NationStates Jolt Archive


Reading Obituaries

Keruvalia
25-01-2005, 06:45
My great-grandmother died about a year ago (yes, she lived to see one of her great-grandchildren enter his 30s!) and I made a request to my grandmother (her daughter) that I be allowed to scan and categorize any personal correspondence and whatnot for posterity.

I received a huge package of stuff from my grandmother about 3 months ago and came across the obituary of her husband, my great-grandfather, who died when I was 14.

In his obituary, it is stated that he is survived by his wife, 7 daughters (all of whom are still alive, by the way), 22 grandchildren, and 48 great-grandchildren. Since that time, he has amassed (that I know of) 116 great-great grandchildren (3 of which are my own kids).

That means that this one couple, this simple man and woman, this quiet and unassuming couple, are - so far - directly responsible for the lives of at least 193 people. 193 people who would not have otherwise existed.

I only have one word .... wow. I have a picture of them when he was 19 and she was 16, taken 2 days before they got married. So much life from this couple who, if you saw the picture, would chuckle at his worn hat and her lack of shoes and probably call them "bumpkin".

I'm now wondering what I will leave behind.
Anarchic Conceptions
25-01-2005, 07:14
Make's you think. If so many are the progeny of only two people how close are we all related.
Keruvalia
25-01-2005, 07:22
Make's you think. If so many are the progeny of only two people how close are we all related.

Kinda makes you want to get a spouse from well outside your own country, eh? lol :D
Anarchic Conceptions
25-01-2005, 07:30
Kinda makes you want to get a spouse from well outside your own country, eh? lol :D
Yeah. Antony Burgess made a similar comment, he said he could never marry an English woman, it would feel too much like incest.

But luckily both my parents are first generation immigrants. :)
Rogue Angelica
25-01-2005, 07:34
Heh. Yeah, apparantly, to my dismay, I'm a result of incest in my ancestory--the Carey clan in England apparantly married into their own families a lot several centuries ago. Icky.
Anarchic Conceptions
25-01-2005, 07:35
Heh. Yeah, apparantly, to my dismay, I'm a result of incest in my ancestory--the Carey clan in England apparantly married into their own families a lot several centuries ago. Icky.
Well look on the bright side, I'm sure your familt isn't reaching noble levels of incest.
Rogue Angelica
25-01-2005, 07:37
Well look on the bright side, I'm sure your familt isn't reaching noble levels of incest.
Still... nyah.
Bleezdale
25-01-2005, 07:46
According to one article (don't ask me where I read it, i dont remember), about half of asia is somehow related to Gengis Kahn. Now that, boys and girls, is what I call a legacy!
Anarchic Conceptions
25-01-2005, 07:47
According to one article (don't ask me where I read it, i dont remember), about half of asia is somehow related to Gengis Kahn. Now that, boys and girls, is what I call a legacy!
How about a war waiting to happen?

Or maybe they are like the bulldozer driver at the beginning of Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy.