Great-Aunt Emily and Aunt Margaret

Great-Aunt Emily and Aunt Margaret, originally uploaded by confections.

My mother's older sister Margaret (about age four) is seated here on the lap of her Aunt Emily, circa 1927. Aunt Emily was born in December of 1869 and lived until 1944. Aunt Margaret was born in 1923 and is alive and well. This was taken at my maternal grandparents' farm in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania.

My Maternal Grandfather's Parents & Sisters

My Maternal Grandfather's Parents & Sisters, originally uploaded by confections.

One of the most exciting gifts to me in the early days of my genealogical research was receiving this photo of my maternal grandfather's parents and sisters via email. I had located a long-lost cousin who had this photo along with at least one-hundred more from my mother's side of the family. She generously shared them with us and they have been disseminated to the rest of the cousins.

My great-grandfather, Thomas Galbraith, the only male in this photo, was a California Gold Rush '49er. He kept a journal of his cross-country adventures, but the journal ended as soon as his party found gold. He returned by boat to the East Coast, completed medical school, and practiced medicine in Pennsylvania for many years. Family legend says that he attended the birth of his future wife, my great-grandmother Martha Jane, who was twenty-two years his junior.

Vermont Farm, Sunday Dinner 1909

Vermont Farm, Sunday Dinner 1909, originally uploaded by confections.

This amazing early photo was sent to me by a long-lost cousin along with some genealogical research done by her son. What a gift! My mother's family comes from Vermont, and this photo was taken in Caledonia County.

I know quite a lot about my Great-Aunt Jean Elizabeth, who is pictured on the far right at the table (click the photo for the full image). She had been a school teacher for many years, then married a distant cousin and returned to the family homestead from Pennsylvania, where she was born.

In May of 1910 she gave birth to a daughter, but tragically my great-aunt died in September of 1910 of an ectopic (tubal) pregnancy. She was just 36 years of age. Her daughter was raised on the homestead in Vermont, married and moved to Ohio, and lived a long life (she died at 88 years of age).

I love working with the puzzle pieces of genealogy and am overjoyed when bits like this fall into my lap. I will leave you with an image of Jean's infant daughter, being bathed by her mother, and one of her being held naked in the summer garden in a rare candid for the time. Women hold up half the sky!