Magical moments can occur in family history that lead to life-changing experiences. Massachusetts resident Ann Stewart Burns has experienced this in her search to find her late father’s cousin, who was raised by grandparents almost 90 years ago. All Ann had to work from was a maiden name and a potential US state. Her refusal to give up has led to the most wonderful revelations, as she explains:
"My dad Goodwill Stewart (known as Goody) and his identical twin Samuel were born in 1920 and raised in Brockton, Massachusetts. Their father Tom was very close to his sister Elsie, who married Arthur De Lay and had a daughter called Sara Louise (known as Sally). Elsie, Arthur and Sally all lived with my great grandfather in the nearby town of Whitman. The families enjoyed Sunday suppers together, and cousin Sally was an important part of Dad’s life.
"Tragically, Elsie died of breast cancer in 1937 when Sally was still a young girl. Despite her father staying in Massachusetts, Sally was whisked away to live with her paternal grandparents who were in Alabama.
"Dad became a cardiologist and lived in the Boston area. He spent a lot of time trying to track Sally down, including writing letters to social-service agencies. It was all to no avail, and he passed away in 2007 not knowing what had happened to his cousin.
"Dad remembered Sally as a cute little girl, and thought that she was around three to five years younger than him. It turned out that she was 10 years younger, so when I began my search for her I entered the wrong birth year. At that time, I had no idea if Sally was still alive, whether she had married or where she lived.
"I dabbled with ‘Sally’ research for years, but other commitments distracted me. One day, around seven years into this journey, I reread a memoir Dad wrote and it struck me again how sad it was that he never found his cousin. If I could solve the mystery it would honour family members who were no longer alive.
If I could solve the mystery it would honour family members who were no longer alive
"In 2014, I turned to Ancestry and pored over its family tree hints. Usually this is something that I do only if all else fails, because online trees often include errors.
"The first tree that I found belonged to Virginia Sanders Mylius and two possibilities popped up – ‘Arthur Harris De Lay’ and ‘Elsie May Stewart’ of Massachusetts.
"I contacted Virginia who confirmed the connections, and explained that she was Sally’s niece through marriage.
"Unbelievably, Sally was very much alive and well, and living in Birmingham, Alabama. I was thrilled beyond words.
I was thrilled beyond words
"Virginia agreed to reach out to Sally on my behalf, and I will never forget the first email that
I received from her. It began, “Dear Ann, you found me.”
"This was one of those profound moments when you understand the power of genealogical research. Sometimes it can turn everything upside down, but in this case it turned everything the right side up.
"Unfortunately, Sally had thought that her maternal family had forgotten her. She always had a nagging feeling of loss and confusion regarding the Stewarts, because she didn’t know anything about us.
Sally thought that her maternal family had forgotten her
"I told her that my grandparents Tom and Dorothy Stewart – that is, Sally’s uncle and aunt – had wanted to adopt her after Elsie died. However, her paternal grandparents from Alabama rushed to collect her, and contact between the two families was lost.
"Sally was flabbergasted to learn that her mom’s family wanted to raise her. I also explained that my dad had spent a lot of time trying to find his much-missed cousin.
"Sadly, Sally didn’t have a photograph of her mother, so my cousin Marsha Stewart and I sent her pictures of Elsie and the extended family. She was ecstatic to receive these.
"Sally never knew where Elsie was buried, but I was able to locate the grave which is near where I live in Massachusetts. It was unmarked so we put a gravestone on it, which meant a lot to her.
"Sally married the man of her dreams, an Episcopal priest named James Sanders. They had a very happy life with their three children Jamie, Dawn and Libba, and later their grandchildren.
"The Sanders family has told me that Sally’s sadness about her maternal kin was put right when she learned that she was loved and wanted by us. It meant a lot to them that their mother’s story was brought full circle before she passed away in 2016, aged 83.
"My relationship with Sally wasn’t long, but it has been the most gratifying genealogy experience that I could ever imagine. I haven’t met Jamie, Dawn and Libba yet because of the Covid-19 pandemic, but
we are planning to get together."