It's all relative

This last weekend I went to northern New York to attend the funeral of my paternal grandmother.  She was a good woman and a great cook.  The news of her passing was final, but not sudden.  While there I was able to visit with many family friends and a few remaining relatives.

One man that I met for the first time was Willard Aubrey.  

Willard is 95.  Willard was Postmaster for Rouses Point for many years.  He was also Fire Chief for the Volunteer Fire Department of the same town and still serves as a fireman, although I'm guessing that it has been many years since he's gone on a call.  We are first cousins, two times removed.  He's my paternal grandfather's first cousin.  I'm the family historian so I keep up with these sorts of things.

While visiting with him on Saturday I took the opportunity to ask him about another relative.  Jesse Holcombe.  Jesse is my sixth cousin, three times removed. On my mom's side of the family.  He was the director of parks in Rouses Point in the 1930s.  He played amatuer baseball in the 1880s.

This is a photo of the Beverwycks, a team from Rouses Point, New York, in 1888. The man wearing a tie in the back row is Jesse Holcombe.

This photo was printed in The North Countryman in early February 1939, soon after Jesse died.

Willard said that he remembered Jesse, that they were acquaintances, attended baseball and hockey games together, but were never really friends as Jesse was quite a bit older than he was.

It was a joy to meet Willard and to listen to his stories.