He was born 142 years later.
I decided to spend a little time on one of my major brick walls today. William Grant "Billy" Woolsey was born 13 Dec 1863 (or 1865 depending on the record) in Iowa. That's really all we know of his life before he married my gg grandmother, Lillie Ann Graham in Montague Co., TX on 8 Dec 1889. Other than the story he sometimes told.
According to family tradition he told this story: His mother died when he was a small boy. He had an abusive Irish step-mother. As a young lad to stowed away on a wagon train headed west. By the time they discovered him it was too late to turn back and so he continued on with them and that's how he ended up in TX. Then he would add "and that's all I'm going to say about that." If he was anything like his grandson, my grandfather Albert Woolsey, I can just see that character that was stated with.
But through all the typing of record searches it suddenly hit me that my daughter was born on his birth day about 142 later. We always thought that my mother was the person of honor when our daughter was born a day before my mother's birthday and then we gave her my grandmother's (mom's mom) middle name as her middle name. But it just suddenly hit me today that William Grant "Billy" Woolsey has the honor of his ggg granddaughter being born on his birthday.
I wonder how many ancestors we can find in our lineage that we share a special day with. It's just one of those interesting things you often don't think about, but somewhere along the way you will suddenly realize that you share something more than just your heritage and genes.
According to family tradition he told this story: His mother died when he was a small boy. He had an abusive Irish step-mother. As a young lad to stowed away on a wagon train headed west. By the time they discovered him it was too late to turn back and so he continued on with them and that's how he ended up in TX. Then he would add "and that's all I'm going to say about that." If he was anything like his grandson, my grandfather Albert Woolsey, I can just see that character that was stated with.
But through all the typing of record searches it suddenly hit me that my daughter was born on his birth day about 142 later. We always thought that my mother was the person of honor when our daughter was born a day before my mother's birthday and then we gave her my grandmother's (mom's mom) middle name as her middle name. But it just suddenly hit me today that William Grant "Billy" Woolsey has the honor of his ggg granddaughter being born on his birthday.
I wonder how many ancestors we can find in our lineage that we share a special day with. It's just one of those interesting things you often don't think about, but somewhere along the way you will suddenly realize that you share something more than just your heritage and genes.
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