Can We Talk 2

Obits

         I've heard other people say that the first thing they read in the newspaper is the obituary section. They weren't old people; they were working people. I've started receiving daily tributes by email from the local paper. Yes, I peruse them every day to see if I recognize anyone's name.

         Today, I discovered my dad's first cousin. It was the middle name that caught my eye. Not many people are still called Poindexter. I soon realized I knew the rest of the name. I've done family history, and there are a number of people in my direct ancestral line named Poindexter. They would have been direct ancestors for this man, too. Looks like one of his grandsons has the name, too, but goes by "Dex".

         Obviously, we aren't close with these people. Like a lot of first cousins, they went their own ways and didn't stay in touch after having families of their own. In my family, we did that, but in our later years, we are reconnecting. With no family leaders, we drifted apart, but are now missing those leaders who kept us up with the news, even when we weren't at the same place at the same time.

         Every time I see an obituary, I use it to gather info for the family tree. I pick up the middle names I didn't know before, the spouses names, the grandchildren I never met, and so forth. (Today's was 94, and had a big family.) At this point, I have most of the siblings and the parents of my dad's generation in all the many branches. I have skulked many cemeteries. But I mostly use obits now.

         I never expected to be an avid obit reader or to use them so much.