All in the Family

If you follow my blog you might remember Ed and Phyllis, an American couple (married for 65 years!) who were recently our guests – they came to Newfoundland because Ed’s father was from Heart’s Content and they wanted to explore his roots. Well, what they say about it being a small world is true – turns out that Clifford George is Ed’s long lost cousin!

They connected immediately, which was fun to see. And Clifford has extensive knowledge of all the George’s in Heart’s Content going back to 1705 when they first arrived from England. He shared their stories and the history of life in the area.

Clifford took Ed and Phyllis to his studio and to meet Misty and Sonny. They also had supper with Doug George, another new family member, in New Harbour. Overall it was a great visit and Ed and Phyllis were delighted to meet more family in the Wonderful World of Whiteway. And we were thrilled to be a small part in helping them explore their roots. 

Explore Your Roots

Here’s Ed and Phyllis, married 65 years and staying with us for a week – more of a treat for us than for them, I think. They had Joe Friday and me down for a glass of wine, and it was great to get to know this couple.

Ed’s father was born in Heart’s Content, so it has been on their bucket list come to Newfoundland to explore his heritage. We are going to introduce them to Clifford who knows a lot about the region- and, get this, they’re related! And they have an artist in their family the same age as Clifford. Coincidence? I think not!

Speaking of coincidences, they’re from Massachusetts (as is my daughter’s boyfriend of 11 years), and they live in Virginia, as does another daughter.

Anyway, they are incredibly sweet people who epitomize why I love Americans. We had a great chat about life in Virginia, where I lived for 8 years. I talked about the generosity of the Americans I met there, and they talked about the generosity of Gander and St. John’s during the 9/11 crises.  Truly a wonderful conversation to be had, and I hope they enjoy their time exploring their roots!