Sunday, June 7, 2009

It takes a village, another sharing experience

Just received a family update via email, births of two new little ones, descendants of Charles H. Darden (1822-1877).

Love hearing bout this twig of the tree, because less than 10 years ago, this twig was MIA to me.

I posted queries on email lists and web sites, looking for Osceola (Oceolia/Oceola) Darden of Hinds County Mississippi. I had him in Hinds County on the 1880 census, then POOF, cannot trace him. Lost to Moi. [Note: this is before you could search census on the net like you can now, this was when you had to go to the library and use film to search for ancestors.]

Several months later a descendant of Osceola/Oceolia/Oceolia (spelling don't count) contacted me. Flurry of emails, phone calls, sharing, LOTS of sharing.

The descendants of Oceola knew he was born in Virginia. That was it. They had no idea WHERE in Virginia. I did, I knew his parents, siblings, half siblings, but, I did not know what happened to Osceola. I even knew where Osceola was born, the house is still standing.

Several years later, after all this sharing, the descendants of Osceola planned a trip to Virginia to visit. On this trip were 3 of Osceola's grandchildren. Siblings, aged 90, 88 and 86 at the time of the visit. They were going home to the birthplace, the actual house and homestead where their grandfather was born, a place they did not know the name of just a couple of years prior to this visit.

The family invited me to join them. Yes, I went, yes, this had to be one of the most emotional 4 "family research" days I have ever spent, and probably ever will have.

Photo: the 3 siblings standing on the front steps of the birthplace of their grandfather.

We patched the family back together, it is now a strong tree.

Sharing, a village, good things.

More some day in this blog on "It takes a Village", what this family taught me.

Welcome to the new little Darden descendants.

1 comment:

Karen K said...

I love happy endings!