Me, in mum's arms
Last update 18 Feb, 2005
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My mother, Jessie Hannah Summerville, is 80, and starting to forget things. When my father died last year, I realised how easily family history disappears. I found myself getting interested in my own family, and that has become an interest in genealogy overall. It was an effort to develop some sense of history, of where I came from. I'm not a big "family" type, but do love history, and find a lot of the "fun" of genealogy relates to the way family history reflects the historical changes around one. I and my immediate family don't seem particularly good at keeping in touch. I spent a lot of time following my own life path, and letters to my sisters or parents were few. At this point I live in another country, and have for many years. My life has not really intersected much with my family beyond childhood. My sister Jeanne is an exception. We don't talk a lot, but do on occaission I think it was similar for my mother. She married, moved out of the area of Pennsylvania/Ohio her family lived in, and then moved again to California. Neither of her parents seem to have been very involved with extended family by the time my mum was about 14, nor did my grandparents talk much of their own childhoods. My mother remembers a few trips to Canada, and a visit to her Uncle Bill in Georgia. Mum's sister Hazel was several years older, and they didn't get on well. Some of the lack of "family stories" may be a result of her failing memory, but I don't remember hearing them when I was a child, either. Likewise, growing up I never really got stories of my mother's own childhood or family. Not hearing about the lives of my parents themselves, it is not surprising that I didn't hear much about Aunts, Uncles or cousins. As a child, I never met my father's parents, as far as I know, though I knew two of his bothers and his sister. I met my maternal grandmother, Anna McAnsh Summerville only once to my memory, when we visited while the family was moving. I was about 8. My maternal grandfather I knew better, since he came out and & stayed with us for a while, after grandmum died. Those looking for a ged-com and family trees, they will eventually be in the ancestral pages. You'll find "links" there too. On the next page, I'm concentrating on my mother, who I know and remember. This page is an introduction. Mum was born in 1924, in Steubenville, Ohio, the second daughter of Anna McAnsh and Carl Craig Summerville. Carl was a postman, and a veteran of the 1st world war. His parents were Summervills, a family who had lived in the area since the 1770s. The family lived in Pennsylvania, north of Pittsburgh. Carl's father had moved to Florida around 1905, and that's where Carl married Anna. After the war, they moved to Stuebenville where Carl's brothers Charlie and Merrill lived. Mum had two sisters, Hazel, who was 6 years her senior, and Caroline, a loved younger sister who died in childhood. Her memory of Hazel is of a sister much older, already dating with no time for a little sister who was looking for a friend. Mum was happy when Caroline came along. She was big sister, Caroline 3 years younger. Then at 6, Caroline got measles. She developed complications, and died. It was a tragic event for my mother. |
A few housekeeping things.I don't like propietary things, and in particular, believe proprietary information is anathema to spreading knowledge and understanding. Hence, feel free to use my info, but I state that I do not want it used for profit. I have spent many many hours on it, and am happy to see others benefit. To paraphrase Michael Valintine Smith, "knowledge shared is knowledge multiplied". I do consider my work to be copywrite, and give permission for its use only where it remains in the domain of free information. Of course it would be nice, and ethical, if those using it acknowledged the source, and nicer still if you let me know. This information is
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