Grandma was the 8th of twelve children, eleven of whom grew to adulthood. I've clipped her out of a family photo from about 1918-19. She'll have been about 28. Her two youngest brothers, Walter and Sidney, are in uniform. They are about to go fight in WWI, against the Germans, which must have been rather strange given that their father was born in Germany. I think Grandma grew up thinking he was born in Indiana. It was not uncommon for immigrants to change their names, etc. to disassociate themselves from Germany.
Since learning that my dad was adopted, I've not been as keen to research that side of the family history. I do, however, keep working on Grandma's and Grandpa's siblings' descendants. I grew up hearing their names and I know that family meant a lot to Grandma, so I keep up with them as a way of thanking her. I recently was able to identify how a wedding photo from 1919 fit into the family tree, which was very satisfying. It was the wedding of her niece, the daughter of the eldest sister, only a few years younger than Grandma. I've added that to my family tree in hopes that one day a direct descent will find it and get some pleasure from it.
Happy Birthday, Grandma.
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