Once a teacher…?

Donna’s Grandchildren

I just received a note from my three-two cousin (third cousin, twice removed) — is that right, Ralph? — Donna Gwinn who lives in Garfield, Washington, not far from Pullman.  Donna, a generation or so younger than I and with more energy than all of us cousins of all the generations put together, was here two years ago for “Our Grand Affair” celebrating the 150th birthday of this house.  We have barely recovered from the fun and laughter of her visit!

Donna lives in a historic home, herself — the McCroskey House, a two-story 1898 Victorian that she turned into a Bed and Breakfast some years back.  She works (in ever-changing capacities) for a nearby school district, helps with six young grandchildren who live in the area, and is refurbishing her father’s farmhouse which she recently inherited.  Among other things.

McCroskey House Bed and Breakfast

She suggests in her note that she would like to rent the Oysterville Guest House (again) and bring her grandchildren (presumably the  oldest) to visit.  Can’t do it yet but my thoughts often go to your place! I want to take my grandchildren to the cemetery in Oysterville and show them the resting place of their sixth great grandfather! Is grandma buried there, too? I need to find out more about her and have you share her photos. 

I think Donna is a little screwy on this.  (Our mutual cuzzin Ralph, the family genealogist, will no doubt weigh in and straighten us out.)  I believe that Donna, like  Ralph, descends from R.H. Espy’s brother, William “Kentuck” Espy.  I don’t know where he is buried but it’s not here in Oysterville.  I hope that R.H. (who IS up there), as a many-times great uncle will serve her purpose and she will bring the kids for this Ancestry Trip, anyway.  Maybe when most are a bit older.

Espy Gravesites at the Oysterville Cemetery

It won’t be the first Grandkids Field Trip To Oysterville that includes me.  As I wrote to Donna:  Our cousin Ruth Espy Maloney did a similar Ancestry Trip with her grandkids in June or July — before things closed down again.  They had been home-schooled (or maybe just virtual-schooled) during the last school year and during that time Ruth had been giving them extracurricular lessons on Lewis & Clark, the Oregon Trail, and how R.H. Espy ended up co-founding Oysterville.  She asked me to do a house tour, focusing on family forebears. It was great fun.  I think the two kids were about 3rd and 5th grade age.  Or they could have been 5th and 7th graders — they were certainly well-informed enough!

I’m sure my friends and relatives who live in old family homes are well-familiar with telling their grandchildren about who lived there in “the olden days” and showing the family treasures once used by their ancestors.  Since neither Nyel nor I have grandchildren, I am more than happy to talk to young relatives about their more distant relations!  I wonder if any of it “sticks.”  (Maybe I should develop follow-up worksheets and a quiz!  lol)

4 Responses to “Once a teacher…?”

  1. Cuzzin Ralph says:

    Cuzzin Sydney, to be precise, my 1st cousin Donna and you are 3rd cousins 2 times removed (same as we are)—just remember the mnemonic: “3.2 beer” like good old Oly, Rainier, and Hamms of the past. Oysterville co-founder Robert Hamilton Espy (married to Julia Jefferson) is indeed the brother of Wm “Kentuck” Espy—who is the 5 times Great Grandfather of Donna’s grandkids (thus RHE is their 5 times Great Grand Uncle). Donna is confusing RHE of Oysterville fame with RHE and wife Elizabeth Carson (who lived in Pennsylvania all of their lives and are the parents of Wm Kentuck and RHE of Oysterville) who are the 6 times Great Grandparents of her grandkids. Wm Kentuck just “up and disappeared” from the family in Butte Co, CA about 1858-9 so nobody knows what happened to him, while his wife Mary Espy (ne’e Sharp) is buried in the Moscow Cemetery, just east of the 160 acres of land she owned (now the SE part of the city of Moscow, ID).

  2. sydney says:

    Thanks, Ralph. I KNEW you’d straighten me out on the beer situation. Since I don’t drink beer and have never been around beer drinkers, I have NO idea what three-two beer is and I can’t keep that fraction (or whatever it is) in my head. Nevertheless, I’ve corrected the error in my blog and maybe this will “stick” for a little while! Thanks as ever!!!

  3. Cousin Debi says:

    My four times gr-grandfather, William, was the brother of RHE the first. His daughter, Margaret, my 3x gr-grandmother, was RHE of Oysterville’s and William “Kentuck’s” first cousin. Just trying to figure out where I fit in in case there’s a quiz when we visit the peninsula next month.

    It turns out that Margaret had a brother named Robert Hamilton Espy so I might have claimed a closer relationship than I was due. Thanks for setting me straight.

  4. sydney says:

    Hi Cousin Debi!
    Glad for the heads up about your coming to the Peninsula next month! Our “Cuzzin Ralph” (Ralph Jeffords) is the real family genealogist at this point and so I’ve kept him in our correspondence loop. I’ll email you his “response” to this latest comment from you. Manwhile, keep me informed about your visit here. Hopefully the Covid numbers will have eased up a bit here in Pacific County by then — or at least maybe the weather will give us enough of a break for an over-the-fence visit, at least!

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