Family Ties and Tangles

Sometimes family history gets confusing. It hard enough keeping track of aunts, uncles, and cousins without trying to remember the names of all my ancestors, but I try anyway.

Once upon a time the Harwood family reunion was the highlight of the summer. Long before I was born my father's family gathered in the hills of Allegany county with cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents. I can just imagine the fun it must have been if seventy years later those once children still recall it fondly.

My great great great grandfather George W. Harwood married Margaret Almira Bixby in September of 1852. Four months later, on January 1, 1853, George's brother, Rufus, married Margaret's sister, Hannah. If that wasn't confusing enough, in 1870 George and Rufus' father (also named Rufus) married Margaret and Hannah's mother, Fannie Betts Bixby.

George and Margaret Harwood had eleven children. I stared at the list trying to recall which was the next of my ancestors and found myself confused. Well, of course it was the daughter who was given the same name as her mother, Margaret Almira. No wonder I was stumped. Years ago large families were common and parents often named their children, both sons and daughters, after a parent or other family member.

A couple weeks ago I wrote about my great grandma (the granddaughter of George and Margaret Harwood) and yesterday found a curious email in my inbox. This is what it said, "I came across your Lookin’ Up blog and noticed we have a common ancestor, so I thought I would drop you a line." It turns out the writer's great, great grandmother was the sister of my great grandma. How cool is that?