Family

I’ve been thinking of relatives of late. Not that they aren’t always on my mind, but from time to time, they take up a great deal of my mind. I love family and what it should be all about. I’ll admit mine is a bit dysfunctional and we haven’t been all that close. OK, more than a bit at times and becoming closer is a work in progress. It is getting better.

When I was growing up, it was my Grandmother Franzen that held the family together. At least my Mother’s side of the family. She was the hub of a giant wheel of relatives. We communed together on certain occasions during the year, and we enjoyed each others company. We saw each other regularly, we knew who we each were and were we stood in the family line.

I have vivid and enjoyable memories of older Aunts and Uncles. Many from the old country, Sweden. I didn’t look at them as old people I saw them as links, information to before, stories to be shared. They spoke I listened. I now know how fortunate I was as a little boy to have know many of them. Even then, somehow I knew.

When the elders passed as did my Grandmother, the family seemed to flow in different directions. Things changed and fast after grandma went. Many became distant.

Understandably, people must take care of their own. With careers and ones own family taking up your time. Its not hard to lose track of the bigger picture of family as a whole.

I have another family. My real father’s family. I had been pretty much cut off since age five. He never came around and only occasionally did my mother take us near his (my) family. As a child you didn’t question how adults did things or why. You just went along for the ride.




I have fond memories of my Aunt Phoebie and Uncle Dick, and all those kids, my cousins and so many, wow. They had a ranch with horses and critters, a bottle soda pop machine on the back porch. How cool was their place. I was really young.

I’ve only recently, through these past years have I been able to connect with some of my cousins from the Tracy and the Baker/Fuller line. Some because of FB, thanks.
I also got to talk to my Aunt Phoebie twice, before her passing. My Fathers sister. It was very emotional on both ends.

I remember my Grandmother Baker. Such a nice lady, she walked everywhere cleaning houses. She walked everywhere, really year round, in upstate NY. Who does that? That’s Tough. She is my French Canadian heritage, she left Quebec and came to the United States. She gave up so much for her family. She gave every day of her life, for her whole family. Everyday, till the end. She deserves to be honored by her family annually for her sacrifices. I’m sure she is.

I want people to know. When I speak of upstate NY I’m not talking within an hour of the City or the lower Hudson Valley, nor the Albany (capitol) area. I’m speaking Lake George, the Champlain, Glen Falls. The Eastern reaches of the Adirondacks. Just to keep everyone clear.





My mother remarried, giving me yet another set of relatives. Although not blood, we were family by marriage. Yea, that went over well. To this day a few of us have made bonds with each other, slowly we are still connecting with each other, mostly again due to FB.


We don’t do family gatherings, we don’t really do anything together as a whole family. I personally would love it, but in truth, its logistics. East, West, Mid-West. We are scattered literally everywhere. Including over sea’s. I have worked on the idea for several years but unless I can pay for some huge one time event. Its never going to take place.

I have been keeping and researching my family history, with all its twists and turns since I was about Twelve. I am working on the finished product. A book, with as much information as I have been able to gather and check and re check. Compiling is a massive undertaking and I’m at a point where I hope to finish because I’m done.

I’m going to take , what I call a family pulse. One last time. It is to try and make sure I have absolutely all the infor., photo’s, documents, etc. all that I could possible need

When will it be done. Good question. Before I die. Perhaps this is my Winchester House project? I sure hope not, ol.

As for family, I love each and everyone of them, even if we don’t stay in touch regularly or ever have or will. Family is family, PERIOD.
I think of and speak of many family members more than they will ever know. I do the same with friends, close or not. I like to think they think of me, in the same way.