Tell me how it is possible that someone can come into our lives, for such a short time, and change us forever?
This is my story about my friend (and long lost family member) George Pinkerton McCrone. He passed away on July 7th, 2009 while I was away on vacation. I feel completely awful that I couldn't attend his funeral, due to the fact I didn't know he had passed away. So, since I didn't get my chance to tell those who loved him most, why I loved him, I'm writing it here.
A few years back I was online searching for any hints I could find on my McCrone line for genealogy. I had been working on the line for years and hadn't gotten very far. Infact, I had hit a huge roadblock. But I knew that if the Lord wanted he could open up a door and give me the information that I needed.
I remember putting in a simple search for "George P McCrone", who was the farthest person I had on my grandfather's line. The George P McCrone I was searching for was my grandfather's great grandfather. I knew of him but I also knew (from stories I had heard) that he had been in some sort of family fued that had split the family in two. I had searched his name several times, along with the only other name I had, which was Samuel B. McCrone, his brother but hadn't found much. But on this particular day, new hits to my search showed up and thus began my relationship with George Pinkerton McCrone.
The search that connected us was an article that was in his local paper. They had interviewed him because he was one of the last "McCrone's" in his area, where McCrone's had had some sort of legacy. He spoke of a cemetery "full of McCrone's" and other tidbits of information. I remember being in awe reading it. I just couldn't believe it!
I quickly printed it out and went to work. I searched the Delaware area for any George McCrones and only found one. It stated he lived in a different city but I gave it a try. Within about a week, I had received a reply from George via a phone call. He couldn't remember doing an interview for the paper but I wrote it off as forgetting due to his age (mid 80's). We spoke on the phone for hours and I listened as he told endless stories of the McCrone's he knew and the stories he had been told by his father, George Pinkerton McCrone Sr. After his phone call I was so excited and I went back to the computer to search out the information that he had given me. It turned out that he was my grandfather's 3rd cousin; they had the same great grandfather, George P McCrone, their grandfather's were brothers.
(Now don't get too confused with all the George McCrone's because my grandfather, the man I'm writing about, the man I'm writing about's father, and the grandfather that connected the two lines, were all George McCrone's. A coincidence? I don't think so. I believe that all were named after their great grandfather, the original George P. McCrone.)
So, after making that huge connection I decided to go back to the site that I found George from (I was being lazy and didn't want to find the copy I had printed off). And to my surprise, the newspaper article was gone. I tried several different searches, all of which came up empty. It was as if it was there just long enough for me to find it and then it disappeared. If I hadn't had my print off of it I would have began wondering if it ever even existed because it seemed too odd for it to just be gone a week after I had originall viewed it.
I remember having a strong feeling come over me that is wasn't a coincidence that I had found that so-called article but that it was a door being opened for me to find my lost family. You see, my great grandfather said his dad only had 2 siblings and that he rarely spoke of his father. He knew information about the fight that split the family. He thought it was something to do about money but he didn't have many details. So, once I found out that he acutally had several other siblings I knew the "family fued" story was legit.
While speaking to George on the phone, he was only aware of the first 3 brothers in that family. He was not aware of the other 5 siblings. He, too, was aware of the family fued but he didn't have any details about it either. It took many months of paper work and conversations before he finally agreed that we did come from the same line of McCrone's. He definitely was very stubborn but I have never, in my life, met someone who was so proud of his family name and his ancestors that came before him. He was THRILLED when he finally realized that he had more family; that there were more McCrone's out there. The joy that filled his voice made all my years of searching on that family line worth while. He was an inspiration to me.
As the following year past, I wanted to go visit George several times but each time I would try and plan the trip, I'd get a "you shouldn't go" feeling inside. And as I always try to do, each time I followed that feeling and didn't go. I remember being confused because wasn't it a righteous desire to go visit a member of my family to get family history information? Then why couldn't I go? Plus, he's in his 80's...he might not be here much longer! It just didn't seem to make sense. But as I said, I followed the prompting and planned for a later date.
Finally in late November of last year, I got to take my trip back to Delaware and meet George in person. It was a wonderful trip, full of tons of family history. George showed us where the old church's cemetery was, which I would never have found because the church is no longer there and the actually cemetery is covered by a little forest (see my blog entry for my trip). Without George's knowledge, I truly would have never found it. But the Lord knew that George could show us and not only that but that he was PROUD and LOVED that fact that he could show us. He was so grateful to finally find someone to share his love for his ancestors with. I interviewed him and I can't wait to go back and type that all up. He was a funny old man but very loving.
Anyway, while we were down there George had a dream about another cemetery with McCrone's in it. And I remember when he began telling me about it that I got chills because I knew that the Lord had given him the information. This is pretty much how the conversation went...
We were getting back into my car and he said...
"You know, I had a dream last night and in that dream, it showed me this cemetery. I haven't been here since I was about 6 years old. Infact, I had forgotten about this place until I saw it in that dream."
I then replied in a small studder...
"You had a dream? About this place? Last night?"
He replies..
"Well yeah, it had to have been a dream. I just woke up and I remembered this place. Like I said, I haven't been here since I was a kid."
At that point, I was speachless. I knew that the Lord was guiding our trip and was using George as his mouth piece. I remember being so grateful that the Lord saw fit to open the door that had been rusted shut for I don't know how many years.
George then proceeded to tell us where the graves were because he was shown them in the dream. By this point, it was very dark and we couldn't see much of anything but we did finally did find the graves. After taking photos of the headstones, George then said that he was shown more graves on the opposite side of the cemetery but it was too dark for us to find them (we didn't have a flashlight and the stores close by were all closed). Needless to say, we never located those other headstones but I will do so when I take my next trip back to Delaware.
When we had taken George to go see the old Lockhouse on the Susquehannah river, which is where my grandfather was practically raised, he began telling us about a time when he remembers coming over into Maryland because they were going to go visit "Uncle Sam". When he saw the lockhouse from the rear, he instantly connected his memories with the Lockhouse. He had been there, as a child, visiting Uncle Sam (my grandfather's dad was named Samuel along with my grandfather's grandfather). I'm sure the "Uncle Sam" that was spoken of was my grandfather's grandpa. Which would have been George's dad's uncle. He vividly remembered the back porch and sitting on it while the adults talked. That connection made him so so happy. It just confirmed for him even more, that we were truly family and it made the trip that much more special for him.
Before I left, George gave me one of his family bibles and that's when I interviewed him. I did the complete interview in audio but I also did some of it on tape, which I am so grateful for now. I had debated doing the tape or not and I'm so relieved that I did.
When I got home from the Delaware trip, I began doing research on the old church where the cemetery was. I was finally able to locate the microfilm for the church minutes and I'm thrilled to say that John McCrone (now the furthest I can go back) was the scribe and kept the minutes for the church. Without George, I would never have found that along with the many names I found in the cemeteries that he showed us.
Now, while reading about the old church, I came across something very interesting. The actual graveyard (the one that's covered by a mini-forest) is actually also covered with poison ivy!! As soon as I read that, it all became clear...if I had gone to Delaware the other two times I had planned, I wouldn't have been able to see the cemetery OR I wouldn't have noticed the poison Ivy and would have been covered in it!! I had to go in the late fall, when I wouldn't be affected by it. I was almost embarrassed that I had questioned the Lord's guidance on the subject. It was just another reminder that the Lord knows all and he knew it wouldn't be best for me to go when I wanted to. I'm thankful for moments like that when I can see the reason behind his answers because sometimes we don't get to see the reasons behind the "whys" or the "why nots".
So, I made sure to keep in touch with George. I sent him a "McCrone Lineage" plate that I had made for him for Christmas and he almost cried while thanking me for it. He was so touched by it. I made sure to call him on Valentine's day and let him know that I loved him. For Easter I sent him a Book of Mormon. I had had the impression to do so for a while and it finally felt right at that time. I enclosed with it a letter as to why Family History was so important to me and I shared my testimony of the Gospel with him. I asked him to read it and hoped someday I'd get to see him baptised but "thy will, oh Lord, not mine be done." My last phonecall to him was on Father's day. I wanted to let him know that I was thinking of him and that I was sorry for being late with his gift that I was making him (which now I'm wondering if I'll ever finish it or what to do with it. I really wish I would have been ontime for just once in my life because this time it mattered!! A life lesson learned!). He was so moved by my love for him. And I remember he got really emotional and told me that it was a miracle that we had met each other and that he was grateful for the Lord bringing us together. He said he's never been happier and was just thrilled to have been able to learn of his ancestors and to visit that Lockhouse. He again told me the story of visiting there and how exciting it was for him to realize that we were family.
I wish I would have talked to him longer. I wish our trip we had planned to visit him this October would have happened but it won't. He's gone now and I only hope that my Grandfather was waiting for him on the other side to teach him the gospel. I hope they had a nice chat about me and that my Grandpa is proud that I'm researching his line. I will have George's work done for him in a year and I hope that he will accept it because I want to be with him forever! Because he is my family and families are meant to be together forever!
Hannah and her fun new Hannah Montana bike. She was so excited that she could finally ride a two-wheeler. She rode to several of her friends houses, just to show them.
Buddy looks thrilled that he's finally getting his "car bed".
The symbol that stirs up pure love when Gabe sees it..."Ka-chow!"
Buddy waiting patiently for his dad to put the "lights" onto his bed. He really was so excited about the whole thing.
The finished product. Isn't that like every little boy's dream bed? I'm so glad that I decided to buy it because I had passed it by several times before, trying to be frugal. It only took a $100 discount and the workers at Costco to tell me that they only had 2 left and I couldn't hold back any longer...it was mine!!! And honestly, I think it was totally worth the money we paid for it...Gabe's happiness is priceless! 
