This past week is a good example of why I enjoy genealogy so much.  I took the Ancestry DNA test and over time have written and received emails from the folks on my “cousins” list.  Most of those connections were very distant so, while it was interesting, it wasn’t particularly exciting, nor informative.

This week I got an email from a cousin who wasn’t as distant.  Turns out that her grandfather and my grandfather were brothers and I actually remembered meeting some of her family when I was young and we would take trips to Canada.  We sent emails back and forth figuring this out and then she sent me a photo of my grandfather and three of his brothers that I also had.  Bingo – we were definitely second cousins!

My grandfather was the one who “went to the U.S.” and really wasn’t heard from much after that by the Canadian relatives.  So, in her genealogy research my grandfather represented the unknown branch of the family.  That was kind of strange – I never felt like I was “lost”!

We had a great time emailing and I’m guessing that if there is an opportunity to connect in person in the future, we will do that.  In the meantime I have added names to my family tree and made a new friend.  And, that is what I call a good day for a genealogist.  Happy research!