she had 16 children.
She told us on the census. My mom found 15 children by looking at the census records. We knew for sure that 5 children had been born, and had died as children (I kept wondering if maybe she lost count). My mom and dad went on a trip to the place where Charity lived after she came to America. She lived in Colorado, in a mining town.
We knew that Samson had died about a year after Charity and their children came to America. My mom and dad took the trip because they wanted to see the area and town and hopefully find out something new. It was mostly a ghost town with only a few people living there, in what they called their summer homes. They went to the cemetery to see Samson's grave and found it. It was a large beautiful head stone. Charity's grave was a few rows over, she died much later that Samson. The miracle is...that next to Samson's grave was a small grave stone with a lamb on top of it. The inscription said, Katie, daughter of Samson and Charity. There she was, the 16th child!! She was only about 2 when she died. She only lived long enough not to show up on a census record. We would still be wondering where the 16th child was, if mom and dad hadn't taken that trip. I am so glad they did. Remember, I was telling you a while back...use your vacations to travel places your family came from. You may find out something that you didn't know about them. And you may just have a great time. I love my roots.
Happy Family History Friday!! Love, Joy
We knew that Samson had died about a year after Charity and their children came to America. My mom and dad took the trip because they wanted to see the area and town and hopefully find out something new. It was mostly a ghost town with only a few people living there, in what they called their summer homes. They went to the cemetery to see Samson's grave and found it. It was a large beautiful head stone. Charity's grave was a few rows over, she died much later that Samson. The miracle is...that next to Samson's grave was a small grave stone with a lamb on top of it. The inscription said, Katie, daughter of Samson and Charity. There she was, the 16th child!! She was only about 2 when she died. She only lived long enough not to show up on a census record. We would still be wondering where the 16th child was, if mom and dad hadn't taken that trip. I am so glad they did. Remember, I was telling you a while back...use your vacations to travel places your family came from. You may find out something that you didn't know about them. And you may just have a great time. I love my roots.
Happy Family History Friday!! Love, Joy
