Charles and Esther Greene had 15 children, 13 of whom survived into adulthood. The original name had been Greenzweig, but it was changed around World War I, when that kind of alteration of German names was common.
The reunions may have started before I was born, but all the aunts and uncles and my cousins made for a large group. Now all but one of the original children and their spouses are gone, and many of my generation have also died. The next generation--what would be second cousins--have little connection, and the third generation has almost no knowledge of the family and probably little desire to maintain contact.
Today we held the annual Greene family reunion. Most of the cousins in my generation were not there. Many have died, some are in nursing homes, some live too far away to make the trip. I did see a cousin who is right-wing N.R.A., but I also talked to a bee keeper in the next generation who is obviously aware of the environmental problems we are facing.
One of these years I may win the prize for the oldest family member attending.
Seems to be the trend everywhere. Ours family is no different. The young are not interested until its too late and by that time the ones with the knowledge are gone.
ReplyDeleteI'm a descendent of Charles and Esther's daughter Olive - one of the 15. She was my great-grandmother who I never knew. I've been trying my best to piece together the family tree from articles and obituaries since we have no contact to anybody from the Greene family anymore. My parents even dug up some old newsletters they held onto. I would LOVE to get in contact with somebody that could help me preserve the history! Any help? Nate at ntdiehl@gmail.com
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