Starting A New Family Project --- The Edingers

I have been "waiting" for direction about what ancestor or family to work on next. It has been a long while since I finished the project I call "The Unknown Child of John Van Buskirk". Not that I have been idle by any means, but I have not been inspired. Once I have an "order" it becomes a mission I am intent on pursuing and the hunt is on.

This happened on July 4th when I was contacted by Jim Bish. He is a descendant of Mary A Edinger Bland and she is a sister to Catherine Edinger Collins. Although I have not proven that Catherine is Benjamin Edinger's mother, I operate on the premise that she is. If not, she is a very close relation as they are always near each other until her last days. At any rate Jim Bish contacted me after finding my Edinger data posted on World Connect.

#1 I couldn't believe anyone else was researching this family. #2 I couldn't believe that Jim had the siblings of Catherine Edinger. #3 Icouldn't believe that Jim had the parents of Catherine Edinger. As soon as I read his message I knew this was my next project.

I am always searching for information about my great great grandfather, Benjamin Edinger. He is a special person to me. What started out as simply a name on a death certificate has become one of my favorite ancestors. Why? Because he lived a difficult life that dealt hard blows to him but he perservered. He was not highly educated, he was a common laborer, he was not sophisticated, he may not have been a pleasant man, but he did the right thing and made sure his family survived. It would have been much easier to run away after his first wife died leaving him with a new infant son and four daughters. He didn't do that, and that is why I admire him.

It is the ordinary people that I love to research. Not the famous, although they are easier to work on. The ordianary people left records as well, but I have to dig a lot deeper to find them. So wish me luck as I start on this new project. I call it the "Benjamin Project". Wish me luck and stay tuned for further reports and findings. patj