Lawrence Family History

Manahuu!

Back in 1995, I visited Mariposa for the first time in my life. I went there with the intent to visit my fathers grave, as I had never seen it before. While there, I met a few cousins for the first time. Cousins I never knew I had. I also met Aunt Sarah. I visited with her for a while, and told her that I’d bring my grandmother Julia over to visit with her a bit later in the year. Things didn’t work out, and Sarah, with one of my cousins I hadn’t met yet, attempted to come over the Sierras instead to visit. There was a terrible accident, and Sarah lost her life.

It was saddening to me in the fact I had said I’d do something and that started the chain of events. After Sarah passed, I went to Schurz, NV and got my grandmother and we headed to Mariposa for the funeral. I met more cousins at that time, and also reconnected with a few I hadn’t seen since we were pretty young (they used to live here in Bishop).

Anyways, a friend of the family approached me, telling me how much I resembled my dad, etc. Then she dropped a bombshell on me, and told me I had a sister somewhere over that way. I asked my grandma about it, and she said that the child wasn’t my dads, so I pretty much put it out of my mind.

A few years ago, I was searching the web for family history, and I ran across a strapping young fellow on a discussion website, and we discovered we were cousins. I found his information to be extremely helpful, and thanks to him, I was able to really kick it in gear regarding my family history. And then his sister (though I did NOT know she was his sister at the time!) contacted me initially on Ancestry.com and her info helped a lot too. I think you two know who you are.

Moving on to Ancestry.com as well as my Family website, even more cousins popped out and contacted me on Facebook. I then put them in contact with cousins here they hadn’t met. You know who you are as well.

Not long after, I got a message through Ancestry.com from a young lady that said she had made a DNA connection within the family. She hadn’t met her father until very recently, and she said that her mother didn’t know who her father was either. Well, the DNA results answered that – The DNA connection within the family produced a name in a certain cousins family tree that this girls grandmother knew – my dads name. She explained to me that some truths were finally coming out regarding her mom’s dad, and it turns out that her mom’s dad and my dad are the same person.

I sent away for my own DNA test, and it helped re-affirm their results. I also hoped to find another connection through the test (my own grandfather, which I did).

So… if you haven’t figured it out yet… I discovered that story in 1995 was true – I have a new sister! And a new niece. And a new nephew.

I have lost a sister and brother from my moms side, as well as my mom, and I miss them every day. I never knew my dad, as he died when I was 2, but at least I knew who he was. The Great Spirit works in mysterious ways, and a young lady needed a hole filled in her life with knowledge. She now has that, I hope.

Welcome “home”, sis! I hope all these new relatives welcome you as they had welcomed me.

(Oh, and a side note – I hope the DNA results showed our Martian heritage!)

A’ho!