Family Tapestry

I've spent a good deal of my Shelter in Place COVID quarantine time working on my family tree project. Researching one's family history can be tedious, exhausting work. It is however also incredibly fun and satisfying. It's like eating potato chips, you can't have just one. I found myself late into the night saying to myself, "Just one more. Just one more clue to look into. One more census record to review." It becomes like a jigsaw puzzle. The picture of my family, the mysteries of what was beyond my immediate great grandfathers starts to take shape with each piece I find that fits.

I've found people I've never heard mentioned before or had any inkling of. One member is my third paternal great-grandfather Orange, born in Virginia in 1775 and died in Ohio in 1824. My eighth paternal great-grandfather was Thomas born in 1623 and died in 1690 and was a resident of Jamestown! I've even gone back as far as my 11th paternal great-grandfather John who was born in Twickenham, Middlesex, England in 1517 and died there in 1558.

In researching my family I've come to think it not so much as a tree but as a tapestry. Every thread is someone who has created this precious work of art. And each one, even as far back as 500 years ago, has had a direct influence on who I am, the man sitting in this very moment typing these words on his laptop. As I've uncovered more and more family members the same set of questions and ideas always comes to mind. What would they think of me? What would I think of them? What would we find we have in common? What would we talk about? Would they be as fascinated by me as I would be by them? Would the distance of time between us be a rift so great that my 500-year old ancestors could not possibly relate to me or comprehend the world I live in? Would we even like each other? As I fall asleep at night I imagine all of us in a room together. All of us anxious with our questions, excited and fascinated by what the answers might be.