I have always groaned when I get that big envelope from the U. S. Census Bureau, asking for additional information. I think, “I know that the law mandates a census every ten years but what a bore and after all, how practical is it?” I must now take it all back and thank the government for supplying me with valuable information. I have been beating my head against what seemed to be a stone wall when I looked for my father-in-law’s relatives. He was put into an orphanage when he was about five. His mother died a week after giving birth to her seventh child. He was adopted by the Myers family. We would like to know more about his biological family. I have searched and looked and gone to the genealogy sites numerous times and found nothing. Then last night I found the census numbers that gave me so much information: his grandfather and grandmother’s names, the fact that there were siblings of his father, the birth records, what they did for a living, the dates of their births and even the fact that they didn’t own slaves - - this was pre-civil war Virginia. They were farmers and laborers. There was the sad account of the twins that evidently died. There was a record of the fabled “Uncle Hose.” It turned out that his name was Hosea, as I suspected, and he was married to Amacinda and they had a baby boy named Emett September 26, 1868.

I discovered the cemetery where my father-in-law’s mother is buried. I feel as though someone has given me a treasure trove. Not everyone is as fascinated by family as I am. Perhaps it is because my mother’s family has been so careful about keeping good records of family. I can remember hearing relatives sit and review just on which branch each member of the family should sit, figuratively. It makes me happy to think of the lonely, frightened little boy in the orphanage, enveloped by this large family, each with a story worth finding and telling. I know the younger ones probably don’t care about this but the day may come when they will and until then, I will keep the treasure for them..

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