Family discoveries

Once again my column has been saved by my favorite Egypt Mills tour guide (my dad, Dude Huey). I was wondering what I would write about, besides my super fun and adorable grandsons, and then it dropped in my lap. After finishing a yummy Sunday lunch at Mom and Dad's, Dad said my Uncle Jimmy (Sinn) had told him now would be a good time to go spray the weeds around a small Huey cemetery that sits on some land my uncle farms. Dad asked if anyone wanted to go along, and Terrence and I decided to check it out.

The cemetery was definitely off the beaten path; back a gravel/dirt road and in and out of creek beds, and then up a hill we found our destination. The area was definitely overgrown, despite it being fenced off (weeds don't seem to care about fencing). There are only two headstones here, one marked Enoch Huey and the other Catherine Huey. Both stones are in desperate need of some TLC to be able to see clearly what is recorded on each. But it appeared they both died in the 1870s, and neither one had a date of birth listed. After the date of passing, Enoch's read, "Aged about 73 years" (or it might have been 78; it was really hard to tell). We think Catherine's read, "Aged about 65 years."

The fact that no one knew their date of birth struck me as odd, and also sad. I don't know if that was normal for that day and time or if Enoch and Catherine were the exceptions to the rule. My guess is birthdays at that time weren't celebrated, which again, I feel is sad. Maybe this also helps explain why all the photos of people from that era are of people frowning, even in the professional photos. Maybe when celebrating birthdays became the norm is when people started smiling in pictures (I think I just discovered the reason for all those gloomy photos from the 1800s)!

My dad couldn't quite recall who Enoch and Catherine were and where they fit in, so I enlisted the aid of a couple cousins who I thought might be able to help, and that they did! Thanks to Debbie Hall-Sopko (by way of her mom, Vera Jean Foeste-Hall, who kept great records) and her dad, Johnny, who knew where the records were kept! And thanks also to Kim Heartling-Pooker for helping to fill in the gaps (Facebook group messaging is awesome)! Our parents are first cousins, and just like every other family, there's always those who know a little more about the family tree, and luckily some who have it all written down.

It turns out Enoch and Catherine were my (our) great-great-great-grandparents, and Catherine, maiden name Morgan, was from France (wonder if I have relatives in France who would let me come and visit?). Our great-grandfather was Charles Huey, and Enoch and Catherine were his grandparents. And speaking of Charles, Debbie, Kim and I found out we have one recollection in common. We all remember going with our parents to visit him, an elderly man with white hair who lived in a little house next to Uncle Ed and Aunt Alma (Huey) Foeste (or grandma and grandpa, to Debbie). Charles was Alma's dad, and she watched after and took care of him. Our recollections were that we were not fond of going to see him (kind of creepy was the consensus), but as young girls, we went wherever our parents made us go. Debbie even remembers "a box" in her Grandma Foeste's bedroom, and you could hear him hollering; then Alma would go tend to his needs. Turns out the box was an intercom -- who knew!

Oh, and let me add, that crap about giving your children wings so they can fly, and that you've raised strong, independent children, otherwise they wouldn't be venturing off on their own -- it's all crap! I'm still trying to find the good side to our daughter moving six hours away. She's happy, and for that, I'm thankful. But she was happy here, too! Oh, well, this too shall pass.

Faith, family and friends,

Kim