Because of Ancestry.com, I learned four years ago that my father’s father was not a man with the last name of Prince. His birth certificate and mine should have read Ruple, not Prince. It made me sad at first, mostly for my dad because his “half brothers” were actually his “whole” brothers. He wouldn’t let us talk about it, said we shouldn’t live in the past, but my curiosity has always been there. Like, why do dad and Uncle “R” look so exactly alike that people often talk to one thinking he is the other? My mother has recently announced to that I have become the “picture keeper” of all the photos I have looked at since I was a child. I would sit with my grandmother and spend hours listening with dramatic wonder to stories of my mothers family whom I had never met. I found a picture of my great grandmothers headstone here on this site and am just still so curious. I never knew her, she died of TB when my grandmother was 14. I want to know my dads stories and hope to be able to paint a picture and leave the the pictures and memories I have with my daughter.

Because of Ancestry.com, I learned four years ago that my father’s father was not a man with the last name of Prince. His birth certificate and mine should have read Ruple, not Prince. It made me sad at first, mostly for my dad because his “half brothers” were actually his “whole” brothers. He wouldn’t let us talk about it, said we shouldn’t live in the past, but my curiosity has always been there. Like, why do dad and Uncle “R” look so exactly alike that people often talk to one thinking he is the other? My mother has recently announced to that I have become the “picture keeper” of all the photos I have looked at since I was a child. I would sit with my grandmother and spend hours listening with dramatic wonder to stories of my mothers family whom I had never met. I found a picture of my great grandmothers headstone here on this site and am just still so curious. I never knew her, she died of TB when my grandmother was 14. I want to know my dads stories and hope to be able to paint a picture and leave the the pictures and memories I have with my daughter.