a member by the name of FA Buchner died in 1985.

I have yet to figure out who that would be.

Searching Buchner & Freemason I found a reference to William H Buchner who was listed as alive in 1954.
It could be my husband's 2nd cousin X3 removed, but he died in 1953
William H Buchner
BIRTH 20 MAR 1871 • Ontario, Canada
DEATH 23 NOV 1953
This leaves me not sure if the William H Buchner is the same one in our Bramble Bush. 

I am still working on the the connection to the Buckner Masonic Lodge in Missouri.

Are the Buckners and Buchners related?

The Boughners and Buchners are related.

When your research leaves you with more questions than answers!!! 

This is why I search - 

Cause ... 

You can pick your friends, but you can't pick your family you know!

***Any errors are my own. Please send me any updates or corrections via the comments at the bottom of this blog post***

Footnotes:

1  Freemasonry - secret organization. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. Retrieved February 22nd 2023 from 
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Freemasonry

2  What is Freemasonry? Grand Lodge of F&AM of Ohio. Retrieved February 22nd 2023 from 
https://www.freemason.com/what-is-freemasonry/

Sources:

Buckner Masonic Lodge #501. Retrieved February 24th 2023 from
https://buckner501.net/

Grand Lodge. A.F. & A.M of Canada. In the Province of Ontario. Retrieved February 24th 2023 from
https://dr.library.brocku.ca/bitstream/handle/10464/3337/grandlodge2001onta.pdf

Photos:

Personal

Links:

Amy Johnson Crow, 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge
https://www.amyjohnsoncrow.com/52-ancestors-in-52-weeks/

If you reference or use my blog posts in any way please

include a link to the specific blog and

credit http://somehowrelated.blogspot.com/

My blogs are ©Deborah Buchner, 2014 forward.

All rights reserved.

Please & Thank you!

______________________________________________________________

2nd Cousin X2 Removed ~ Murray Luck Lee

 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks 2023: Week 11 (LUCKY)

For this week's prompt LUCKY I will write about my husband's 2nd cousn X2 removed Murray Luck Lee
BIRTH 13 APR 1920 • St Catharines, Ontario, Canada
DEATH 1998

He was the son of  Arthur Stanley Lee

BIRTH 9 JUL 1889 • Virgil, Niagara Township, Lincoln Co, Ontario, Canada

DEATH 10 MAR 1956 • Port Colborne, Ontario, Canada
and 1st wife

Myrtle Annie/Anna Luck
BIRTH 4 JULY 1887 • Orillia, Ontario, Canada
DEATH 14 MAR 1922 • St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada

My husband has a DNA match to Stanley & Myrtle's grandson confirming the family search is correct.

Murray's middle name fits nicely for this week's prompt, and is the maiden name of his mother.

Murray's mother was the daughter of

Horatio Washington Luck

BIRTH 22 DEC,1859 • Crown Hill, Ontario, Canada

DEATH 04 FEB. 1925 • Grace Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

and 

Nanina Victoria Coulson

BIRTH 24 MAY 1863 • Coulson, Ontario, Canada

DEATH 22 FEB. 1922 • Brantford, Brant, Ontario, Canada

Murray's father was the son of 

William Henry Lee Jr.

BIRTH 5 MAR 1846 • Burford Township, Brant, Ontario, Canada

DEATH 16 NOV 1919 • Cainsville, Brant County, Ontario, Canada

and

Emma Misener

BIRTH 17 MAR 1849 • Burford, Brant, Ontario, Canada

DEATH 9 JAN 1929 • Burford, Brant County Municipality, Ontario, Canada

Murray's in common ancestor were my husband's 3rd great grandparents (and Murray's grandparents)

William Henry Lee

BIRTH 11 AUG 1814 • Stoney Creek, Wentworth Co., Upper Canada (Ontario)

DEATH 22 OCT 1887 • Northfield, Burford Township, Brant, Ontario, Canada
and 

Phoebe Swayze
BIRTH 26 OCT 1818 • Saltfleet, Wentworth, Ontario, Canada
DEATH 21 JAN 1890 • Burford, Brant, Ontario, Canada

When DNA matching results in  a 'reasonably exhausted search'!!! 

This is why I search - 

Cause ... 

You can pick your friends, but you can't pick your family you know!

***Any errors are my own. Please send me any updates or corrections via the comments at the bottom of this blog post***

Links:

Amy Johnson Crow, 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge
https://www.amyjohnsoncrow.com/52-ancestors-in-52-weeks/

If you reference or use my blog posts in any way please

include a link to the specific blog and

credit http://somehowrelated.blogspot.com/

My blogs are ©Deborah Buchner, 2014 forward.

All rights reserved.

Please & Thank you!

______________________________________________________________

A Grave Marker Translated ~ Remembering X2 Great Grandmother Mary (nee Bernard) Pellack

 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks 2023: Week 10 (TRANSLATION)

One of my brick wall lines is the Pellack Family.

I was 29 years old when I found out my Scottish Grandfather, Clyde Robertson, didn't exist.

The name on my birth certificate was a random name picked for reasons unknown. 

He was born Max Pellack. 

The 4th born child to his parents Alexander & Mary (nee Maximiw) Pellack. 

He was their first child born on the homestead in Canada. 

They had immigrated to Canada in 1909 from Ukraine. 

Max was born in 1910 on the homestead.

How he became Clyde Robertson is a tale still unknown. 

His claim to be born in San Francisco with no living relatives was not true.

He left home (Gronlid, Saskatchewan) about 1930, at the age of 20, with his birth name Max Pellack.

When he left home he had 3 older siblings & 3 younger siblings along with his parents - all alive. 

In 1939 he met his wife, Mary Elizabeth Thomson, in Calgary, using the name Clyde Robertson

The missing 9 years still stand.

Where he was, what he was doing, and how his name change came about is a mystery.

What I do know?

This is his grandmother's grave marker:

An extended family member translated it:

Here rests  * Maria Peleh  * Forever remembered  

Also shared is that "the ‘h’ in Peleh is deep, like the deep h in Chanukah."

This is is my X2 great grandmother.

I never knew she existed.

She is mine!

The family members you don't know about until you do!!! 

This is why I search - 

Cause ... 

You can pick your friends, but you can't pick your family you know!

***Any errors are my own. Please send me any updates or corrections via the comments at the bottom of this blog post***

Photos:

Family member provided

Links:

Amy Johnson Crow, 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge
https://www.amyjohnsoncrow.com/52-ancestors-in-52-weeks/

If you reference or use my blog posts in any way please

include a link to the specific blog and

credit http://somehowrelated.blogspot.com/

My blogs are ©Deborah Buchner, 2014 forward.

All rights reserved.

Please & Thank you!

______________________________________________________________

Remembering Those Born Still ~ Remembering Those Gone Too Soon

 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks 2023: Week 9 (GONE TOO SOON)

October 15th is National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day. Every year the whole month of October is dedicated to remembering infants who were born still or left us too soon. 

Prior to 1988, when October was declared the month to remember, society didn't openly talk about miscarriages. It wasn't until 2002 that a specific day in October was chosen as a day to remember. 

When my husband and I experienced infertility & miscarriage in the 1990s it was not talked about. If it was talked about it was spoken about in whispers with a tone of blaming & shaming. 

We experienced difficulty conceiving. 

We experienced difficulty in staying pregnant. 

The babies we lost to miscarriage were not discussed. 

They were not honoured. 

We didn't plant trees. 

We were told to forget about them, wait some time, and try again. 

30 years later, and we have still not forgotten.

The pregnancy for our oldest son was difficult. At 5 weeks the ultrasound showed we were miscarrying. At 20 weeks we went into pre-term labour which they were able to stop. 

The majority of that 10 months was spent on bedrest in and out of the hospital. 

In the end he was delivered by emergency cesarean after his heart  stopped. 

Nothing about the pregnancy was as we planned, but it was successful. 

We had a healthy baby in arms. 

We were so grateful. 

We were also surprised at how insensitive people can be. 

Not too long after his birth our landlady stopped by with a gift. She casually mentioned that had I tried to be more active during the pregnancy the c-section could have been avoided.

I was speechless. I had laid on the couch for 10 months to keep the child, we so desperately wanted, alive. I wasn't laying around for my benefit. In fact it was the hardest thing I have ever done, but I did it because our child needed me to. Plus the reason for the c-section was my congenital anomaly not because I had laid around on the couch.

My half of the fertility issues were due to a Septate Uterus (See sources below for info about). The challenge in staying pregnant was due to his placenta attaching to the septate that had no blood supply. One edge of the placenta was never fully attached for the entire pregnancy. The septate also made natural delivery impossible. Had this occurred in the past I would have laboured until both of us died. They may have been able to save the baby, but the odds were not great for that to happen since the medical interventions we had during pregnancy were not available then. 

I am grateful that society has made it okay to talk about infertility and infant loss. 

When I find babies who died in our family tree I am always struck by the knowledge that it could have been our firstborn and I. 

There would have been no second child. 

This family would not have existed

30 years later we have two amazing sons. We are a family that wouldn't have existed before medical interventions became possible. 

Our story has been waiting 30 years to be shared - it refuses to be forgotten

While adding folks to my father-in-law's line this past few weeks I found an Infant Pangborn. She is my husband's 7th great-grandaunt. I don't know what caused her death. She was born in New York, USA 1695, and died with only the name Infant Pangborn. 

Her line ends right where it started, Infant Pangborn.  

There is nothing more. 

I have added her to our Bramble Bush & written about her this week. 

She will not be forgotten.

My husband's father's maternal line descends through her brother (my husband's 7th great grandfather)

William Pangborn

BIRTH 1706 • Rahway, Union, New Jersey, USA
DEATH 1759 • Woodbridge, Middlesex, New Jersey, USA
and his wife

Mary Ann Coddington

BIRTH ABT. 1706 • Woodbridge, Middlesex, New Jersey, USA
DEATH 1780 • Woodbridge, Middlesex, New Jersey, USA

Remembering the babies born still and those gone too soon!!! 

This is why I search - 

Cause ... 

You can pick your friends, but you can't pick your family you know!

***Any errors are my own. Please send me any updates or corrections via the comments at the bottom of this blog post***

Sources:

Young, Becky. Septate Uterus. Healthline. Reviewed by Judith Marcin, MD. Originally published March 2nd 2018. Retrieved February 18th 2023 from https://www.healthline.com/health/septate-uterus

National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day – October 15, 2023. National Today. Retrieved February 13th 2023 from
https://nationaltoday.com/national-pregnancy-and-infant-loss-remembrance-day/

Photos:

Personal

Links:

Amy Johnson Crow, 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge
https://www.amyjohnsoncrow.com/52-ancestors-in-52-weeks/

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