You couldn't pay me to do this year again

 

Four People, Two Pets

My Journey of loss and sharing the songs that got me through 2024. This is not an easy "feel good" read. If triggering, feel free to skim the words and just click on the YT Video links.

I remember sitting at my computer in my office in February 2024. All the lights were out except for the glow of the computer monitor. I was slowly eating cold Lo Mein from a carton with chopsticks. On my monitor was the WikiTree profile of my biological father. It was time to add his date of death. He had died hours earlier, and I found out via a Facebook message. That was the courtesy given to me as his child. My husband nailed it—he told me exactly how this would all play out, and damn if he wasn't 100% spot on.

Wassaic State School, Amenia, New York

 

Not quite in Appalachia but important to my family research: Wassaic State School

Sometimes the Ancestry Road of our past includes dark and unexpected locations. When starting a brand new quest that feels full of possibilities, many are not prepared for a turn down a dark side road. Even today, as a Professional Genealogist for over 20 years, a client’s dark side road can trouble me to my core. There are places that I never expected to find and conditions of locations so troubling that it troubles your soul. But, it is also a great privilege to find those forgotten places and people to finally bring light to an Ancestor’s dark life.

This brings me to Wassaic State School. What started in 1931, was an idea to help those that could not help themselves in society. To house and work with individuals who were “mentally challenged” and “developmentally disabled” find a way to become productive in society. This was one of five facilities in the State of New York. Sadly, most of the individuals were what, today, we would consider warehoused.

Personally, I had never heard of Wassaic State School or had reason to. One day, my Sister-in-Law mentioned that she would love to have a photo of her Grandmother, Lillian, since she had never met her. Instantly, I replied that I could help her! After all, I am a Professional Genealogist and researching and finding data and photos for others is my job. It didn’t take long for me to discover that not only would this task be challenging but it also introduced me to the Wassaic State School.