I have been interested in genealogy for many years. My grandfather’s Mormon family heritage is pretty well-documented with lots of stories about the Pioneers who helped settle Utah. (My grandfather was one of twenty-three children.)
My dad’s mother was
Irish. I traced her side back a couple of generations, but like many Irish-Americans,
the early records seem to have been lost.
Larry’s aunt did a
great job of documenting his father’s family. She even wrote several articles
for a publication in celebration of the centennial of her hometown. His mother’s
mother was a Woolworth, but not the rich branch. Their family heritage has been
traced back to Charlemagne. Larry laughed at all the European royalty in his tree.
But when we had our DNA sequenced, the findings tended to support everything I
had found. (He is descended from both leaders of the Battle of Hastings—William
the Conqueror and King Harold—and many, many other kings, queens, and other royalty.)
I knew my maternal grandfather’s
family was from Methven, Scotland. We visited the town when we were there in
1995. His branch moved to Clyde Bank, a famous shipbuilding city, before they
emigrated to Canada and then to the US.
My maternal grandmother
claimed that her family was 100% Scottish. I’m sure she didn’t know about her
second great-grandmother. I received copies of the family records from her
family’s Bible from a cousin on that side some years after my grandmother died.
Her great-grandmother was listed as “Grace Smith from County Cork.” I was
tickled when I found this, thinking how disturbed Grandma would have been to
know this.
I knew her father
was a school teacher and a member of the school board. I was proud to know that
her family valued education.
I have had a membership
in Ancestry.com for many, many years. I’ve uploaded all of the material I
received from Larry’s aunt and my Mormon ancestors there, along with the family
pictures and stories I have acquired. I have also been able to link to the work
of others.
Last week, I got
one of the best surprises ever. I discovered that my fifth-great-grandfather on
my maternal grandmother’s line was William Blackwood, an editor and publisher. What
a fascinating man.
In 1804, he opened a store where he sold old and curious
books. From there, he moved into publishing. In 1817, he began to publish Edinburgh
Monthly Magazine. It eventually became Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine.
His magazine was the first to publish work by an American, an essay by John
Neal.
It also published many famous English writers: Joseph Conrad, George Eliot, and E.M. Forster, among others. After William died, various other family members continued the business. It lasted until 1980, when it was amalgamated. (No members of my immediate family were involved.)
For the last twenty years or so, I have not only been an
author, but I edited for several independent publishers. Throughout my career, I
wrote policies and procedures for every job I ever had. One boss used to plop
down in the chair in my office and say, “Make me sound good.” He’d then tell me
what he wanted to say in a letter to a vendor. I’d produce a formal business
letter to which he attached his signature.
Another company I worked for insisted that a copy of every
piece of correspondence—including memos and documentation of phone
conversations—be sent to a group called “Presentation.” If there were any
errors, the group gave the author feedback. As usual, I created a lot of documentation.
One day I had a call from the head of Presentation. “Don’t send me any more of
your writing. It’s always right, and I don’t need to take the time to look at
it.”
A few years later, I began to ghost write corporate procedures
for other company leaders. My phone rang. A laugh was followed by: “I thought I
told you not to send me any more of your writing. Even though _____’s name is
on this, I recognize your writing.” By this time, we were using word
processing. The documents were produced in a separate group from my originals. “I
don’t have a choice. They distribute everything.”
Periodically, I’d hear from him whenever I started creating
documents from someone new. He just wanted to let me know he still recognized
my writing, and we’d laugh.
As an editor, I have been privileged to work on some
wonderful books. I’m known as a tough editor because I do both content and line
editing. I love doing it, even though I rarely charge enough. The satisfaction of
helping someone fulfill their lifelong dream is worth it.
Finding William Blackwood pleased me. I had a sense of
connection to him. My love of words, editing, and publishing didn’t come to me
from nowhere. Somehow, I had a sense of inheritance—intangible, but
nevertheless real.
Do you have any characteristics inherited from your
ancestors? What are they, and how do they impact your life today?
