Week 1 of the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge: Fresh Start
I’m taking on this project in spite of the probability that posts will not be consistent or on time. It’s true already – this is week 2 and I’m just getting started!
We all want to know how we got here, who influenced our lives, about our past and those that came before us.
Amy Johnson Crow is a Certified Genealogist® and blogs at AmyJohnsonCrow.com. She has issued this challenge, created the prompts and has a Facebook page where others share their history.
This project calls for a post a week for the next 52 weeks. A post about ancestors or family history in general. You can see the prompt and explanation here.
So, let’s get started!
Week 1: A Fresh Start
My mother and father were born and raised in a small, rural community in Missouri. Back in the 1950s, it was normal for people to marry young, start a family, and make their home in the same community where they were raised or in a community close by.
My parents were young, married at 19 years old and had me when they were only 21. With Dad fresh out of the Navy, they purchased a home in their small town, but it wasn’t long before they decided they wanted more for their family.
They wanted the opportunity for a better job, adventure, and the type of experiences that just weren’t available in their small town.
The Move
So they moved to St. Louis, Missouri when I was 4 years old and began a life in the big city.
Shortly after, a job offer had us moving to Wichita, Kansas so my Dad could grow with a company, learn new skills and provide a comfortable life for us, his family.
This photo is my Dad, John Wheeler, around 1962, working in the yard at our new home in Wichita.
This move to Wichita and accepting the position at this new company, led him into a lifelong career as a Safety Engineer, growing, learning, progressing in responsibility, obtaining certifications and education and promotions. The move turned into a great decision for long-term success in his career.
The decision to move his family was risky but courageous. To leave a community where he and mom knew everyone, where they had grown up and were comfortable, took a good dose of bravery and ambition.
In those days, technology did not exist as it does today. No Facetime, cell phones, or email. Even having a television was a luxury. This meant they were very much on their own without the comfort of communication and connection that we take for granted today.
Because of this decision that my parents made, I became who I am today. They weren’t afraid to take a chance, jump into an unknown situation and make a life together in a new place.
I am very grateful to them and proud to call them my parents!
Week 1: A Fresh Start
Stay tuned for Week 2: Favorite Photo
#52Ancestors
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