I remember three of my grandparents. That got me to thinking about the grandparents that my grandparents might have actually know. This was a good little exercise that got me to thinking. Overlapping lifespans are not the only factor that can impact how well someone knew a grandparent. Geographic proximity, health, and family dynamics can also play a role.
- Cecil Neill (1903-1968). Two grandparents died before his birth. Remaining ones lived near where he grew up and lived. One died when he was eight and the other when he was twenty-one.
- Ida Trautvetter (1910-1994). Two grandparents died before her birth. One died when she was six, but was hospitalized much of that time. Other one died when she was seven and lived nearby.
- John H. Ufkes (1917-2003). Grandmothers died before his birth. One grandfather died the year he was born. Other grandfather, who lived nearby, died when he was five. A great-grandmother died when he was seven.
- Dorothy Habben (1924-2008). Maternal grandfather died before her birth. Maternal grandmother died when she was eight (lived thirty miles away). Paternal grandfather died when she was fifteen and paternal grandmother died when she was seventeen. They lived a few miles away.
Relative age within the family can play a role as well in whether or not someone knew their grandparents. How many of their grandparents did your grandparents know?
12 Responses
J B Cassetty (1879-1946) One grandparent died before his birth. The remaining three lived near where he grew up and lived. One died when he was three, one when he was ten and the last died when he was thirty-four.
Mattie Webb (1881-1943) Three grandparents died before her birth. The remaining one lived near her and died when she was sixteen.
RL Meadows (1888-1957) We have not been able to determine the death date of one of his grandparents. The other three lived near him. One died when he was three, one when he was five and the third when he was twenty.
Edna Shoulders (1900-1980) All four of her grandparents lived near her. One died when she was fourteen, one when she was nineteen, one when she was twenty-four and the fourth when she was thirty-six.
My maternal grandmother was raised by her paternal grandfather and his third wife (not her grandmother); she was 21 when he died. My maternal grandfather knew his maternal grandmother; she died when he was 26. They lived near each other.
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Although my 2 siblings knew all four of their grandparents, I only knew the one who was alive when I was born (my siblings were teenagers when I was born). So I only had one grandmother to whom I could ask questions. Although her father lost his first wife, (My Grandma’s mom) when grandma was 3, he then married a “great” step-“Mom”, who also died when she was 6, and then he married a widow woman with children, who treated my grandmother with distain. Grandma always talked about her “mom” but i later discovered it was not her mother, but her step-“MOM”.
Interesting…I’ll have to check my tree! I so know that neither of my PARENTS knew all 4 grandparents. My dad knew his grandmothers, both of whom lived to a ripe old age. My mom knew one grandmother well. One of her grandfathers died when my mom was still in grade school. The other grandmother died in the 1918 flu epidemic when my grandmother was only 7. That woman’s husband remarried, started a new family and never took back the first set of kids (my grandmother and 2 sisters.) He stayed in town and I know mom met him a few times, but he wasn’t considered family
This sounds like a fun research activity! I’ll start reviewing my grandparents and their grandparents right now!
The story my grandmother told me about HER grandmother’s father being killed “crossing the plains” and her mother’s remarriage and death in California a few years later was what spurred me begin my genealogical journey. My grandmother’s grandmother was sent back to Iowa to be reared by her grandparents so I was fortunate to be able to document those stories.
William Irish (1890-1976). Three grandparents died before his birth. His maternal grandfather died when he was 21; they lived in the same county from the time William was three-years-old; in fact William lived with his grandfather some of that time.
Blanche Lhamon (1892-1889). Her maternal grandmother died before she was born. She would have known the others when she was a child, but her maternal grandfather moved out of the area by the time she was six and died before she turne nine. Her paternal grandparents didn’t die till she was 20 or 21, but her family had moved away some years earlier.
Monroe Bahnsen (1906-1950). Both grandmothers died before his birth. He knew both grandfathers, they lived nearby. One died when he was five, the other when he was twenty-seven. One great-grandmother was living when he was born, but died the following year in Germany.
Jane Cutler (1910-2001). All died before her birth.
This was a very interesting exercise.
Two weeks ago we buried my mother-in-law. When we were leaving the cemetery I grabbed my granddaughter and showed her a large tombstone. I told her my grandfather had shown it to me and said it was his grandfather’s grave, along with wife 1, wife 2 and wife 3 way over there (Granddad said wife 3 was hard to get along with.) The grandfather buried there was my granddaughter’s 4x great grandfather. The buried man’s grandfather first settled in the area, making my granddaughter the 9th generation to live here. It made the connections easier to comprehend as grandparents linked together across the ages. Maybe some day my granddaughter will do the same to her grandchildren.
It never hurts to try and encourage an interest.
Oh my – I am much more wordy that your other respondents!
I remember all four of my grandparents, though my memories of both of my grandfathers are few in number. “Grandpa Pat” died when I was six, on a summer day during our visit to Chicago. “Grandpa” died when I was ten, and I remember my dad coming home from work to tell my mom her father had died. Both of my grandmothers lived into their 90’s, giving me cause to plan for a similarly long lifespan myself. “Grandma Laura” was living in her daughter Sue’s downstairs apartment at the time of her passing. She was still quite lucid when several of us Texan Doodys had visited her there in Iowa a couple years before. “Grandma” was in the ICU in Chicago when she passed, the same week that my daughter and myself were also in the ICU in Houston, because Audrey had just been delivered prematurely.
• Patrick Joseph Doody, Sr. (1900-1965). I have no birth and death information on Grandpa Pat’s grandparents; however, my dad’s cousin Rose obtained and gave me copies of the 1901 and 1911 Irish census pages for him (he was her uncle). These pages show that Grandpa Pat’s paternal grandfather lived six houses down in 1901, but not in 1911, so it is possible that he knew both of his paternal grandparents when he was very young. My dad’s cousin Michael (family historian in Ireland) was unsure even of Pat’s maternal grandparents’ names.
• Laura Irene Ellis (1903-1995). Grandma Laura’s paternal grandparents died when she was 3 and 15, so she likely did not remember her grandfather. However, the families all lived in Chicago, so she likely did know her grandmother. Laura was 25 and married when her maternal grandparents passed. She had attended their Golden 50th Anniversary party just two years before, so I’m sure she knew them well.
• Russell Roy Roberts (1897-1969). Grandpa was the youngest surviving sibling of eight, so it’s not surprising he did not know both of his grandfathers; they died before he was born and when he was two. Russell likely knew his grandmothers well, because he was 29 and 17 when they passed, and both families lived within visiting distance. (I remember my mother kept in touch with several of her cousins, so I know they were a close-knit family.)
• Charlotte Elizabeth Goodale (1907-2000). Three of Grandma’s grandparents died before she was born. They don’t appear to have died young, but Elizabeth’s parents were 40 when she was born, so perhaps that explains it. Grandma’s maternal grandmother passed away when she was 18. Since Nancy died in Chicago, it is likely that Grandma was in contact with her at least during her last years.
THIS WAS A LOT OF FUN! I now have several avenues of further research 🙂 Your posts are a bright spot in my day – thank you!
I’m glad you had fun with it and that you are enjoying our posts. Thinking about my own gave me pause as well. Lots of good information in your comment.