Meet the (Great-Great-Grand) Parents

To a lot of people, genealogy is boring. So what if their ancestor was on the Mayflower? They’re dead – and that was almost 400 years ago. Move on, already!

I am not one of those people.

Our family pictures (which we are fortunate to have quite a lot of, at least on my mother’s side) are among my most cherished possessions. So when I come across a picture of an ancestor – which is akin to the Holy Grail for a family historian – it is nothing short of thrilling. And the thrill is multiplied exponentially when it’s of ancestors I didn’t know existed.

That was the case with Lewis C. and Martha J. (LEE) LYNN. I’m not sure how I got to them exactly but when I found them, I also found this photo. *confetti flies* These are my great-great-grandparents, the parents of Harvey A. LYNN! I’m just getting acquainted with this line and what a fascinating discovery it has been already.

The shocking thing is that in glancing at Martha, I see one of my late aunt’s eyes! (And, I also see the shape of my own face.) I think history was a little kinder to us genetically with the nose but it doesn’t matter though. These two couldn’t be more beautiful to me if they were cover models. I have no idea when this photo was taken; wish that I did. Maybe the 1890s?

I’ve learned that Martha is at least part Native American. (I always heard there were Indians in this lineage. More on that later.) And it seems like everyone in this line came from either Tennessee or Kentucky. Census records and other family links from ancestry.com have told me this much about Lewis and Martha’s lineage:

Laura - 1865

John CM - 1868

Lewis F - 1870

Harvey A. - 1871

Matilda - 1875

Manerva - 1875

Martha Catherine - 1877

Elijah- 1879

Malissa - 1880

Susan Jeanette - 1883

Rosa - 1884

I found a distant cousin from Susan Jeanette's line, too, so DOUBLE SCORE!