Genealogy is something I've always been moderately interested in, but a few years ago I signed up at that one web site--you know which one. I've found some interesting things about my ancestors, but my intent is not to make readers fall asleep; rather, we'll have a picture show of some pretty cool--at least to me--photos of people in my family tree.
The best place to start is with my parents. Here's my mom's senior photo, the one that appeared in Freeport Illinois's yearbook called the Polaris:
 |
| Mary Marler |
And my dad around the same age. Actually I believe this shows him a year younger at 17.
 |
| Stanley Hayes |
My dad bore a strong resemblance to his older brother, Malvin, who went by Hans. This is his senior photo:
 |
| Malvin (Hans) Hayes | | | | |
|
|
|
My maternal grandmother, Helen Mae Stewart. I think she was around 19 when this was taken:
 |
| Helen Mae Stewart |
And jumping back in time a few generations on my mom's side we come to a Civil War veteran--on the Confederate side: James Monroe Davidson and his wife, Prudence Ann Elkins. They are my maternal 2d great grandparents, at least two of them. They were born in 1825 and 1832, respectively.
Jumping back over to the Hayes side, we come to Lemuel Hayes, my great grandfather. He was born in New York in 1826, and was the first Hayes in my line to come to Illinois (along with his married sister and her husband). He was a wagon maker in Galena before buying a plot of land between Lena and Stockton, Illinois and becoming a farmer. He established his farm as a bachelor, but became enamored with his neighbor's daughter when he watched her jump a fence. (Don't laugh; your family has stuff like this, too.) Her name was Mary Mizner, and she's my paternal great grandmother.
 |
| Lemuel Hayes |
A few branches of my family tree.
