The McNairn Times
Publisher: Cheryl Grice (aka Zetta McNairn)
Volume No. 1 Issue No. 1 Date July 2001
Welcome to My Newsletter!
This is the first of hopefully at least a monthly issue of what is going on in my little corner of the genealogy world.
Since this is the first issue, a little background information will be needed in order for you to know what the heck we are talking about. So now I give you….my side of the Story.
In the Beginning…..
Well, not the beginning of the McNairns, but in MY beginning….there was a girl named Sara McNairn, and she became pregnant with a baby in 1962. Since she was not married, she gave the baby up for adoption. That baby was me. I was adopted by Paul and Crystal Bailey, and grew up in Berne, Indiana. I always knew that I was adopted. I didn’t start looking seriously for my roots until I was about 36 years old…then, with the help of International Locator, I was able to find my birthmother.
The Reunion
Sara and I met for the first time at a park in Ohio.
Since my family lives in Muncie, Indiana, and she lives in Medina, Ohio, we decided to meet at a halfway point to save on driving time. The reunion was great! We freaked out when we saw how much we look alike. We had a picnic, Sara "Sally" got to meet her grandchildren, and we generally had a great time. My brother, Paul, and his fiancee (now his wife) were there as well.
Besides discovering our similarity in appearance, we also discovered a lot of other things we had in common. The most interesting thing we had in common was our love of photography. We even take pictures of the same subject matter!
After a great day, we decided to continue meeting in parks. We have done this, in addition to Sally being to our house a couple of times. We have also been to her house a couple times….once when Phil and I visited for a weekend, and once again when we all went and spent a couple nights. We also got to see my brother Paul marry Lisa Scharfenort, and we got to meet my brother Phil and his wife, Leslie. I have also met my sister, Bridget, once when she came with Sally to my house, and again at Paul’s wedding. It’s kind of hard getting together…Paul and Phil live in the Cleveland area, Sally in Medina, Bridget in Texas, and us in Muncie Indiana!
An Interesting Lineage
I started getting interested in genealogy shortly after our first meeting. I have discovered all sorts of interesting things….like my 4xGreat Grandfather, John McNairn, was born in Scotland! (That must explain my affinity for plaid.) He came to America in 1773, shortly before the American Revolution began. As he was a staunch supporter of the Crown, he became what is known as a United Empire Loyalist. He was forced to abandon his property in New York Province and move to Ontario, Canada in 1778. He served in the military, married, and had children, settling in the Cornwall area of Ontario. His son, Alexander, had a son, Elisha, who had a son, William Fletcher, whose son was Oral Charles, my grandfather.
During my investigations into the McNairn name, I’ve discovered many interesting people, like those who helped me find my roots, and cousins and other relatives that I have discovered and plan to meet. And I’ve learned much more about history than I ever thought I would learn outside of a school setting! I had never even heard of United Empire Loyalists until I started tracing my family history. I also have become more interested in my Canadian and Scottish heritage, and I’m very proud of both!
Vacation Time Nearing
The last week of July is approaching rapidly, and it holds an especially important significance for me. That is when our entire family will be embarking on our very first family vacation, in combination with our first genealogy trip, to CANADA! We are planning on meeting the wonderful people who have helped with my genealogy research, and with lots of relatives! I’ll let you know what happens…in our next issue of the McNairn Times.
Until then,
Cheryl Grice