Life Lost in the time of RONA

Gosh, has it really been over two years since I last posted on any of my blogs. 

This is a hard post as another leaf on my tree has fallen. My sweet momma passed on Christmas Day 2020.

Even during the year of Rona, things had been going along fine. Even though her dementia was becoming more pronounced with each passing year, physically, momma was a strong as ever. I was certain that we had many more years together.

She had gone in the hospital at the beginning of the near but when she got back to her assisted living, she seemed like a new person.

Then, October 29, 2020 came, the day of her birth and and as far as I'm concerned the beginning of the end. Beginning on this date, she would enter the hospital 3 times during the months of October and November.

She would test negative for COVID on that first trip to the hospital. However, she was diagnosed with pneumonia, which the doctors said was caused by aspiration. She had thrown up 3 times in a very short period of time. While she tested negative, in hindsight, I firmly believe she was already exhibiting symptoms of COVID. Per one of my paternal cousins who is an MD, the throwing up multiple times in a short period of time is one of the symptoms of COVID. I would later learn that pneumonia is also a symptom of COVID especially in the elderly.

She would stay in the hospital for a about a week, was treated with antibiotics and eventually was transferred back to her assisted living. I saw her the weekend after she was discharged. She looked well but seem to be a bit unsteady on her feet.

A few days later, she begin exhibiting symptoms of a stroke / seizure. She was in the hospital for another week. Tested like crazy. No evidence of a stroke or seizure. Per that cousin, who is an MD, these stroke like symptoms are also symptoms of COVID. However, during this second trip to the hospital she was never tested for COVID. At the end of the week, she was transferred back to her assisted living.

Almost as soon as she got back to her assisted living, it was evident that things were not right. Mom was no longer able to walk. I saw her over the course of three day and witnessed her not be able to walk but able to sit up on Day 1 but by Day 3 not even being able to sit up. Honestly, by day 3 (a week before Thanksgiving) I just knew that mom wasn't going to make it through the night. But she did, and her assisted living called me that Friday before Thanksgiving to inform me that they were sending her back to the hospital because they didn't know what was wrong and she had suddenly spiked a fever (101 F). 

She wasn't tested for COVID upon reentry to the hospital. The diagnosis was momma still had the pneumonia and also now had a raging UTI. It was at this point that momma was also refusing to eat anything. Even I couldn't get her to eat. She was given stronger antibiotics and after 5 days the hospital deemed her ready to go back to her assisted living. At this point (Tuesday before Thanksgiving), somebody requested a COVID test on momma. The hospital said it was momma's assisted living. COVID test came back positive. What? I really thought they were joking but they weren't.

After talking to the owner of her assisted living, it was at this point that I learned that pneumonia is one of the symptoms of COVID especially in the elderly. Unfortunately, the hospital would swear until the end that the pneumonia was due to aspiration. Were they doing a CYA?

On December 2, 2020, momma was transferred from the hospital to a nursing home for rehab. Due to the positive COVID test, she could only go to a place that accepts people that tested positive for COVID. The hospital deemed her stable enough to be discharged and declared that both the pneumonia and the UTI were gone.

Once at the nursing home, for a minute, things seemed to get a bit better with the eating. Momma, never regained her strength and in those final few days, she really began to slide.

After she was at the nursing home, I did get to have 2 window visits with her but until the day she passed I would never be able to physically touch and hold my mother again or she me. It was the thing that hurt the most. During that first window visit, she looked better but during visit #2, I could tell she was really struggling. She reached her hand out to me and motioned for me to come inside but I couldn't. Perhaps she knew at that point that her days were quickly drawing to a close.

This virus, dubbed RONA, is cruel and vicious. It strikes without warning. I will never know where my mother picked up COVID. The number of possibilities are limited. Only 4 in fact - her assisted living, where everyone tested negative, me (I tested negative also), the folks ferrying her back and forth between the hospital and her assisted living, and finally the hospital (initially, they did have her in the rooms designated for COVID patients 2 of  the 3 times she went to the hospital).

I keep thinking if only she and dad had met earlier, they would have had me earlier in life. I would have possibly already been retired and been able to bring her back to my house. Even so, before she tested positive for COVID, I had already decided that if things got really bad, I would retire early and take care of her. Unfortunately, I never got that chance.

I take comfort in knowing that I don't think she suffered. She looked like she passed peacefully. And as much as it hurts to have lost her, I keep telling myself that I had her longer than she had either grandmomma or granddaddy. Momma was 37 when grandmomma died and 49 when granddaddy died. 

Until we meet again, Rest in Heaven, amongst the ancestors, my sweet momma and continue to be my sidekick, even if you aren't here with me physically, as I try to keep going on this journey that you started me on in finding our ancestors. 

We got a lot done during my off and own researching. We reconnected with our Hosch relatives here in NC, which was very important to the both us. We detested how they had essentially been kicked to the curb. We found and connected with an entire branch of our Rome line (granddad's mom side of the family), which led to that wonderful trip we had to Arkansas. And just last year, we reconnected with our Hosch cousins in GA that we had lost contact with over 50 years ago after granddaddy died. Thankfully, it wasn't too late as cousin Vivian, who remembered you from that long time ago was there and asking about you.

Love ya momma

 

Sentimental Sunday - 2016 Perkins Family Reunion (June 17 - 19)

Wow, it's hard to belief that it's already been a month since I posted about my mother and I being excited about heading off to Arkansas to meet the descendants of my Great Grand Aunt, Penny Rome Perkins. As a reminder, Aunt Penny was my grandfather's, Oscar Lucillous "LC" Hosch, aunt and the younger sister of his mother (my Great Grandmother), Sallie Rome Hosch Coleman.

Outside of hearing about my Great, Great Grandparents (Wyatt and Alice Rome) and Granddad's Aunt, by marriage, Mamie Rome, and granddad's first cousin, Henry Rome, I don't ever remember hearing much about other relatives on the Rome side of the family. But thanks to old fashioned research as well as the Internet, I was able to determine what happened to this branch of the tree and have written about this previously.

While at the family reunion and also via the family's family reunion site, I learned that my Great Grand Aunt and her family ended up in Arkansas thanks to her father-in-law, Bill Perkins. Bill was born into slavery in Georgia. After emancipation, Bill saved then traveled to Arkansas where he purchased 40 acres of land and set up a grist and saw mill. Arkansas was selected because Bill had heard things were better in Arkansas than they were in Georgia. At some point in time, Bill became ill and sent for his son, Wesley Perkins, Aunt Penny's husband. Bill died in 1917, leaving all his assets to his son Wesley and as they say, the rest is history.

Via blogging, as well as Ancestry, I've had contact with several of Aunt Penny's descendants during the past 5+ years. So, as stated in my previous post, when mom and I found out about the 2016 Perkins Family Reunion. we just needed to go, even though it was on the same weekend as the Hosch Family Reunion.

So without further ado, here is a short pictorial story of mom and I meeting our cousins for the first time.

My mother meeting her 2nd cousin, Willie "Bam" Perkins for the first time at the Friday Meet and Greet. I have an entire other post that I need to dedicate to Cousin Willie "Bam". Seems that he is an famous Walmart Greeter.

Willie's father, Willie "Lane" Perkins, would have been my grandfather's first cousin.

Cousin Regina, who I also met at the meet and greet is my 3rd cousin 1X removed. Her dad was my 3rd cousin. Cousin Regina was funny. When I asked her who she was, she started spouting off all these names that I had never heard of. I had to slow her down and explain, who we were and that we didn't know them, yet.

Saturday, at the picnic at Perkins Park (part of the 40 acres that Bill Perkins purchased), we met even more cousins (some we actually met on Friday but I don't have any pictures of them from the Friday Meet and Greet).

Mom meeting her 2nd cousin Troy Perkins and his wife. I've been in contact with cousin Troy's sister, Viola, for several years. Cousin Viola is the one who passed on the information to us about the 2016 Perkins Family Reunion. Unfortunately, Cousin Viola was not able to attend, so I didn't get a chance to meet her in person which also means I don't have any pictures of her.

Mom and her 2nd cousin, Essie Mae

Cousin Essie Mae's sister, Unfortunately, I keep forgetting her name.

Cousin Essie Mae and her children, who would be my 3rd cousins

Cousin Kirk Perkins and his sister, Annette Perkins  Jones. They are my 3rd cousins. Cousin Kirk was one of the organizers and requested that I do a short speech on how I connected with / found this branch of my family tree.

Cousin Rhea, the oldest living of Aunt Penny's descendants, mom, and me. Cousin Rhea is mom's 2nd cousin.

This is cousin Dawn, my 3rd cousin 1X removed, and yours truly. Cousin Dawn and I have been in communication for several years through Ancestry. She is cousin Essie's granddaughter and agreed to help me procure her grandmother's DNA. Yes I came to the family reunion equipped.

Pictures of Aunt Penny's husband and 9 of her 11 children. Sadly, there was no picture of Aunt Penny. Looking at the pictures of my grandfather's first cousins I could see the family resemblance. Several of my cousins would tell me that I looked like someone and mom and I were doing the same.

At the banquet on Saturday night, I connected with another one of Aunt Penny's descendants, Carissa Davis, who I had recently met online through Ancestry.

That's me in the middle and Cousin Carissa on the right.

Unfortunately, the great time we were having had to come to an end. So while the others headed off to church on the final day, Sunday June 19th, mom and I had a goodbye breakfast with our cousin Vonda Perkins Douglas, one of the organizers of this great event.

By whatever means necessary, mom and I plan and hope to keep in touch with our new to us cousins. And somewhere in heaven, I just know that Great Great Grandpa Wyatt Rome, Great Great Grandma Alice Rome, Great Grandma Sallie Rome Hosch Coleman, Great Grand Aunt Penny Rome Perkins, Granddady Hosch and all of Aunt Penny's children where smiling. Just as I find gratification from finding the ancestors, I think I gain even more gratification from locating and connecting with the living descendants of long forgotten lines.

.......

With the exception of the picture of cousin Carissa and myself, all of the pictures posted are owned by me, the owner of this blog.

The picture of cousin Carissa and myself was obtained through Annette Perkins Jones, via Facebook.

The history of Bill Perkins was obtained orally through the presentation presented on Saturday, June 18th, by Kirk Perkins and via the Perkins Family Reunion Site.

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun - Two Degrees of Separation

I've not had a chance to participate in Randy Seaver's, Genea-Musings, in ages. Randy's challenge for this week was inspired by the news that President John Tyler has two living grandchildren. President Tyler was born 222 years ago.

This week's mission, if we chose to accept it, was as follows:

1. Using your ancestral lines, how far back in time can you go with two degrees of separation? That means "you knew an ancestor who knew an ancestor." When was that second ancestor born?
2. Tell us in a blog post of your own, in a comment to this blog post, in a status line on Facebook or a stream post on Google Plus.

• I knew my maternal granddad, Oscar Lucillous "LC" Hosch (abt 1888 - 1978). After the death of his parents, granddad was reared by his maternal grandparents, Wyatt and Alice Rome. Grandpa Wyatt was born abt 1840 and died sometime after the 1910 census. Grandma Alice was born abt 1836 and died between the 1900 and 1910 census.
• On granddaddy Hosch's paternal side, I knew my Great Grand Aunt, Florence Hosch (abt 1876 - 1973), who knew her mother Matilda Hosch. Grandma Matilda was born abt 1840 and died sometime after the 1880 census.

Genealogy Goals for 2012

It's the beginning of another year, and like many I find myself reflecting on the past year and contemplating the future.

I didn't get a lot of genealogical work accomplished in 2011. After dad's death, I struggled to get back on track in so many areas of my life. Every time I felt like I was ready to get back at it, I soon realized that I wasn't and needed more time to morn and deal with this huge void left in my life.

But as the year drew to a close, it was like the petals of the flowers feeling the warmth of the spring sun and little by little the petals are opening back up and leading me to rejoin this game called life. So, I find myself tentatively setting goals for the year.

2012 Goals 

1. Attend 2012 African American Historical and Genealogical Society (AAHGS) National conference. The conference is being held in my state this year, so how can I not attend. Looking forward to meeting old friends and making new ones.
2. Work with my Hosch cousins and relatives toward having a family blowout in 2013. Much to be done.
3. Hope to finally get everything organized and make sure citations are up to date, etc.
4. Meet some of my new to me cousins, discovered during the past 3 years. Goals are to meet my cousins "Little" Irene, great granddaughter of Grand Aunt, Mattie Henyard Martin, in July and if things work out, maybe meeting my Perkins cousins, descendants of Great Grand Aunt Penny Rome Perkins.  

Surname Saturday - Perkins

A line in my family tree that I continue to neglect is that of my Rome Ancestors

For the time being, I’m still focusing on trying to penetrate the 1870 brick wall of Jasper and Jane Pierce, 2^nd great grandparents via my maternal grandmother, and the 1870 brick wall of my 3^rd great grandparents, Frank and Venus Everett, via my paternal grandmother. However, when I’ve temporarily exhausted ideas of where to turn next to bring those walls down, I usually begin to focus on other areas of my tree, wondering what became of the various collateral lines.

One of those collateral lines is Great Grand Aunt Penny Rome, my granddad’s, LC Hosch, maternal aunt.

Aunt Penny was one of my Great Grandmother’s, Sally Rome Hosch, younger sisters. Aunt Penny married Wesley (Wes) L. Perkins in Walton County, GA on 22 March 1894.

The 1900 Federal Census, which was the first census after they were married, shows them living in Walton County, GA with the following children: Ruf, Ennis, Wayman, and Maud.

The 1910 Federal Census shows them still to be living in Walton County, GA.

Aunt Penny and Uncle Wes now have nine children: Rufus, Ennis, Wayman, Maud, Calvin, Clifford, Annie, Ophelia, and Ruth M.

After the 1910 census I lose track of Aunt Penny, at least in Walton County, GA, but thanks to Ancestry’s shaking leaves, I’ve long suspected that Aunt Penny migrated to Arkansas. About a year ago, I saw the shaking leaf. My first thoughts were it had to be Aunt Penny. It was just too much of a coincidence that there was a Wesley and Penny Perkins on the 1920 census living in Pulaski County, AR, who were born in GA around the same time as Aunt Penny and her husband Uncle Wesley Perkins and whose children had the exact same names as those listed on the 1900 and 1910 censuses for Walton County, GA and who were also born in GA.

As I focused most of 2010 on trying to bring down those monumental 1870 brick walls on the lines mentioned above, I put Aunt Penny on the back burner. Recently though, my curiosity with regard to Aunt Penny was aroused when I came across another tree on Ancestry that contained the suspected Aunt Penny and unlike a lot of trees I come across on Ancestry, this one actually made sense. As this could possibly be one of my Great Grand Aunt’s descendants, I desperately wanted to make contact, but I needed to be sure that the Penny Perkins that appeared in the 1900 and 1910 censuses in Walton County Georgia was indeed the same Penny Perkins in 1920 Pulaski County Arkansas.

I initially thought about sending away for the SS-5 Application of a Wayman Perkins who died in 1980 in Conway, Faulkner, AR. This could possibly be her son but I decided against ordering the SS-5 and instead went a different route after finding what appeared to be Aunt Penny listed in the Arkansas Death Index. This Penny Perkins died in 1937. As death certificates usually cost less than SS-5 applications, I checked out the Arkansas Department of Health website to get all the particulars on ordering a death certificate. Per the website, death records that are more than 50 years old can be released to the public. Thankfully, this death certificate met the criteria. The cost for a death certificate was $10.00.

When Aunt Penny’s death certificate arrived the week of Sept. 12, 2011, I had literally forgotten about my request for her death certificate. I was excited and didn’t even wait until I got in the house to open the envelope. Sometimes, before you even open an envelope of requested documentation, you just know you’ve scored one for the ancestors. This is how I felt as I ripped open the envelope containing Aunt Penny’s death certificate. Never the less, I still braced myself just in case the information I sought, the names of her parents, was not on the death certificate.

There it is. Her dad is Wyatt Rome. The informant was her son Calvin Perkins. I’m so thankful that Calvin knew the name of his grandfather, my 2^nd great grandfather. I’m also grateful that he saved his 1^st cousin twice removed the expense of having to write for an SS-5 application.

Now that I’ve confirmed the relationship, my next step is to contact the owner of the tree, and try to connect with this forgotten / unknown branch of the tree. Hopefully, I’ll finally be able to record a successful reaching out experience. So far, I’ve not had much success in this department. Wish me luck.

Surname Saturday - Rome

My Rome lineage is as follows:

1. Me
2. Mom
3. Oscar Lucillous "LC" Hosch - born abt. 12 Aug 1887 in Jackson County, GA; date of death - 10 Sep 1978, Shelby, Cleveland County, NC
4. Sally Rome - born abt. 1868, Walton County, GA, date of death unkown but best guestimate is sometime between 1895 and 1900. On the 1900 census, granddad, his older brother Will and his younger brother Hosea are found in the household of their grandparents. Granddad always stated that both his parents died when he was a young boy and his grandparents finished rearing he and his brothers.
5. Wyatt and Alice Rome - Wyat was born abt. 1840 in Georgia. Date of death unknown but most likely between 1910 and 1920 in Walton County, GA. Grandpa Wyatt appears on 1910 census but is not listed on later censuses. Alice was born abt. 1836 in Georgia and died between 1900 and 1910 in Walton County, GA.

According to WorldNames Public Profiler, the Rome surname is of Scottish / Celtic descent. The top 3 coutries for the surname are Solvenia, France, and Belgium, The top 3 regions for the surname are Southland District, New Zealand, Louisana, and Auvergne, France. The top 3 cities are Carlisle, North, United Kingdom; Baton Rouge, LA; and St. Etienne, Rhône-Alps, France.

Granddad's first cousin, Henry Rome, migrated to Detroit, MI. Henry's dad, Henry L. Rome, was the youngest of my 2nd great grandparent's children. Outside of that, I know very little about my Rome ancestors and family. Hopefully, one of cousin Henry's descendents or another Rome descendent will come across this post and contact me.

Thoughtful Thursday - Watch Night Service

Watch Night Service

There was a time when I dreaded New Year’s Eve because it meant being drug to church one more time. Don’t get me wrong, I love church and my faith has gotten me through many a difficult times but to be there on New Year’s Eve, uggh!

As a child mom, who was Baptist and who more times than not I went to church with, loaded granddad and me in the car and headed to church. Even in my adult years, mom and / or dad could often guilt me into going with them, especially mom with her “There’s no other place I would rather be to bring in the new year.” Last year, I finally understood what she meant as for the first time in my life I was at Watch Night Service because that is where I wanted and needed to be.

Prior to moving to Colorado for awhile, I always thought Watch Night Service was something everyone did but during my adult life, I’ve learned that Watch Night service is truly an African-American tradition and perhaps only observed in the southern states.

The tradition of bringing in the year in church appears to have it’s origins in the Moravian community, but the significance in the African-American community can be traced back to December 31, 1862, “Freedom’s Eve.” President Abraham Lincoln in his Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, dated September 22, 1862, had indicated that the slaves would be freed on January 1, 1863.

So with new found vigor both in my research and the reflections on the history of our celebration, tonight when I go to Watch Night Service, I know I’ll think and wonder about them, my ancestors, as I’m already doing now, and about the thoughts that raced through their minds as they anticipated freedom. I’ll think about my 3rd great grandmother, Eliza Stovall, at the age of abt. 50, possibly with her children and grand children by her side, giving praise that she lived long enough to see this day.

So, in remembrance of all my known direct line and collateral ancestors that endured slavery, roll call:

Direct Line of known enslaved ancestors

Maternal Ancestors

Eliza Stoval – 3rd great grandmother, abt. 1810 – unk
(date of death bwt. 1880 and 1900)
Wyatt Rome – 2nd great grandfather, 1840 – unk
(date of death after 1910)
Alice Rome – 2nd great grandmother, 1836 – unk
(date of death bwt. 1900 and 1910)
Matilda Hosch – 2nd great grandmother, 1840 – unk
Monroe Barto Hosch – great grandfather, 1862 – unk
(date of death bwt. 1890 and 1900)
Jasper Pierce – 2nd great grandfather 1850 - unk
Jane Pierce – 2nd great grandmother, 1844 – unk

Paternal Ancestors

Issac Ewell – 2nd great grandfather, 1840 – unk
(date of death bwt 1870 and 1880)
Pennie Ewell – 2nd great grandmother, 1840 – unk