52 Ancestors Week 39: Steps

 From Amy Johnson Crow: The theme for Week 39 is "Steps." There are many ways you could interpret this theme. You could be literal and talk about an ancestor who walked a lot. You could think about the "step-" relations in your family tree. You could outline the steps you took to identify an ancestor. Remember: There are no wrong ways to interpret a theme!

Step one: Create a banner in five minutes.

    Whoever said genealogy is easy is lying to you. It isn't just researching your ancestors in the hope that you find something or prove you have that connection to some king who lived centuries ago. There is a lot of hard work involved in proving connections and family lines. It gets even harder when you try to prove how a DNA match is connected to you. Neither of which are impossible. So, don't lose faith! Keep at it because you never know what you might find!

    Last February I talked about a DNA match of my great-aunt named "Alex" in this blog. I mentioned how he shared over 100 cMs with her and talked at length about how I should reveal what I found to his adoptive mother. Believing that "with great power, comes great responsibility". 

    I handled the situation with the utmost tact and skill. I didn't want to enter any drama. I presented the facts and left "Alex" to decide what he wanted to do with the information I gave him. I washed my hands clean and went on my way. Despite my detective work, I never really went into detail on the steps I took to prove my connection to "Alex". I made slight references here and there to various programs I used. I just never SHOWED the work. I think it's time we rectify that mistake!

Step One: First Contact

    Contacting "Alex" was a little awkward. I've been reassured that it's always awkward contacting a DNA match. What I do is state my name, why I'm contacting the person, where I think we might be connected and offer the person a chance to ask questions. Very rarely do I put in the cM counts because most of the people who do tests on Ancestry and the other vendors don't really understand what a cM or a centimorgan is.

    Sometimes people respond and luckily "Alex"'s adoptive mother answered and we talked for a bit. I mentioned that we had a lot of shared matches who descend from Paolo Coppola and Rosa Suverato, my 3rd great-grandparents. She was impressed and a little taken aback by how much Italian her son had and offered to let me look at his DNA matches. I said "Sure". 

Step Two: The Leeds Method

    Popularized by Genealogist Dana Leeds, the Leeds Method allows you to sort your DNA matches into color coded boxes. It usually groups them by great-grandparents or great-grandparent pairs. Read all about it here.

Taste the rainbow!

    Looking at the chart I made, I could clearly see the Coppola/Suverato group in Blue. Those Italian last names weren't the only ones that caught my attention. Several of his matches had a person with the last name "King" in their tree. Paolo's son, Paolo married a woman named Lena King in 1909. They had nine children together until her death in 1918. That narrowed things down quite a bit.

    Then I saw another familiar last name from my research.--"Cheney". Paolo and Lena's daughter, Mary Rose married a Cheney!

Step Three: Second Contact

     Feeling confident that there was a connection in the Cheney and King families, I sent several messages to "Alex"'s closest DNA matches in those families. Their last name was "Cheney". They had to know something about what I'm talking about. I got a reply back from a nice lady who told me a lot of information about Mary Rose. She had a few children and she told me about the girls. I sat back in my chair and write back "Did she have a son?" I asked because "Alex's" connection to me would have to be on the paternal side give what his adoptive mother told me. The lady replied saying "Yes. She had one son." I shook my head a piece of the puzzle was solved. Now I needed to put theory into practice!

Step Four: The Complicated DNA Stuff!

    Once I finished talking to the Cheney match, I went over to DNApainter.com to see just what the odds were of "Alex" being connected to my great-aunt. At 144 cMs, I had quite a few options thanks to all of the genetic genealogical gold Dr. Blaine Bettinger, Dr. Leah Larkin and Jonny Perl put on the website.

    Leah, aka the DNA Geek, has a tool called "What are the odds?" or "WATO" on the website. I decided to use it to determine just where "Alex" was in the tree.

    Using the program, I first put in my great-aunt and built the tree up to Paolo and Rosa. I then added known DNA matches the match and I shared. I knew where they fit thanks to my research and my own family tree. All I did was substitute my cMs shared with his own numbers. After adding six DNA matches from the Coppola family, I then hit the "Suggest Hypothesis" button. I was a bit surprised by the results!

    Six possible  hypotheses returned after I had put in three of Paolo senior's children: Concetta, Paolo and Caterina and the matches who descended from each of them. Concetta and Caterina were almost immediately taken out of the equation. I added people like my father and Caterina was removed, too!

    I will admit that sometimes the highest hypothesis isn't always the correct one. The other day I was playing around with my mother's Legault lines and it didn't gel completely with established paper trails. It's always a good idea to keep in mind that it is just a hypothesis. Even the most likely ones can turn out to be incorrect. It really just depends on what information you put into the program and the number of close matches. The more you have, the better. That tends to increase the odds along with adding birth dates. Sometimes WATO will be accurate. Sometimes another hypothesis may turn out to be correct. 

    In the end, "Hypothesis four" turned out to be the most logical answer. It had the highest score and that meant that it had the highest probability of being the connection. I put in "Alex"'s age and Mary Rose's son's name in and became even more likely that "Hypothesis 4" was the correct way to go based on ALL of the information I obtained. I gathered my thoughts, and started talking about what I could do next.

    That's where the Spider-Man comparison from the other blog came in. I had an obligation to report on what I found for "Alex". With great power and all that. I know I sound like a nerd when I talk about Spidey. But, the statement still holds. When you find something this huge, you should try to be objective and report on what you find. That way the person you are talking to can make their own informed decision. It still amazes me that I went from Dark Knight to Wallcrawler over the course of working on this match.

    I had great success using WATO and I've used it for other matches who vexed me. Trust me I have a lot of DNA matches who are confusing. In time, I'm sure I'll solve the puzzle. Right now I feel pretty good about how I went about solving this puzzle. There are other ways to go about solving genealogical puzzles. This one was probably the easiest for me because I'm a visual learner. I need to see things in action before I can make a conclusion. There are other steps people can take and this was the best one for me given what I already knew about my family's history.

   I just hope "Alex" is happy with the results as I hadn't heard much from him or his adoptive mother since the big reveal. Maybe that's the old "Spidey luck" creeping up. I don't let it bother me. I did what I had to do and I learned how to do some pretty cool things along the way thanks to Dana, Leah, Blaine and Jonny. They're good people! Follow 'em on social media and I'll see ya next time!

52 Ancestors Week 38: Fun and Games

 From Amy Johnson Crow: Week 38: It's "Fun and Games" for Week 38! Are there any fun traditions in your family? (My family has "Thanksgiving craft time" after the big meal is done.) Maybe you've made an especially fun discovery or found how your ancestors spent their precious free time.

WOOOOOOOT!

    Over the years I've been blogging I've talked about many of my family's traditions. I've talked about the big Christmas eve parties, fun at the marina and Thanksgiving. There's still one or two family traditions I can talk about here and there. The well hasn't completely dried up! In between all of the holidays, we still managed to have HUGE family gettogethers on my mother's side of the family. One particular event occurred in June of 2013. It was a surprise party for my grandfather, Robert Hamel.

Robert Hamel, master of stealth

    I was thinking about him a lot in the last few days because at the time I am writing this entry it has been exactly four years since he passed away at the age of ninety-four. I can say with certainty that it hasn't been easy since he's been gone. He was the only grandfather my brother and I really, really remember. He was basically the blueprint for all other grandfathers to follow. He was just that awesome and I can say with absolute certainty that all ten of his grandchildren (including my brother and I) would agree!

    In June of 2013, it was decided by my mother and her five siblings that they should turn one of our annual family gettogethers into a surprise birthday party for their father. His ninetieth birthday was approaching and we wanted to do something special for him. Plans were made to have the party at my aunt Linda's house and it was my parents' job to pick him up at the airport and have him sleep over until the day of the event. Naturally, I helped and played it cool.

   

     The fun actually started when we picked him up at Manchester airport. My cousin and I were supposed to get him at baggage claim and when we went there.....he wasn't there! We both looked at each other like "What the heck? Where's Grandpa?" We shook our heads and went back to where our parents were and sure enough there he was waiting for us WITH EVERYONE!  I said to my cousin "We're totally gonna get him back for this."

    The next Saturday was the big day. It was his birthday and what would have been his sixty-fifth wedding anniversary. My grandmother had passed away in 2004. That didn't stop family from the Felker clan from attending! Keeping the surprise a secret was a simple task. I was talking to one of my other cousins on Facebook messenger while he watched golf on our television....with the television muted. I never figured out why he did that. Golf isn't exactly known for its boisterous fanbase. Though, it would be cool to see some of that excitement in the game. I'm not going to lie.

Ninety-four candles is a fire hazard.

   My aunts and my cousins came by that night and I talked about the party to my cousins in the kitchen while our parents and siblings were in the dining room with our grandfather. You might think it was like being sent to the kids' table and you might be right on the money. It worked out because we got down to brass tacks with limited commercial interruption from the group in the dining room. That was until my uncle cracked open a lobster and juice hit the ceiling. We still have the stain there. Nothing gets lobster juice out. NOTHING! The best part was that he thought the lobster party was his actual birthday party. Nope!

   

     We said our goodbyes and prepared for the big event the next morning.

    When I woke up, I sent some messages to my cousins and they asked if Grandpa suspected anything. Thankfully, he didn't. The event was going to be slightly formal and to keep up with the charade I had to wear a decidedly informal Boston Celtics t-shirt. I swear I felt so out of place. Nevertheless, I grabbed my camera as I wanted to film as much of the event as possible and we were on our way.

    My mother even made chicken wings for the party and my grandfather asked why she was making so many wings. Gee. I wonder where I get my curious streak from! She made some lame excuse and he totally bought it.

The grandkids (minus 2). 

    When we got to the house, I got my camera out and my grandfather asked what I was doing. My dad said "He's gonna take a picture of you." I chuckled and whispered "Nice save". My aunt opened the door and greeted him as he walked ahead of everyone. She said we were "having a picnic in the back". He walked up the steps and I was still recording. He went into the house and everyone shouted "SURPRISE!"

    And man was he surprised! I took a panoramic shot of everyone clapping and turned the camera off until it was time for cake. I wasn't about to walk around with a camcorder the whole day! I did film more clips. I was basically filming for posterity and for my brother and cousin who couldn't make it to the party.

    We did take plenty of pictures! If there's one thing my family does is take photos. Lots of photos. The only problem is that sometimes we're all looking in different directions in group shots. Luckily the one above has most of us looking in the same direction.

Psst. Can I has cake? 

    Throughout the afternoon I spent quite a lot of time talking to my cousins, my great-aunt and several of my mother's cousins.  Everyone talked about how much my grandma Natalie would have liked being there. She would have. She'd have loved the surprise party. I do wonder how she would have kept it hidden from Grandpa Bob, though. She'd have gone along with it. I just wish my brother and one of my other cousins could have been there. But, it is what it is.  At least a few of the great-grandkids were there! Needless to say he had a great time and was all smiles during his speech.

   

     Birthday parties and family gettogethers have always been a great chance to get a ton of genealogical information. You have a few laughs and talk about the things you never knew about your family. Over the years we had many and that one was the second to last party we had before he passed away in 2017. The last party we had was in 2016 when he was at my cousin's wedding.  That was a fun time. He did not know what to make of "Uptown Funk".

    It's hard to believe four years have passed since he passed away. A few more great-grandchildren were born and one great-great grandchild is on the way at the time of this blog's posting. Time may move on but the memories will last a lifetime. Parties are a great way to solidify those memories and I have plenty of them and pictures! When I got home from the party, I loaded up Ancestry for the first time in a while and made some updates based on what I learned. I smiled and said "I'll get back to you later". My genealogical adventure was about to begin anew! 

    I put the videos I took up on my Facebook and I share them whenever they show up in my Facebook memories. It's a good way to share the memories with cousins who weren't able to attend. I've even saved the videos onto my computer and a flash drive. Moments in time are now forever captured and will be cherished for years to come.

See ya next time!

52 Ancestors Week 37: On the Farm

 From Amy Johnson Crow: For Week 37, it's all about "On the Farm." This week, why not write about an ancestor who was a farmer or a farm laborer? Don't forget about farm wives and the work they had to do to keep things running!

And on his farm he had some figs. E-I-E-I-Oh....

   Farming is a human activity that dates back to before the first cities rose in Mesopotamia and the Nile river valley and it shouldn't come as any surprise that southern Italy had its fair share of agricultural activity dating back to before the age of the Roman Empire. For centuries there was very little in the way of industry in the southern parts of the country we now know as Italy as the north became centers for trade, commerce and industry. Coastal cities in the south like Palermo, Naples, Bari and Catanzaro followed their centuries old maritime traditions by continuing a mastery of the Mediterranean that persists to this very day. Meanwhile, in the interior farmers worked the land as they had been for centuries under the merciless heat of the hot Italian sun.

Scenic San Pietro a Maida

    For centuries they toiled and worked the fields in the hopes of producing goods for the market and of course food for their growing families. Crops such as figs were common and were a sought after commodity. Who doesn't like fig jam? I know I do! When it came time for Italians to immigrate across the ocean thanks to policies that favored the north in the late 19th and into the 20th century, a question everyone's mind often came up. Would they be able to keep their farming traditions alive in a strange land far from the farms of their ancestors? Would they adapt to the farming techniques used by the people of those lands? How would it be possible to keep the traditions alive? Would it be possible? The answer, of course, is a resounding "YES!" 

    As you know, half of my tree is Italian as my father's parents came from Calabria and Campania by way of San Pietro a Maida and Gesualdo. When Grandpa Marco and Grandma Olympia's families came to America, they brought with them the farming techniques and traditions their family had honed for centuries in the old country and it's something I always think about while I'm working in my parents' garden.

Garden or vegetable prison? Too close to call.

    For as long as I can remember, my family has always had a garden and it often felt like I was farming. We'd grow everything from tomatoes, basil, cucumbers, potatoes and peppers to hot peppers, green beans and zucchini. You name it, we grew it in there. Some years were better than others and I'm sad to report that the Ferraiolo garden of 2021 was just....okay. We blame the extremely cold May we had this year. That was just crazy! We broke the planet. We weren't too discouraged as we had plenty of basil to make great pesto sauce and enough tomatoes to make really, really good tomato sauce. Not gravy. I will never call it "gravy"!

    Persistence is key when you're growing produce in New England. That's true for everyone. When Italian immigrants came to America they had to contend with a climate that was very different from the one they were used to in Italy. Winters were harsh and yet they adapted by growing vegetables in the warm months of the year. I can tell you there was probably a lot of trial and error in those early days. But, it is likely they had help from locals. At least I hope they did!

 

Farmer Vincenzo!

    So, what did they end up growing? Would it surprise you to learn that my ancestors grew the same things they had been growing in Italy? Certain crops can withstand the soil of New England just as easily as they could in Europe. It's not hard even though timing is everything. 

    Starting with my great-grandfather, Vincenzo, he had a pear tree in the side yard of his house in Haverhill and a vegetable garden in the back yard. It was here that my father learned about growing vegetables like tomatoes and herbs like basil. Centuries old farming techniques were passed down to him and he wasn't the only one to have a green thumb!

    Grandpa Marco had a gorgeous fig tree which lived a good long time. Fig trees are remarkably hardy and can withstand cold winters. While they do typically grow in the southern parts of Europe, my grandfather's fig tree grew pretty well in the city of Haverhill!

Farmer Giuseppe!

    My great-grandfather, Giuseppe, meanwhile took things a bit further. While he did grow the Italian staple of grape vines he grew apples, pears and cherries in his yard. I have been told that the pears were quite delicious. The cherry tree was even alive up until a few years ago!

    Like the Ferraiolos, the Carrabs even had their own vegetable garden and in it they grew many crops and even some herbs like basil and garlic. In fact, we're attempting to grow some garlic this year that my father's cousin brought over. Here's hoping they grow!

    Using centuries old farming techniques, my great-grandfathers managed to bring their know-how to America. Through trial and error, they managed to grow the kinds of crops they were used to seeing in the old country and even grew crops seen in America. Granted these weren't farms as people know them. They still counted even though they were much smaller in scale and still managed to produce sweet fruits and veggies for all to enjoy.

    What's really interesting is that both men had different farming styles. Giuseppe used what was available and combined it with the crops from his native mountainous region of Campania. While Vincenzo and Marco's home region of Calabria was just as mountainous, they used more of a southern European approach to farming. They grew things in the warmer months and produced goods for the family when they could. Giuseppe on the other hand practically had a grocery store's worth of goods. Either way, they clearly brought their farming talent to America and passed it down to my father and myself. Yeah, even I have a green thumb. Didn't see that coming did you? 

    Italians have always adapted to new surroundings whether it's through learning a new language or simply farming in an urban environment like Haverhill, Massachusetts. Their determination and skill helped to feed their own families and was likely passed down to them through the centuries. That skill I'm happy to say lives on. 

    So, how was it possible to grow in such a different climate? With versatile crops, anything is possible. Using centuries old techniques like growing when it was warm in New England proved to be beneficial and chances are good that Italians shared the skills with other Italians. They adapted quite well and some like my 2nd great-uncle Giovanni Coppola had even opened grocery stores where Italian immigrants could sell their produce at. It makes me wonder if Giuseppe used the shop. Marco and Vincenzo likely did. Giovanni was Vincenzo's uncle.

    The farming traditions of the past are kept alive in America and in Italy today. People still work the land as they have been and though times changed, the heart of the tradition remains because great things can happen with a bit of luck and a lot of perseverance!

See ya next time! 

Editor's note: In April of 2023, I found that Giovanni Coppola was not the brother of Paolo, Caterina and Concetta Coppola. He is likely a first cousin of the three. Look for details in a future blog post.

Images of Google Earth are property of Google Earth.

52 Ancestors Week 36: Working

 From Amy Johnson Crow: Monday was Labor Day in the US, so what better time to explore how our ancestors earned a living?

They work hard for their money!

    The daily grind can be enough to get anybody down and I can say with absolute certainty that things were not always easy for my ancestors. Whenever I would I ask my father how work was, the answer was always the same. "Work was work". That's true for anything you do even if you love your job. As I said last week, my parents valued hard work and education as things weren't always easy for their parents and grandparents when it came to making a living. Let's explore one example of why that was shall we.

Giuseppe and Clementina

    My great-grandfather, Giuseppe Carrabs ,was a prime example of an immigrant trying to make a living in the early 20th century while supporting his wife Clementina and their five children. He worked as a custodian at Pentucket bank for many years and while it may not seem like he was living the high-life of swimming pools and movie stars, it was what was available at the time because when he came to America in the early 1900s with his wife and  daughter, he did not have much in his pocket and was already a skilled laborer.

    Fortunately for him laborers were in high demand in the city of Haverhill. Mills and factories employed many Italians, French-Canadians and other immigrants from all corners of the globe. In the 1920 census, he was listed as a shoe worker. That tracks because many Italians did a LOT of hard labor in factories in their first few years of working in America.

    It was during this time that Giuseppe helped to form the Haverhill Italian American Credit Union, an organization which was dedicated to helping Italian immigrants such as him succeed in monetary issues and lend money when it was hard to come by as most banks were uneasy about lending immigrants money. Such a union came in handy during the most depressing days of the Great Depression. He wasn't just a member. He was also a past president!

    After the stock market crashed in 1929, we see Giuseppe and his family living in a five thousand dollar home in the 1930 census. This was a big deal. However, it had its drawbacks. Giuseppe at this point started working at the bank as a janitor. Clementina and Jenny, the oldest sibling, were taking care of the kids while they attended school.

    Luckily they managed to keep the house they were living in until 2010 when my great-aunt Louise passed away. How they accomplished this when many lost their homes and livelihood in the Depression is a bit of a mystery. However, I can safely say that perhaps the union and the bank he was working at helped the family during those times. That's just a theory I have and it makes the most sense now that I think about it.

Important historical artifact or battlefield between 
two warring factions of transforming robots. You
decide!

  Evidentially, my great-grandfather was well-liked at the bank because when he retired he was given this really awesome conference table that was converted into a coffee table. It's not a bad table and growing up I played on it not knowing the significance of it for many years.

    I remember one time I was rolling the heroic Autobot Optimus Prime on the table and grandma Ollie was watching me and smiled. I asked her why she was smiling and she told me the story behind the coffee table She said the table represented a lot of work her father put at the bank and that he would have appreciated me putting it to good use.

    She then told me more about her parents and being a kid I just listened intently.

The Carrabs house (1925-2010)

    My grandmother was right of course and she too knew the value of hard work as she worked for the phone company. But, here's the thing. She never brow-beat those values into my brother and I. She learned from her father that with hard work a lot can be accomplished and Giuseppe did accomplish quite a bit even though he was a custodian.

    He was well-liked, well-respected and was an important member of the community. He was president of a credit union! So, that was a big deal! You might say he "pulled himself up from his bootstraps". While that may be true, he had help along the way. After all the union provided assistance to him so that the family could stay in that house on Bartlett street for over eighty years. Did he show gratitude? Oh, no question! 

    Despite being a janitor, he showed some pride in his work and helped immigrants like him through the union. He was basically paying it forward as he didn't want them to struggle in the way he did. Sure it may seem like he didn't struggle. This was only a glimpse. There were still things he had to deal with and he came from a region of Italy that was still struggling at the time. 

    That is the crux of why Italian immigrants and immigrants in general worked so hard to better themselves and the lives of people around them. They did their best to ensure no one else would have to suffer as they did. Was it easy? Nope. Was it worth it? Probably. I mean we're here aren't we? They came to help make a better life than what was available back in the "mother country". They didn't ask for much and today's immigrants share the same sentiment. After all history has a way of repeating itself.

    So you could say that as an immigrant he improved his life greatly after coming to America. Was it glamorous? Probably not. Was it worth it? Definitely! His hard work helped other people in the long run and that's why helping people is probably more of a key to happiness than say wealth, power and prestige. 

See ya next time!

  Images of Google Earth are property of Google Earth.

52 Ancestors Week 35: School

From Amy Johnson Crow: It's back to school time—one of my favorite times of the year! Have you thought about your ancestor's education? Any teachers or principals in the family? Have you ever visited your ancestor's old school (or maybe you attended the same school)?

Wow. I'm pretty strict.

   

     Going back to school every year was a always fun and enjoyable experience. My mother would take my brother and I to the mall and we'd get new clothes for the year. Growing up in New Hampshire meant that the first hint of fall was in the air the second we felt cool breezes while we put the boat away for the winter. Trees were starting to change color, too. When September hits New England, it hits it hard and without apology! By the '90s, my mom would play "Back to Life" by Soul II Soul on the way to school. It never failed! We'd be in the car and she'd start playing the song or sang it. My mother has a twisted sense of humor. 

    Recently, my parents celebrated their fiftieth wedding anniversary and in honor of that momentous occasion, I thought it'd be a good idea to talk about them since I rarely do so in the blog since they are living and have every opportunity in the world to read "All Roads Lead to Haverhill". Hi, Mom! Hi, Dad!

Check out those 1970s sideburns.

    School has always been important to my parents Dr. James Ferraiolo and Diane Hamel. They met at Suffolk University in Boston where my father was studying to be a dentist. My mom was studying blood and was beginning her career as a lab technician. I don't have to tell you that seeing their medical journals as a curious six year old was an eye-opening experience. Some things you just can't unsee at that age. They met while attending a chemistry class. I guess you could say they had....good chemistry? I can hear the "boos". Your "boos" give me strength!

    Education was and still is a big deal for my father because he was the first in his family to go to college. His father, Marco, went right to the army and once he came home he didn't continue his education. My grandma, Ollie, graduated Haverhill High and didn't go off to college. So, it was a big deal for him to go to Boston and get that degree in dentistry.

    It didn't stop there. When I was little, my father would teach kids about the importance of dental health in either his office or at my school. I remember one time my father would talk to my class about why we should take care of our teeth. It's hilarious in hindsight because my dad doesn't just have a sweet tooth. He loves desserts! Still, it left a mark on my classmates and they would tell me about that time my father went to school to talk about dental health. I'd smile because they have no idea how many gross pictures I've seen. Thank you, New England Journal of Medicine.

She still talks about
"ratty sneakers". 

    My mom always felt that education was important, too. Her parents were hard workers and she needed to help wrangle....er....take care of her five younger brothers and sisters. She was the oldest and so she needed to help her parents out. She was also the first in her family to graduate college. While in high school at Newburyport High, my mother learned French while studying to be a medical technologist. Learning French would end up being VERY helpful.

    Later in life, her grandmother Henrietta Legault had a seizure and this caused her to only speak in French. Diane ended up communicating with her. The lessons she learned paid off. See! Learning a second language CAN be useful. Take that everyone who said learning another language was for "suckers"!

   

    Austin and Henrietta were actually at my parents' wedding in 1971 and I've seen their picture. Henrietta was wearing an eye patch and she looked okay despite her age. I imagine my mother greeted her in French on that special day.

1960s Dad needed sideburns.

   

     After the wedding, my parents didn't go right on their honeymoon. Although, they did end up going to Jamaica some years later. No, they got into the car and drove to New Jersey where they were living. Why? Well, they still had classes to attend and my dad was getting his doctorate. They clearly didn't waste time relaxing as there was science to do!  That doesn't mean they didn't have fun every now and then. They do. It's just that education was and still is a big deal for them given their backgrounds.

    Since their parents didn't continue on with their education and everything, it made sense that they would place a high value on that and in time they became very successful in their respective fields. My father eventually became president of the New Hampshire Dental Association for a few years and my mother became a lab supervisor at Merrimack Medical Labs. Not too bad, right?

    Learning about why my parents valued school allowed me to understand why they put some pressure on my brother and I to do the best we could in our academic efforts. They never forced us to buckle down and study or anything. But, they did explain why it was important. Their parents and those before them didn't have the opportunities for school like they did. That's why they encouraged my brother and I to learn as much as we could.

    In the end it worked. My brother works as a IT specialist at the University of Virginia and I take care of the billing for my father. We both value hard work and though we clearly didn't go into the medical field like our parents did, we still liked helping people out in any way we could. It's pretty obvious why they valued education and thinking about it more makes me realize just how lucky my brother and I were growing up in an age where there were many opportunities waiting for us that generations before them did not have.

See ya next time! And happy anniversary, Mom and Dad!