How To Disappear

Did you miss me? I've been distracted by both yard work and genealogy research the last few days. The outside temperatures stayed mostly in the 90's last week so I was outside as much as possible trying to stay ahead of the weeds in my yard. The wet weather last Spring caused the weeds to proliferate at a remarkable rate and our week away on vacation brought numerous squatters who just could not resist settling in and trying to take over.  I could blast them with pesticides but with dogs I don't consider that a viable option.

When I wasn't outside ripping up vast neighborhoods of unwanted green growth while visions of new garden designs danced in my head (Shades of Robert Moses), I was online searching government records for information about my father's family. I just may have found my great grandparents who seem to have been part of an unknown-to-me family tradition of starting families late in live  life. If the man I think is my great-grandfather is my great-grandfather he was born in 1844 and fought in the Civil War with the Illinois Infantry. The woman who I think is my great-grandmother was his second wife and my grandfather would have been born when his father was in his early 50's. The connection I found to these people is an address my grandfather put on his World War II draft registration card showing that he lived at the same address as the woman I believe is my great-grandmother. I found her in an old Peoria, Illinois city directory where she had listed herself as "widow of ____" and by searching the Illinois State Archives online records found out that at various times one or both of  them lived in the Illinois Soldiers and Sailors Home.  I have sent away for copies of their records and hopefully will find something that will connect them to my grandfather. 

So, if in the future I disappear once again you'll know where I'll be- either digging in the dirt or digging in the past.