Ancestor Pride

So this is my great grandmother, Margaret June Lyons Geyer, known later in life as Jenny Geyer.   She was 100% Irish, with both parents having come to this country from Ireland in the mid 1800's.

She married George Geyer, who was 100% German, with both parents coming from Germany in the mid 1800's.  Growing up, and during my lifetime until the death of my father, what I heard about in terms of family history was my dad's mom's family, the Rosses, and my dad's dad's German heritage.  No mention was ever made of the fact that my dad's grandmother was as Irish as his Grandfather was German.

Even when I showed an affinity for all things Celtic, but particularly music, my dad didn't share the story of his grandmother.   I'm not sure why, I don't know if he wasn't aware that she was Irish, or if again it was another example of the prejudices held toward people of Irish descent.

The funny thing is that my dad resembles her more than his father, or mother's side of the family, or his grandfather.

As do I

And did even more so before I cut my hair........

I guess we will never know why she was lost in the family history, or why her family or heritage was lost.....my father was an only child, and his cousins and he not close enough for me to still be in contact with any of them, or their children.

But it has been a joyous finding for me, finding Great Grandmother Jenny, and being able to claim my Irish for real......