Putting a face on my past

Our local newspaper sometimes carries photos of "Five Generations" – a baby in the arms of a young mother along with three other remarkably young-looking adult women who are the baby's grandmother, great grandmother and great-great grandmother.

Recently I received four unexpected photos by email. I'm now able to look into the face of my paternal great-great grandmother. What a gap in time between the five generations of this family (although, granted, I'm no babe in arms)!

This pretty young woman is my grandfather's sister, Clara. The story that comes from her direct descendants is that, after bearing several children, she died at the age of 31. Because her husband remarried after her death, an indignant niece ripped him out of their wedding photograph – leaving the unfortunate Clara with three hands.