Genealogy 2

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‍My Genealogy Research Is Underway

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‍The research into my ancestral family began in 1998 or about one year after my retirement.. Strangely enough, it was by accident that I even gave thought to the identity of my ancestors. It wasn’t because I didn’t care, but rather I had little reason to ever think about an ancestor, or to even question why I never thought of them. My parents never brought the subject up, and regretfully, I never bothered to ask.

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‍One afternoon while working in my shop, I received a phone call from someone who identified himself as Sam Jones, a distant cousin of my mother. Sam immediately began by asking the question: “Do you know the name of your grandmother?” Being a natural-born pessimist, I hesitated to offer any answers. First, I had no clue who Sam really was, or why he wanted the information, and second, I really didn't know the names of my maternal grandmother or grandfather, or any other ancestor but one (Granny - Mom’s grandmother).

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‍Sam continued to explain how he was related to Mom and that my grandmother’s name was Ethel Jones Severance, his aunt. To my surprise, he also gave me the given name of my grandfather, Laurie Severance, along with information on how and where my grandfather and grandmother died. Sam then said that if I wanted to know more about Mom's family, I could contact him and his wife, Debbie. He added that I had three cousins in Mayo, Florida, who knew both the Jones and Severance families well, and he was sure they would enjoy meeting me. Their names were Johnnie, Ora, and Alice Jones, who were nephew and nieces of my grandparents.

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‍After Sam’s call, I knew that I was remiss in knowing my ancestral family and that I wanted to dedicate myself to learn more about my parents early life and anything that I might learn about their parents. A few days later, I called Sam and asked if he would contact my Mayo cousins Johnnie, Ora and Alice and make arrangements for me to visit and explain to them the reason for my wanting to visit. The arrangements were made for me to meet them at Johnnie’s home in Mayo. I was soon on my way to meet my newly discovered cousins.

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‍My intention was to introduce myself, conduct my first attempt at an interview, and then return to Tampa that evening or early the next morning. I was never schooled in the art of being sociable, so I was a bit apprehensive about meeting my new cousins, especially since they were to be my first interview. When I arrived at Johnnie’s, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the three of them were as anxious to meet me as I was to meet them. Ora, (the eldest daughter) was born in 1905 and at the time of my visit was a lovely ninety-four years old and as spry as I was at sixty-two. After introductions and a few minutes into our conversation, I found that I was so impressed with the warmth and friendliness of the trio that I would be making many return trips just to visit.

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‍There is a word of advice that I wish to pass on to my future generations: do not go through life without asking questions and getting to know your parents. I did not ask and I regret it to this day. Much of the information that you will read here was learned through research or given to me by relatives who knew Mom and Dad. Needless to say, I now realize that I missed out on really knowing those ancestors who were responsible for my being here on this earth.

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My Mother, My Father My Brothers

and Me