Sarah (JOHNSON) KUHN: “Mum” – Harvesting Photos – 52 Ancestors (Ancestor 31)

Sarah JOHNSON was my matrilineal great-great-grandmother. I have found or heard so much about her that I could probably write this story half asleep with my eyes closed. Yet, I wish I knew more.

Birth and Early Childhood

Sarah was born to Thomas and Rachel (JOHNSON) JOHNSON who were distantly related through several endogamous Quaker lines. Presuming the family resided on the land of Thomas’ parents, Sarah was born in Iredell County, North Carolina, on the north side of Hunting Creek.

Elizabeth (CORMACK) RENFRO – A Nice, Big X Match (Ancestor 45)

Elizabeth (CORMACK) RENFRO – A Nice, Big X Match (Ancestor 45)

If you’ve been studying genetic genealogy for a bit, you may understand X DNA, but I’ll give a summation here.

X DNA is different from regular autosomal DNA. The 23rd chromosomal pair contains the sex chromosomes – those which determine the biological gender of the child. In all but rare cases, biological females have two X chromosomes (XX), and biological males have one X and one Y (XY). As we may have learned in high school or college biology, it is the male’s 23rd chromosome that determines the gender of the child.

Minnie Magdalene (KUHN) VAN DUYN Ancestry Chart – 5 Generations (Ancestor 15)

Minnie Magdalene (KUHN) VAN DUYN is my 2nd great grandmother.

Twelve Years Ago Today – Ancestor 3, My Mother

It was twelve years ago today. It was approximately 3:45pm. It was a Monday.

I got there about 25 minutes before then, maybe fewer. Her fluids were unhooked. I just sat with her. She was so cold. So cold. Her hands were freezing cold. I held them.

Margaret Ellen Wilson, 3 April 1931, Muncie, Indiana – Ancestor 3

I loved my mother so much, although I often had a strange way of showing it. But she was my best friend, my companion. We had so much fun, particularly after I became an adult. She understood me, but she couldn’t help me.