I grew up in California. Most of my cousins lived in Texas. We saw each other only on our annual summer vacation to visit my grandparents and other Texas relatives. We had fun together as kids, but we drifted apart and did not keep in touch as adults. I no longer know any of my cousins. This week has, therefore, been a most unusual week. There was a comment on the blog last week from DD. DD is married to my first cousin John David. I haven't seen him since he was a little boy and I knew nothing about his current life. The next day I got a letter in the mail from my first cousin, Dot. She lives in Birmingham, Alabama. She was just a baby last time I saw her. She has a facebook page full of old family photographs. It was fun to look at those days long gone and remember summers with my cousins in Texas.
The picture is my mother's family. My mom, Byrtle, is on the left in the back. Next to her are her sisters, Dorthy and Rubye. Her two little brothers TG and James Franklin are seated on the couch on either side of my grandparents. My grandparents had fourteen grandchildren. DD, who commented on the blog is married to TG's youngest son. Dot is James Franklin's youngest child. It was such a pleasant surprise to hear om them.
Do you know your cousins? Are they a part of your life?
10 comments:
I used to know my cousins years ago--then they moved to FL and haven't heard form them since.
Your family looks wonderful. What wonderful memories and stories to share. They look similar to my old family photos. I love the happiness.
Texans are so sweet and kind and do everything in a grand style!
Last week, DD let our family know that she had discovered your blog. After reading the most recent of your posts, I decided it would be good to begin at the beginning and read everything in chronological order. It took several days, but it was time well spent! And what was most fun was when you'd talk about your Fowler grandparents and I would realize you were talking about my husband Tom Allen's grandparents, too! (We have the same picture you featured in today's post hanging in a "heritage" grouping in our home!) But the neatest thing about reading your blog was recognizing and realizing Tom's Aunt Byrtle gave you the same family values that TG gave his family and that it is a testimony of the love of family that the grandparents had and gave to their five children.
To answer the question in today's post, while Tom has a large family with many first cousins, I personally only have one first cousin and we communicate several times a month. And, I appreciate that.
Nancy Fowler
I'm beginning to feel like I've been to a family reunion. It is wonderful to hear from you Nancy. I have read all of the Fowler parts on your blog and feel like we have had a wonderful if one sided conversation.
I don't have any first cousins, but recently discovered through my genealogy research that there's a whole nest of second cousins living around Sydney, Australia.
Never met any of them (yet) but it's nice to know they're there, I always felt it would be nice to have cousins.
Mom, it figures that your mom is the one cracking up in the back row! She's distracting Aunt Ruby from the photographer. And Dorthy is trying her best to ignore her silly sisters.
I love it!
Boy, I can see Uncle Bill in James Franklin.
Thanks to DD!
I have just a handful of first cousins - 4 to be exact (one passed away nearly 20 years ago). I am in close touch with one and sporadic touch with two. The eldest is 20 years older than me and we have never been close. (Not with his daughters either.)
My kids have only two, much younger cousins, whom we rarely see. For one thing, their parents are divorced, and besides, their mother is a Hasidic Jew (and is raising them in that world) which makes getting together difficult. I often wish my kids had cousins that they could hang out with, but that's how it goes.
My maternal grandfather had 8 sisters, so my mother had oodles of cousins. Nearly everyone lived in the greater NY area, and they saw each other all the time. But things were different then.
It's amazing as time passes how things do (and don't change). I first saw my mother in the back row cracking up ... no wait, that's my grandmother! Then sitting there on the couch was my beloved Grandma Byrtle ... now wait, that's her mother - my GREAT grandmother. Times change ... family is still family.
I'm the oldest in my generation of my family and have two cousins who are 10-15 years younger than I. They are in Texas. I keep in touch with Jennifer once or twice a year and she is getting married in November. I haven't seen or talked to John, her brother, in almost 25 years.
I find John's family fascinating since mine is very distant. I am an only child and have no cousins at all my dad's side. My cousins on mother's side don't have the time of day for me and haven't in years, so sad for all of us.
Well don't ya know that I grew up with my cousins in California,until they all moved to Texas!
We would see them once a year,go to Disneyland,and attend funerals until we all finally lost touch.
It's been about forty years.
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