Second Cousin, Once Removed

This past week-end brought much excitement to the North Dakota plains for descendants of the John Newton Thomas and Lucy Anna Torrence family. A reunion was held of cousins and their offspring. It started on Saturday evening with a gathering in Minot, ND. Relatives from Minnesota, Ohio, California, Florida, Oregon and Nevada got to know each other as they poured over scrapbooks and other memorabilia with older family members telling stories and recalling memories as the younger generations listened with close attention.




The celebration continued on Sunday afternoon as the group once again gathered together. This time at the Denbigh, ND school house. My grandmother and her siblings attended school in this building in the early 1900's. What's remarkable is that it's still standing and in relatively good condition!

My grandmother may have learned her ABC's at this very desk.

Do they even use chalkboards any more?

A reunion isn't complete without visiting the cemetery where the ancestors are buried. After all, that's why we're here.

Next stop, house in Granville, ND where my grandmother's sister and her family lived.

After a picnic in the Granville park, we ended up at Mom's farm where Grandma and neice, Whitney served up Rootbeer floats to the relatives.

Priceless photo of my mother and grandmother in the 1950's. (Grandma leaning against the house and mom next to her on the step.)

What is it about the past and the people who came before us? It's a mystery that lies in the grave but also resides in each of us. Why did they leave Ireland and Norway and Germany and stream to this country? What forces compelled them and moved them forward when they had no idea what awaited them? They endured suffering and hardship of the sorts that would cause me to buckle. But yet I know that within me I carry their genes. Genetic traits that enable me to rise up in hard times and persevere. Traits that are gentle and kind and tender and traits that are tough and strong and tenacious. Survival...

The week-end ended too quickly and family members once again went their separate ways. I have renewed excitement to save bits and pieces of events of my life in a scrapbook, write down family stories, and most of all, make memories!