A Matter of Perspective

Had a good visit with my mom's cousin and his wife today, and was able to take my Flip-Pal scanner with me on the road to capture scans of some great photographs, some of which my mother had never seen.  Of great interest were the photos of my grandfather in military uniform, as well as those of my grandmother when she was younger.

William Lee "Johnny Bill" Wright, Florida, c. 1944

My cousin even had some older photos from generations that he was not familiar with, including one of my 4th-great grandmother and her family, taken on her 81st birthday, January 9, 1914 in Norton, Kansas.  She died on March 9th of that same year.

Residence of Hannah Mills Poe, Norton, Kansas on her 81st birthday, January 9, 1914

There were also photographs that came from his grandparents family, my-great grandparents, and thus I was greatly interested in hearing some of the family stories.


One thing that I've learned is that so much of family history is a matter of perspective.  The way someone views a family member and the legends that develop and get passed down are colored by the perspective of the teller.  It is interesting to get a point of view from a different family who may have differing insight into why someone behaved the way they did.


I was able to sit back and observe, letting my mother and dad and mom's cousin and wife talk about people, places and events without interrupting them too much.  It definitely gave me insight, and fodder for future questions to ask about the family.