I See Dead People

 My sister and I got together on Labor Day. One of her recent hobbies is genealogy. This was my hobby starting in my teens and carrying on for a long time. I had my DNA test so that I could learn more.  It is interesting. Lately though I have become more interested in learning about the lives and families of these dead people than just finding names far back.

One of the avenues that we have searched is to find the family of origin of our great great great grandfather who served in the War of 1812 and died fairly young. We can't place the family he was from. I think from everything I know that it is likely he was Dutch, not Pennsylvania Dutch which means German, but from New Amsterdam. He was born in Albany, NY.  Still, we can't find the family.  I am satisfied to let it go.  In my heart, I feel that he was Dutch, a distant cousin argues that he was German.  Maybe someday records will appear to show who he was and where he came from, but for now, I can't see how we can know for sure.  This man has been dead and buried a long time. I know where his grave is and I would like to see the area he lived, learn about the history of the place.  Because, even if we never know whether he was German or Dutch, we do know where he lived in New York.  I like to imagine the lives of these ancestors and being there at the place they lived helps me to do that.

I spent my Labor Day imagining dead people, who they were and where they lived. It is a hobby for me, not a passion. But, sometimes it is nice to imagine the lives of dead people.  It is easy to keep socially distanced from them.