52 Ancestor Challenge—Week 1: “First”
The challenge is to write ANYTHING about your Ancestors following your interpretation of a prompt given once a week. This week’s prompt was “first.”
I’m at the 11th hour of this challenge, but here I go!
The first family history discovery I remember making was for my 3rd great grandmother, Otilda Caravan Clair. I was at college when I asked my mom to send me her family history info because I had the BYU family history library so close by. I noticed a missing space on my mom’s pedigree chart for my third great grandmother’s spot, who would have been married to Peter Clair.
I dove in right away to solve the mystery. This spark of research happened back in about 1994, now 25 years ago, and was before Ancestry and online records were available. I had to visit the Family History library to view microfilm and search most records by hand.
I remember the day I found her name, so simply hiding in the 1870 Census and when I found her maiden name more than 20 years later, buried deep in Pennsylvania death records. I sincerely rejoiced when PA deaths were digitized on Ancestry!
Her surname was so unique. I knew she was born in France—likely the Alsace region. Finally, I remember seeing a photo of her headstone that someone had so graciously posted on FindaGrave. It was a full circle moment for me to discover her history and to see where she was laid to rest with her husband and next to her daughter, Mary.
Otilda lived a full life in Pittsburgh with her husband, Peter, and their many children. They started their American life in the slums of the city while Peter worked at the local glass factory. They suffered the loss of at least three of their children at a very young age. Despite their hardships, their family thrived and Otilda was a grandmother to at least 36 grandchildren! What love and joy must have surrounded her. Her own story ended in 1910 when Otilda died of pneumonia at the age of 64.
Otilda, or Tille, will always be fondly remembered by me, not just as my third great grandmother, but as my first great find.
Love,
Lisa
I’m at the 11th hour of this challenge, but here I go!
The first family history discovery I remember making was for my 3rd great grandmother, Otilda Caravan Clair. I was at college when I asked my mom to send me her family history info because I had the BYU family history library so close by. I noticed a missing space on my mom’s pedigree chart for my third great grandmother’s spot, who would have been married to Peter Clair.
I dove in right away to solve the mystery. This spark of research happened back in about 1994, now 25 years ago, and was before Ancestry and online records were available. I had to visit the Family History library to view microfilm and search most records by hand.
I remember the day I found her name, so simply hiding in the 1870 Census and when I found her maiden name more than 20 years later, buried deep in Pennsylvania death records. I sincerely rejoiced when PA deaths were digitized on Ancestry!
Her surname was so unique. I knew she was born in France—likely the Alsace region. Finally, I remember seeing a photo of her headstone that someone had so graciously posted on FindaGrave. It was a full circle moment for me to discover her history and to see where she was laid to rest with her husband and next to her daughter, Mary.
Otilda lived a full life in Pittsburgh with her husband, Peter, and their many children. They started their American life in the slums of the city while Peter worked at the local glass factory. They suffered the loss of at least three of their children at a very young age. Despite their hardships, their family thrived and Otilda was a grandmother to at least 36 grandchildren! What love and joy must have surrounded her. Her own story ended in 1910 when Otilda died of pneumonia at the age of 64.
Otilda, or Tille, will always be fondly remembered by me, not just as my third great grandmother, but as my first great find.
Love,
Lisa
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