52 Ancestors Week 13: A Family Pattern

 From Amy Johnson Crow: Week 13:

The theme for Week 13 is “A Family Pattern.” There are so many ways this theme could go! Naming patterns, behavior, migration, following an occupation for several generations, even sewing! What family pattern will you write about?

I honestly don't think I can work a kilt. 

    You're bound to find family patterns on your genealogical adventure. Names will be passed down through generations and unfortunately certain types of behavior will be passed down as well. However, there's one thing in Amy's prompt this week that she didn't mention. Physical characteristics could also be a pattern. Sometimes these can be as plain as the nose on your face that you inherited from your great-grandmother and sometimes it can be subtle like the ability to curl your tongue.  In my family's case, eye color could definitely be considered a family pattern. This week we'll be covering the generations of people who had the bluest blue eyes ever. It's time to break out the Sinatra records because "Old Blue Eyes" is back!

Austin and Henrietta 

    The Felker family always had blue eyes and my great-grandfather Austin was no exception. My mother always told me that he had the bluest blue eyes ever. His eyes were apparently so blue that it was like looking at the ocean. When MyHeritage came out with their photo colorization tech, I put it to the test and sadly his eyes never turned blue. They were always this gross grainy black color. I guess I'll have to take my mother's word for it because I don't have color photos of him. Good thing his records confirmed that his eyes were indeed blue. Though, I don't think they'll be as descriptive as "blue as the ocean at dawn". They weren't that descriptive on draft cards. Fortunately. I have plenty of other pictures that show off the famous Felker blue eyes.

    Of course Austin wasn't the only one in the family who had amazing blue eyes. Several of his and Henrietta's children had them as well including my grandmother Natalie and her brother Austin.  Several relatives of mine also have blue eyes. Every family on the Felker side seemed to have one or two children with blue eyes. It's like that old saying. If it happens once, it's a coincidence. If the same thing happens again. a pattern forms. There's no denying the fact that having blue eyes is a common thread.

    Sometimes the trait even skips a generation like in the case of my cousin Kristyn. Her mother doesn't have blue eyes and yet my cousin does. Then again her father is Scottish/English. So, it could have come from that side of her family. Blue eye color either runs in the family or everyone got really fancy contact lenses. As I gather more pictures of the Felker clan I begin to wonder something. Where did the beautiful blue eyes come from? Who started it all? Unfortunately, I don't think I have an answer to that question. Or do I?

    It's wildly known that blue eyes are predominant in people from northern and eastern Europe. However, there have been some instances of it occurring in southern Europe. My grandmother Ollie had greenish-blue eyes and she was all Italian all the time! In fact, that actually led people to think she had Spanish heritage. She does not. I've looked! 

Jeremiah and Elizabeth

    I think the answer to that question lies with the origin of the Felker family. I traced the family line back to Germany in the 1700s. Could they have had blue eyes? It's hard to say. I have one picture of my third great-grandfather Jeremiah Felker and I can't tell if he has blue eyes or not. The picture's not in color and no amount of colorization is ever going to make that picture look great. For all I know the blue eye gene came from his wife Elizabeth!

    Could the Felker blue eye have been from Germany? Most likely. Without evidence it's hard to say. I was told that Jeremiah's children including Wilfred all had blue eyes for the most part. Unfortunately, I had to take my cousin's word for it. Without color pictures and other documents like draft cards it's hard to say who had blue eyes back then! And I definitely don't trust colorization tool as far as I can throw it. MyHeritage gave my great-grandfather Vincenzo blond hair and light skin even though he was from southern Italy! Colorization doesn't always work. I could write a long blog about why and why you shouldn't trust that gimmick!

    Back to the blue eye discussion. I'm of the belief that the blue eyes all came from northern Europe. The Felker side of the tree eventually goes to colonial Massachusetts and New Hampshire. The Felkers themselves actually came from Germany like I said earlier.  A lot of those colonists had British, German and Scottish roots. It's safe to say that the blue eyes I see in cousins like Kristyn and other members of my family came from that part of the world. There's no doubt about that. Who started it? I think we'd have to go back to Paleolithic times to answer that question.

Nana and her blue eyes!

     With so many people in my family having blue eyes, it's clear that there's a pattern here. The amazing thing is that most of the people who have blue eyes tend to have that piercing look that Austin had. His trait was clearly passed down and I doubt it'd be going away any time soon.

    It's just one of those neat family patterns that makes everyone stand out in the crowd. Though, I don't think a few of my blue-eyed relatives need help in that area! They'd stand out with or without blue eyes! They eyes really do have it!

See ya next time!