Looking in the Mirror, and Beyond

Do you ever look in the mirror, and wonder who it is that is looking back at you? Not that you're having an identity crisis...but more like wondering who you inherited all those features from.

Whose nose is that? What person passed that chin on to me?

I am so glad for the wonderful invention of cameras!  Before that, we had no idea what our ancestors looked like. Unless you were fortunate enough to find a painting, or description of them, it was all up to your imagination.

I have been quite fortunate to have many older photographs to peruse, and I love looking through them for physical links between the generations.

Thanks to  www.sparksfamilyassociation.net, I am able to see a photo from my 5x-great grandmother, Elizabeth Weaver Sparks. Although it is not of the best quality (and therefore hard to take a close look at her features), this first photo of Elizabeth is my first look at this side of the family.

Elizabeth Weaver Sparks
(Source: The Sparks Quarterly, June 1973)

I wish I had photos of Elizabeth's children, and more of her grandchildren.  With no photos of these two generations besides one grandchild (not my line), it is hard to tell which features are inherited from Grandma Weaver Sparks.

Indiana Governor Winfield Taylor Durbin
(Source: Indiana Governors)

Did their grandchild, Indiana Gov. Winfield Taylor Durbin, inherit Grandma Weaver's features, or more features from his Durbin side? Of what I can see, I think he resembles Grandma Weaver Sparks quite a bit. 

I wish that I had a photo of Elizabeth's son, Hamlet, or his daughter, Mary R. Sparks. However, I do have several photos of Mary's daughter, Anna Moore Hillman. I choose to include this photo, because it shows her features at approximately the same age as everyone else. 

Anna is my great-great grandmother, and two generations removed from my first photo. And yet, I still see a strong resemblance (in the eyes and nose) to Elizabeth. It looks to me that Anna also shares the same eyes and nose with her mother's cousin, Winfield.

Anna Moore Hillman

As I look at the photo below of my Great-grandma Haessig, I also have many wonderful memories to go with it.  We enjoyed going to her house, and spending holidays with her. 

Although those eyes are hiding behind glasses, I can still see the resemblance to her mother (Anna), her grandmother's cousin (Winfield), and to her great-great grandmother (Elizabeth). I think the eyes and nose are still strong features in this family.

What do you think when you look at these past ancestors?  Do you see a resemblance?

Carrie Hillman Haessig

The following photo is of my father, Gene, and two of his 1st cousins.  With my father, especially, I think that the resemblance is still there. But I would like to see what your opinion is of the three of them.  Do you think that Elizabeth's genes are still running strong in the 21st century? 

I would love to hear your opinion on this.  I know that there are several other family genes that start running through each family, and vying for attention, too.

1st cousins ~ Ethel Mae, Gene, & Nancy

And, to bring this post to a close, I am including one last photo to show how strong the family ties can be sometimes.  At the recent family reunion, I was talking to my 2nd cousin's daughter, Kim. She never thought that she looked like her mother's side at all. She always felt like she mostly resembled her father's side.  

We have physical proof that she was wrong! Lol!  I found a picture on my tablet of her great-grandma Clara (L) and her grandfather's sister, Ethel Mae (R), taken over 50-60 years ago. 

Do you see a little bit of a resemblance between the woman holding the baby, and the woman holding the tablet?  Kim did, too! She said it was like looking in the mirror!

My 2nd cousin's daughter, Kim (in photo, Clara Goins,
 Ethel Mae Goin & unidentified baby)

So, who do you resemble?  How far back does those family genes go?  Share your stories with us! We would love to hear them!!

The Hillmans of Moores Hill

Thomas J. and Anna (Moore) Hillman. Children (Clockwise from top left): Grace, Carrie, Edna, Lillian, Maude, George

     Can any of you name the family that most interested you when you started your journey into family history?  I can.  I was eleven years old and had just finished watching the "Roots" miniseries on TV.  I became fascinated with this idea of finding out more about my family tree, also.

     I was luckier than some, when I began my search.  I not only still had my two grandmothers, but I was blessed to also still have one of my great-grandmothers to visit.  She can be found as a young woman behind her mother in the above picture.

     Carrie's daughter (my paternal grandmother) also wrote names and dates in the family Bible, going back to her grandparents. She also did the same for my grandfather's family.

     Judging from the age of the children, this picture was taken near the turn of the century. I am also in the possession of a large photo of Thomas and Anna in an original frame taken approximately around 1880 or so.  These are treasures that I am so blessed to have.

    I love having the photographs, but I wanted to learn so much more about these people than just names and dates.  Great-grandma Carrie's sister, Maude, was still alive when I was eleven, and I actually have a picture somewhere of Carrie and Maude at our family reunion in 1977 or '78.  But, I haven't learned much about Maude yet. Or Edna and Grace.

     The only boy, George, had a career as a blacksmith well into the 1960's.  He also served in World War I in the Rainbow Division.

     Lillian, sitting on the ground in front of her mother, was not fortunate enough to have a long life, as were her siblings.  She grew into a young woman, fell in love, and got married.  However, according to her death certificate, she was a victim of the flu epidemic that gripped the nation around the time of the war. She died within a year or two of her wedding date.

     I have not learned much about Thomas Hillman's family, but Anna Moore has quite a few interesting ancestors and relatives. Her family's story includes an Indiana governor, a territorial judge, the founding of a small town and college, Mennonites, Methodists and the migration from Maryland and Virginia. I told you a little about the migration of Adam Moore in a previous post.

     So, I can tell you without a doubt when, and with what great-grandparent, my journey began. But, as you all know too well, the journey will never end! I hope you enjoyed getting to know my great-grandmother's family. I look forward to telling you more about Anna's family soon.