This is my great-grandmother Emma Cornelia Strait Becker. She was born in 1867 and passed away at age 53, in 1920. I obviously never knew her and until I started researching my family's history 10 years ago, I knew absolutely nothing about her. I still don't know a lot about her, except that I've grown to love her. As I've studied her family and more facts about her life, I've come to really love her. I love to say her name: Emma Cornelia.
In my last post on this blog, I wrote about my good fortune in connecting on Facebook with more than 30 cousins in the past week, all descendants of Emma and her husband Joe Becker. As I was getting acquainted yesterday through messages on Facebook, one of my cousins named Robyn mentioned that her sister was given, by another cousin, "those 2 big old portraits that used to hang on my Grandma Flanders's bedroom wall". She said the cousin who forwarded them on to her sister said she "didn't want those old people staring at her anymore!"
I had the opportunity to visit at my Grandma and Grandpa Flanders's house relatively few times in my early childhood, but I have a very strong memory of seeing two large oval portraits adorn the bedroom wall. The kind of portraits that had the oval glass covering the pictures. At the time I had no idea, nor any interest in, who they were. I was young and felt very distanced from the family. As I got into my genealogy work, another dear, generous cousin shared a lot of documents with me, among which I found the above copied photograph of Great-Grandma Emma Becker. I won't ever own the portraits of which I write, but I think it's possible that I may get a photograph of them if I pursue my request with the cousin who holds them.
Also in my Facebook visit with Robyn yesterday, I learned that Robyn has a very large, framed, document hanging on her wall that is the marriage certificate of my grandparents, Milo and Nannie Becker Flanders, whose wedding portrait is shown below in my previous post. I've requested a photograph of that precious document too from my cousin Robyn.
I've had very good 'fortune' in my latest "mining" adventure of finding cousins on Facebook. I'll let you know what other "nuggets" I uncover.
8 comments:
WOW! You are so lucky to have found so many cousins and to be able to get copies of pictures is great!
Do you think there is a better chance of connecting with relatives on Facebook?
Yes I do, Harriet. So many younger people are on there now, post pictures and birth dates, etc. I've spent two days taking that info from facebook into my database. I open RootsMagic and facebook side by side, go to the person's page, and enter the dates etc right into my database. Same with photos. Only takes a minute.
I don't really know that much about Facebook, but I may have to get my kids to help me. Thanks for the information you have posted.
Harriet, you definitley MUST get on Facebook and I'll help you hook up with other genealogists. We share links, resources, events, support, etc. It's wonderful. It's a great benefit when used for the right reasons. I have nieces and other cousins whom I knew, but had lost touch since my family was so split by divorce early on. Now I have photos etc of half-sisters, nieces, cousins, etc. I'd get that nowhere else.
I will let you know when I get on Facebook!!
I'll be watching for it! You'll love it. You can ease into it, take your time, look around, get connected and be as active as YOU CHOOSE to be. Let it be fun and rewarding.
Wow, you've connected with a lot of cousins. Wish I had that kind of luck! Great picture of Emma Cornelia.... Look forward to seeing other pictures you get.
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