Genealogy is fun

I have been working for many years on the Henderson family history. The most recent information, regarding my father, was not too difficult. Looking for him in the census records produced, not only his history but, his siblings and parents as well. In the beginning, the family consisted of six children (all my aunts & uncles) but the parents were separated in August of 1928 and all the kids were farmed out to foster families. The three youngest, Eleanor (6), Ralph (3-1/2), and William (9 mos.) went to live with a family in Bassett, Nebraska and the three oldest, Paul (11), King (9), and Mark (8) were all sent to live with separate families in Eureka, South Dakota. Notice the biblical names for all the children, it’s the first clue to the mindset of the people and their times.

The Boys, L to R: Paul, William, Ralph, King and Mark

When I first made contact with any of them asking about family history, the only sister was living in a home in Oregon, the oldest brother, Paul, was already suffering memory loss and living in Dayton, Nevada, and brother Mark was living in Sacramento, CA. The two youngest, William and Ralph were already deceased. William was only 17 and had gotten special permission to enlist in the paratroopers during WWII. He left for Europe in early January of 1945 after spending Christmas at his sister Eleanor’s home in Sacramento. Less than 30 days later, on February 2nd of that same year he was killed in action and is buried in the U.S. military cemetery in Epinal France. Ralph suffered for many years with what, today, would be called “Post Traumatic Stress.” He was estranged from his wife and children, and died alone in 1977 at the relatively young age of 51, in Sweet Home, Oregon.

With Paul effectively out of the picture due to memory loss, that left King (my father), Mark, and Eleanor to fill in the blanks of family history. Eleanor was very helpful at supplying colorful details of their time in Basset, NE and her move out west in 1939 to be with her brothers. King provided many details of his adventures that I was privileged to transcribe before he passed away in 2006, but I hit the jackpot when I made contact with my uncle Mark! Apparently, the kids had an uncle who had taken an interest in genealogy and had compiled a treasure trove of history and documentation. This uncle’s name was Nelson Addison Mason and his sister, Leila Irene Mason was my grandmother. All of this information was given to me by my uncle Mark. It included the original typed transcripts produced by Nelson Mason in 1936, and correspondence to and from family members, seeking information. There was even a letter written to Nelson by my father in 1942 when my father was stationed with the Army Air Force in England. For a genealogist, it doesn’t get any better than this.

When you are lucky enough to find old letters and written personal testimony, it adds depth and character to the cold hard facts of census records, birth certificates, and the like. You get to know the people and understand their circumstances and what they had to deal with in their time. The Henderson branch of our family has been my most challenging task, but I was able to add to Nelson Mason’s research with a couple of discoveries of my own, which I will relate in future posts. During this research, I got to know many of my ancestors. I watched their families grow, lived with them during their hard times and good times, and watched them pass away to their final rewards. I have also met many good people along the way who helped with my research. Cemetery officials, Librarians and volunteers in many small town genealogical societies all over the world.

I recommend genealogy to anyone with time on their hands and an interest in their family history. There is some good software available that makes it easy to organize all the information, and many websites that can simplify the gathering of raw data. Vacations can turn into excursions into history when you visit the “stomping grounds” of your ancestors. It is a very rewarding hobby, and your descendants will love you for it!