Wednesday, September 22, 2010

A Genealogy Moment

          Last week I located a connection to my Harper line. My great-grandmother was Matilda Green Harper (married to William Wilson Swann). The youngest of their eleven children (and my grandfather) was Otis Franklin Swann, Sr.  Matilda was the daughter of Edward Harper and Nancy Townsend.  She had a brother (David Casselton Harper, Sr.) who moved to Texas where he lived with his family until he died in 1922.

          While researching the Harper family, I found the obituary for David's grandson (Thomas Ewell Hunt Sr).  I searched the online phone book and found a telephone number listed in his name.  I called and a very nice lady (Irene Hunt) answered the phone.  She was the widow of Thomas Ewell Hunt.  We enjoyed a nice chat and she told me she would pass my name and telephone number on to her sister-in-law Sara (wife of Harold Eugene Hunt).

          The very next day, Sara called and told me she was also working on the family genealogy.  Over the next few days, we swapped information and photos.  She sent me 32 new photos of the Harpers (I love photos) to add to approximately 100 studio photos of the Swann and Harper lines that Daddy Swann gave to me before he died.

          Sara told me she was mailing a photograph of a baby girl dressed in a crocheted cap and handmade gown.  She said it looked as though “Edna Frances Swann” was written on the reverse of the photo, but she didn’t know who it might be and wondered if I could help her identify it. 

          You could have blown me over with a feather—the photograph was of my mom—Eddye Frances Swann Thomas.  I have a scanned copy of the photo, but she said she would send me their original copy.  I think Sara was as surprised and thrilled as I was.  She told me she never knew who it was.  I told her that I have the little cap and the dress!  I have been planning to have it framed in a shadow box with the photo. 

          Sometimes, connections are made and sometimes not, but with this one there is certainly no doubt that we are of the same Harper line.

          And the neatest thing of all--it came to me on Daddy Swann's (Otis Franklin Swann, Sr.) birthday!  Thank you, Sara. 



2 comments:

  1. Love this story....keep up the good work!

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  2. Oh my gosh, your mom is adorable! What fun that you were able to make a connection by making a phone call!

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