Sorry for the radio silence but I was called home for yet another family funeral and asked to write another obituary... This was only a week after my good frisbee buddy and frequent Foxylibrarian commentator Ryan Stich was killed in a motorcycle accident in Georgia. What a shame and what a waste.
When the family is gathered all together like that I get to snoop around for more family lore - one of the few solaces of funerals. Here's a gem: my grandmother is rumored to have been born at 12:30 AM, February 12, but her parents backdated the event to February 11th. Her parents didn't want her sharing a birthday with Abraham Lincoln, that day being one of infamy in the South. Or I guess I should say for a certain segment of the Southern population, since I'm sure the descendents of freed slaves didn't have such a problem with the day. It was easier to do those sort of things - to tamper with the official record - in the days of home births.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Library Record as Window to the Soul
I know I am breaking a cardinal rule of blogging by updating my blog so pathetically infrequently. I am continuing to suffer from post partu...
2 comments:
So sorry about your loss, Foxy dear. Lovely little tale about the backdating of the birth. There should always be something good to take away from a funeral. One of the best is the family reunion that attends a good funeral and the treasure stories that fly about. You, by the way, are a treasure. We enjoy your writing and your quick wit. Keep bloggin' through thick and thin!
My thoughts are with you, even these many days later. Hope you are well.
I enjoyed reading the story of back-dating the birth. There's a novel, there, Foxy, of your stories -- as is there is mine, being another product of the south. I found out many family skeletons by snooping amongst albums and letters -- and the lack of both, which has led to questions that aren't always welcomed over the years.
I was sad to hear about Stich, and thank you for e-mailing to let me know.
Take care, and Merry Christmas to you and yours.
Post a Comment