Monday, August 11, 2014

Charles and Mary Mervine Schroeder


Photo taken around 1905.
Charles was of German decent. Mary was of Irish, German and French decent.
Charles was first generation. Mary's family has been in the United States since Revolutionary War times.

I recently discovered these pictures of my paternal great grandparents. A cousin of mine had the pictures posted to a public family tree. If I never did genealogy would I have ever known any members on my father's side of the family? I am 54 years old and this is the first time I have seen these pictures of my great grandparents on my father's side of the family. It saddens me to know Mary lived until 1979 ( I was 19 years old) and I had no idea she existed because the adults in my life felt it necessary to keep us apart as a result of problems those adults could not resolve. My paternal grandmother Marie died in 1945. My paternal grandfather died in 1954. However, this woman (my paternal great grandmother) along with several aunts and uncles and dozens of cousins resided in close proximity of me while I was growing up and I never knew any of them. It saddens me even more that history seems to be repeating itself with my own granddaughter.

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