"The Lady of the Lake"

The family story is that My Grandfather (Roy Messer Pearson) met his second wife Barbara when they used to frequently walk in opposite directions around the same lake in New London, NH.
Then one day they decided to walk in the same direction.
In time, Barbara became Roy's wife and then was introduced to the rest of the family as, "The Lady of the Lake".
They were married by Rev. Emily Preston in Jaffrey, NH. Years later I called Rev. Preston when it was time for my own wedding and was delighted when she accepted our invitation to officiate.
Michael and I were married in the chapel at Andover Newton Theological School in Newton, MA where Roy had married his first wife, Ruth so many decades before.
What comes around goes around...
: )
PS
The last picture is myself, my sister Sarah Pearson and her sister Joy Ruma at the reception following Roy and Barbara's wedding.
If that seems confusing,
another fun story was the day that Sarah was born, myself and her other sister Holly Ruma went to go see the new little bundle of love in the hospital and were scrutinized rather closely for not having the same last names as Sarah's Mother or each other. I remember a rather stern nurse informing us that
"Only immediate family is allowed."
I can't recall what we said to get in to see but we did, and I suspect it may have had more to do with a look one of us might have given the nurse than anything we said.
The Pearson/McNeil/Ruma clan may all come from different parents but then, in the end, family is what you make it.
I have to say I really do like the way ours turned out...
: )

No time like the present....

My Father Bradford A. Pearson was infected with the geneology bug through his Mother, Ruth (Simmons) Pearson. Ruth did most of her research live and in person or through old fashinoned letter writting snail mail and Brad was able to pick up her torch and wave it around the internet to see who else was staring back holding a flame.
Between the two of them, they gathered MOUNTAINS of information.
(interestingly enough, we are also related to the Mountain family as well.
(A little geneology humor there : )
Beyond passing boxes of letters and photos on to future generations, I don't really think either of them thought too far ahead on what thier hard work could eventually be used for beyond thier own immediate entertainment and curiosity.
Several times when my Father gave me photos or other neat documents, I told him how I was interested in putting them up on line where everyone could see them.
Life has a way of ruining even the best laid intentions however, and figuring that I had all the time in the world to get about that HUGE endevor, I never really got started.
Then my Father got sick and our discovery lunches came to an end, after he died in 2006 it became far too difficult to look at any of the pictures, they have remained in boxes that I look at the outside of and every now and then think,
"I should get to that..."
But who has the time for a good cry these days?!?

There's laundry to do, bills to be paid, weddings to attend...

(I suppose an argument could be made that Ruth lived through several major wars and still found the time for family research and who am I to say that I need all my spare time to keep up with Farmville on Facebook? *sigh* )

Which brings me to my point.

The future woman in the photograph above is Brad's sister Beverly (Pearson) MacNeill. Beyond being a fascinating woman unto herself, she also had a son (2 in fact...) and I recieved an invitation to her son, my cousin's upcoming wedding today.
Coupled with the fact that my good friend Elizabeth gave me a gentle nudge in the Pearson direction through Ancestry,com,
that cinches it.
Nothing like an upcoming wedding to say,

"Hey, don't forget about all the other weddings that came before!"