My Step-mother and Uncle: Cousins!

Wedding photo of my dad's sister (my aunt) Laverna Margheim and her husband, Alfred Ireland. Dec. 6, 1953. I'm the flower girl at right and my twin brother Dennis is the ring bearer at left. 

Left to right: My dad's parents, John and Mollie Margheim, bride Laverna Margheim Ireland, groom Alfred Irelan, Maid of Honor Marceleen Manke Margheim with her husband and Best Man, the bride's twin brother Leonard Margheim. The flower girl in front is me, 6 year old Becky Margheim. 

Bride and Groom Laverna Margheim Ireland and Alfred Irelan opening wedding presents. 

Wedding photo of my dad and stepmother, Ernest and Phyllis Jones Margheim. March 18, 1951

It was just two days ago that I discovered, as I was browsing my cousin's tree at Ancestry.com, that my uncle Alfred Irelan was a descendant of Mark Hardin and Mary Hogue. I've researched my stepmother's family and know that her 7th great grandparents are this same Mark Hardin and Mary Hogue. I prepared the chart below to show each of their descendancy from these 6th and 7th great grandparents. 

When I discover connections like this, I'm just blown away.  Many people just shrug, but I find it so meaningful and noteworthy. When my Aunt Laverna married Al Irelan, my dad didn't know his sister was marrying his wife's distant cousin. There certainly didn't seem to be any family similarities in these distantly related individuals. That's all I'm going to say about that.