Cousins Meet for the First Time

Well, today has been very special and very rewarding.  Gene met his cousin, Rita, for the very first time.  Here’s their interesting story.

In the fall of 2008, we spent a couple weeks in central Ohio doing a little research on Gene’s family history.  Each day during those weeks, I would post on our trip journal (Homeward Bound) where we went and what we learned.  Of course, in tracing your ancestors and visiting cemeteries, family names are important and many of those names would appear in my trip journal.  When doing a Google search, those entries in the trip journal popped up.  That is how Lee and Rita learned we were relatives.

Rita, the Curp, contacted me via the guestbook.  We have been corresponding for several months and have exchanged family history information and photos.  Today, Gene got to meet his cousin, Rita, and her husband Lee.  Rita’s grandfather and Gene’s grandfather were brothers.

We really had very little to add to Lee’s extensive research.  He has been working on recording the Curp family history for some 30 years.  What dedication!  We are very grateful and appreciative to him for sharing that work of love with us.

We spent the afternoon telling family stories, looking at old photos, and sharing tidbits of our lives.  We hope to visit with them again, if not this trip, then one in the future.  We never know when our paths may cross again.

That’s it for tonight.  Tomorrow we are going to Orlando with Bill and Helen for the Montana Owners Club luncheon.  That’ll be fun.