Found by Another Cousin! - Thankful Thursday

No matter how often it happens I am always surprised, pleased, and thankful when an unknown cousin contacts me.  He or she may be working on family history and searching for a particular ancestor; searching for a near relative; or looking for a family name.  This time, my newly-found cousin told me that her son was searching for something completely different when he found a photo of her father when he was a child.  Serendipity!

She emailed me and the conversation began.  She hasn't been working on family history but she can identify and give anecdotal information about her father's family of birth including his parents and siblings and possibly verify some dates and family relationships among her father's siblings.  If you've read this blog for long you know that learning about the lives of those who came before me is as important to me as identifying the names and dates of previous ancestors. 

Our common ancestors are Edward Jesse and Mary (Thompson) Bickerstaff.  Her paternal grandfather, William H. Bickerstaff, and my maternal grandmother, Emma V. (Bickerstaff) Meinzen, are siblings.  That makes her father and my mother first cousins.  It surprises me to learn that we lived only a few miles apart when we were children and never knew each other.

When I was growing up in Mineral Ridge, the Bickerstaffs were abundant.  My grandmother had eight siblings and many of those siblings had families of their own with four or more children.  I don't want to think about counting them all but many lived in the Ridge or adjacent communities.  When I was a child there were often times when I'd mention someone and my mother would say, "She's my cousin," or "He's your third cousin."  And then she would trace the relationship for me.

I've found that a family history blog is a great way to connect with relatives I didn't know I had.  Thankful me.

--Nancy.

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