Genetically Hard-wired

Genetically Hardwired

I was researching my family on the Internet.  Two weeks ago I found the obituary of my cousin quite accidentally. I had just texted her on the day of her death, the very day the obituary went on line. I had spoken to her by phone the week before.We had been exchanging family history for the past several years. Had I not found that obituary, I most likely never would have known what happened to her. She only has one daughter, and that daughter never had children. That daughter has never stayed in touch with our branch of the family, and has never shown a desire  to know us. I was greatly saddened about that, but I understand it's fairly common among families. I have tried to contact this cousin, but no response. The Internet has not been helpful in the usual ways of locating her, but I am hopeful.

Tonight, I quite accidentally (or serendipitously ) came across a blog which I believe connects me to another cousin.  This blog was about a musical family. As I read it, I realized it had to be a cousin of mine. This blogger wrote about her mother, and I recognized the picture. She wrote about her father, and I recognized his picture! She wrote about family superstitions, and I recognized our own family superstitions! Things like "the seventh son of the seventh son "having special medical abilities such as "blowing the fire out" or healing burns.  My mother was given the special Biblical words/verses to recite from the seventh son of the seventh son in her family line.  She has passed it onto my brother, who is the seventh child, though not the seventh son.  He tells me he forgot what the Bible verse was that she whispered to him that day many years ago.

Well, the blogger's mother and father are now deceased, and my own mother and father are also deceased. But I am certain this woman and I are cousins. I have written to her tonight, and though she lives in North Carolina and I live in Ohio, I am still certain we are related. The fact that her family experiences mirror my own family experiences so much makes me think we are come from the same gene pool! We are so very similar it gives me chills and fills me with awe. How can this be? 

I cannot wait to hear from her, and I decided to start this blog to share what happens from this point on. I have never done a blog before, but I am certain that this one, provided we both live long enough, will bring us an unusual, extraordinarily enriching relationship- and perhaps others will enjoy reading about this miracle that the internet has made possible.

Below are some of the folks who I believe are links in our family tree.  Mostly likely they are cousins of this blogger and me. When I get her permission, IF I get her permission, I will identify her, and with her help, possibly identify also the folks whose pictures are displayed below, taken at a reunion 14 years ago.

Yes, It was I who took the pictures, and yes, I had no idea who these folks were. I just went around snapping, and hoped to learn their names as the picnic progressed.  I never did, sadly.  I got cornered by other family members and the time passed before I learned identities.  

Uncle Sol's branch of the family tree

I think I may have attended one other family reunion from this branch, but maybe not.  I more often attend reunions of the other side of the family on my mother's line.  My father's line stopped having the reunions for some reason.  That's sad, too.  The times are changing for many of us, mobile as we are, moving from here to there and all over.  Reunions are harder to attend.

Anyway, please stay tuned and check in from time to time, because this may be quite an exploration!

Joy in Mudville  Mar 1, 2016

Well, the contact has been made.  I have texted with two of the cousins so far.  I uploaded quite a few pictures. There is excitement from their end, and from our end. I say OUR end, because I immediately called both brothers and my sis and let them know of this fantastic find.

Seems their branch of the tree and our branch ALL have some of the same inherited tendencies.  Musical, magical healing powers, inventing, hardworking, mischievous, and more.  My father looks like their father, though they were only cousins.  I hardly know where to go from here. I don't want to make a pest of myself.  I am waiting for something from their end.

I thought I'd dream about them all last night, but I didn't.  I bet dreaming is a part of their lives, too! Many of my sibs dreamed, and remembered them.

I think my branch wins on the poverty side of the story.  Mostly because my parents divorced after 13 years and 7 kids.  Their mom and Dad stayed together.  That impacts greatly economically and is far-ranging in other effects.

What I am most interested in is comparing genetic tendencies.  I have always believe that our shyness was inherited because so many of us were plagued it.  Three of us at least, out of 7.

The same applies to the musically innate qualities, playing by ear, etc.  That applies to 3 of us out of 7.

More to come, but I must get my rest and prepare for a root canal tomorrow. That's another thing I want to check out.  Are their teeth as bad as ours on our branch of Billhimers?   I tell anyone who will listen my teeth were hard-wired to be bad.  I think this applies to 6 of us 7.

I also want to check out heart disease on their line of Billhimers.  Ours has a dreadful record. Mother? Check!  Father? Check. Keith? Check!  Jim? Check!  All died from heart problems. Sharon?Check! Joe and Ken and I all high blood pressure. I have arrhythmia. Joe wears a pacemaker. Aunts and uncles have the same kinds of records both on mom's side and daddy's side, though the two girls of the family lived into their 80's.  My Dad and a sib(male) died of heart disease.  Grampa had heart problems, suffered a stroke and died. Gramma lived into her 90's.  I want to know about THEIR grampa (my great uncle Solomon) and gramma.

Maybe one of them will find this blog and read it and answer?