A Round About Way of Finding the Past

         Jack was raised by his mother.  He had not known his father, but his mother showed him pictures of the man she claimed to be his dad.  She had raised him with his father’s last name which wasn’t questioned until he tried to get a passport.  He dropped the surname that he had always gone by.

Recently he reached out to Roland who had been avid about family history for a few years.  If he could not find someone that he was related to through ancestry he would click on the hints for other family members – such as his late wife or my side of the family.  Jack was interested in knowing more about my grandfather – who was the only grandfather I had really known.  My paternal grandfather passed when I was quite young and I had only met my mom’s biological father only once or twice but certainly did not know him as a grandpa. 

Ralph had married my grandmother when my mom was a teenager.  That’s the grandfather that I knew.  He is the one Jack had inquired about although he seems to have more information about his possible father than do I.  Sad thing is he had moved to Los Angeles long before my grandpa had passed.  Grandpa was living in San Francisco.  If they had had the technology then as what we do now, he might have been able to talk to Grandpa in person.

I forwarded his information to my brother, Corey, who had connected with Ralph’s family at one time.  I figured he would have more information about Ralph than do I.  He does.  Both of us have sent emails to Jack and he has written back to each of us.  This could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.