The leaf seemed to be defying gravity. It was simply hanging in the air.
Of course the leaf was not defying gravity. It had been caught in the fine, and difficult to see, strand of spider’s web. It was supported and it did have a connection to something else.
Those unseen connections are often what we try and find in our genealogical research. Some of the connections leave records where the connection is stated explicitly (birth and marriage being the most common). Some connections are mentioned in other records (death records, probate records, wills, obituaries, etc.). Some connections are strongly hinted at in other records (probates that do not mention how heirs are related, quit claim deeds where numerous grantors are listed without stated relationships, and the like). Some connections are suggested in records with no clue as to what that connection is (bondsmen marriage bonds, guardian’s bonds, executor’s bonds, and the like). The genealogist’s job is to try and determine if the stated connection is correct or, if the connection is not stated, to determine what it is.
But something is holding that leaf up. Just like there’s a reason that person is listed on the same record as your ancestor.
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