BOB VERNEY'S Family Ties - VERNEY / RIKER Families
As I spoke with my mother, Beatrice J. (Riker) Verney, one afternoon in 1979, we dwelled on the family and those of the affiliated families, namely my grand parents, Alick E. Verney and Kate Mitchell. You see my interest in our family and its history began to peak as I saw my father, Alick E. Verney, Jr. and others in the family begin to die off. Mom produced a letter dated May 29, 1935 written by Kate's brother George to St.Michael's Cemetery in East Elmhurst, NY. George was making inquiry as he has "mislaid" the deed and asked for the location of his father's grave, in order to "see in what condition the grave is in." The response, written on his letter and returned in the SASE, was short and to the point, Grave 17 Range 49 Plot 6, and signed Mary Ann.
This small bit of information and Mom's two small record books, inwhich she noted names, birthdates, anniversaries and deaths with and without the obituaries attached, became the catapult which launched me into the most personally interesting and time consuming hobby I have ever involved myself, namely Genealogy. From that meager beginning, my wife Karen and I have travelled New Jersey, New York, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts and Louisiana researching. I have been fortunate to have had family related genealogies written and published by those with foresight to know one day someone in the family would take interest and use those writings as a stepping stone for continuing their work. Like others who have pursued their family history and traced their forefathers, I have files full of documents and letters confirming the existence of and relationship to ancestors. I have asked for and received full co-operation from my immediate family members, cousins, aunts and uncles while gathering information about their families. I love them all dearly and though we may not see each other often, they all answered the call when asked and that says something about our common bonds. I've asked them to keep me apprized of updates for their families and I occasionally publish a newsletter to let them know of my progress and interesting facts concerning my research. This effort in gathering family information is a tribute to all those who came before us and will be our legacy to those who come after us. No genealogy is ever completed, rather it is continued and carried on by those with the passion and love to see from where and from whom we come. The gathering of this information has been my life and soul for the past twenty years, and I would be remiss if I did not thank my wife Karen for her assistance, companionship and understanding as we visited the cemeteries and towns of some of these families, often on the spur of the moment..
For inquiries please send e-mail to: BOBVERNEY@aol.com
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