Hello, February! Tucson doesn’t seem to realize that it’s winter time as it’s a balmy 75 degrees outside with 83 predicted on Monday and Tuesday. It’s excellent for cleaning up leaves that don’t fall from the trees here until January.

Besides being the first of February, it’s also the weekend so time for Randy Seaver’s SNGF challenge:

1)  We all find “fun” or “different” information about ourselves, our relatives and ancestors in our genealogy and family history pursuits.  What are five “fun” or “different” facts in your life or your ancestors lives?

[Thank you to Jacquie Schattner for suggesting this topic last year.]

Hmm. Five facts means I have to think a bit.

1. My (paternal) Nana was secretive about her age (1893-1985) and I can think of two instances where she wasn’t forthcoming about how old she was. When the 1940 census taker came to the door, Nana told him she was 35 years old! She knew exactly when she was born and even pointed out the house in Passaic in which she was born. She wasn’t even living in the United States in 1905, the year of her supposed birth as the family returned to Slovakia in October 1898. Nana returned here for good in November 1910.
2. Further proof of my grandmother’s actual birth year is found in the story of St. Michael’s Greek Catholic Church (today the Cathedral of St. Michael the Archangel Byzantine Catholic Church) in Passaic. In 1980, the church celebrated the 90th anniversary of its founding. My grandmother was invited as a guest of honor and I attended the dinner with her. She didn’t know why she was an honored guest, though, and when she found out she was hopping mad – the priest announced that Nana was the oldest living parishioner who was baptized at St. Michael’s and was born on 17 August 1893! Now, the whole world knew how old she was. That’s an honor she would rather have avoided!
3. When I was expecting my son, his due date was 8 January (Elvis’s birthday). I don’t know why, but I was sure he would be born in time for Christmas. However, Christmas Day came and went and I resigned myself to the fact that he wasn’t due for a couple of weeks. It never crossed my mind that he might be a New Year’s baby and that’s exactly what he was – the first baby born on 1 January that year at Loma Linda University Medical Center in Southern California.
4. When I became interested in my family history, I questioned my grandmother about my grandfather’s education. (He had died in 1968.) Grandmother said he went to Harvard, but didn’t graduate. I eagerly wrote to the Harvard registrar, who replied that no one by the name of Vernon Tarbox Adams ever registered at Harvard. I thought it a bit odd since Grandmother knew a lot about the family history and had been proven correct when I documented other family facts. I forgot about it and moved on. Many years later, I found my grandfather’s World War I draft registration. I knew he enlisted in the Navy. It turns out that Grandfather did indeed “go to” Harvard as he was stationed there for boot camp!
5. I am descended FOUR times from William Lakin and wife Mary (MNU) of Ruddington, Nottinghamshire, England. William died in England and Mary married (2) on 22 July 1637 at St. Nicholas, Nottingham to William Martin. William and Mary Martin then immigrated to New England along with Mary’s sons, William and John Lakin, about 1644. It happens that both William and John Lakin are my ancestors and I descend not once, but twice, from each of them.

There are my five fun family facts. Thanks, Jacquie Schattner and Randy, for this challenge.