In 1899 when he died, I'm sure those who wanted those words on his grave marker could not imagine a world where William Birdsell would ever be forgotten.
The simple truth is: there is not one person alive who remembers William Birdsell when he walked this earth. I don't know if there's anyone alive who knows if he was always called William, or was he called Willie as a child? Were Williams called Bill back in the 1800s. If so, was he called Bill?
Was he a kind father and/or husband? Did his grandchildren cause a twinkle in his eyes?
Sadly so much about him has been forgotten, or it wasn't told often enough in the family stories.
Why did he and Maria AKA Mariah move from Ohio to Iowa shortly after they married?
What happened in Iowa that caused them to move themselves and their six kids to Kansas? That had to have been a tough move. It's not like they could call the local Allied Van Lines and get a quote on how much they'd charge to move two adults, 6 kids, three horses, two mules, one oxen, a lone milk cow with calf, five hogs, 12 chickens and various household goods and one good plow to Kansas.
When they left Iowa did they plan to settle in Jewell County, Kansas? Or did they just get in the wagon and leave, hoping and praying there would be a place they could call home?
Would it bring a smile to him if he knew that the land he homesteaded has remained in the family and is now being farmed by one of his own great, great grandsons and great great great grandsons?
What would he think if he saw the cemetery now where they buried their eldest son, Daniel, just a few years before William was laid to rest there? Would the number of his descendants resting their surprise him?
If I could talk to him I have so many questions I'd love to ask him. What was his favorite crop? When he first saw the land that homesteaded what did he see? I'm so curious if his answer would be him telling me exactly what it looked like at that time, or if he would tell me that he saw the house he would build with Maria and the kids playing in the yard after all the chores were done catching fireflies. But the list of questions are endless.
My goal for 2012 is to find out more about this man and his wife. To search the area they called home, which is the area I call home. To see if they left any clues as to who they were. To talk to those who are older than me to see if they remember any stories being passed down.
Today William Birdsell is gone and forgotten. The things that made him who is was are forgotten. But with time and a dose of luck, maybe by the end of 2012 he'll still be gone, but not as forgotten.
Who would you like to meet from the past?
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