Labor of Love
When I first started my search for my roots it was simply curiosity that drove me in my quest for information. I had no idea that I would learn so much about my ancestors. This search has turned into a labor of love for me.
I realize now what hardships our ancestors faced and how hard their lives must have been. How scary it must have been to board those ships in their native lands to set out on a new life in a new country. To take their children from the comforts of familiar surroundings and take them thousands of miles from home. How hard the sacrifice was for them to leave family that they knew they would never see again. Heading for a strange new land with strange new customs. I honor the courage that our fore fathers had to make such a decision.
Each and every time I came across something new with regards to the Harper or Reiber family it made me wonder what this person was like, what kind of person were they. Were they happy with their lot in life?
I also found some very sad things. I felt a great pain in my heart when I found that in the 1910 Virginia federal census, Grandpa Arlie Harper, at the age of 13, was listed as a boarder in the home of a man named Jasper Simmons. How sad, I thought, that at this young age Grandpa was an orphan and a boarder in a house of a family, that as far as I can tell, were not related in any way. I guess I had always known Grandpa was orphaned at a young age but to actually see this in writing made me feel in a way that I had not expected.
I always kept my Grandparents in my heart and thought of then frequently before I started my journey to find my roots but since I have taken on this project I think of them more often and I take every opportunity to tell my son about them.
This has also allowed Mom and I to talk more about family, to reminisce and laugh at the things we remember and things that happened to us.
I have enjoyed every minute of the time I spent researching the Harper and Reiber families and it has given me a much larger appreciation for my family and our roots. I am very proud of where our family came from and the sacrifices ALL of them have made to make us the family we are. I feel VERY lucky to have strong family ties, there are not many people who can say this.
I feel badly that as I grew up I did not realize how important the stories were that both Grandma and Grandpa told. If only I had paid a little bit more attention when they told stories or even if I had thought to write them down as they were being told. I guess as a child you think that Grandma and Grandpa will be around forever and that they will always be there to tell their stories but as we all know this is not the case.
Thank you all for being the family that you are. You all have given me so much as I grew up, so many memories that I now realize are a very important part of who I am.
Love,
Becky
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