SURPRISING 'SILVAN' and 'CHUBB' MOMENTS

Back from a wonderful visit with my family in Oregon, dodging rain drops, watching the Pacific Ocean roll over miles of gray sand, seeing the end of the Lewis and Clark Trail, the Salt Works, hugging my son, my brothers, grandchildren and especially Mom and Dad. But as always, returning to our little neck of the woods in the country was wonderful too.

During our time away, I had access to my eMail and the surprising moments of being contacted by two more Silvan family members! I received an obituary from one for Eusebio Gonzales, Jr., a brief history and his visit-to-Hawaii story from another and the moments go on and on. When someone 'finds' me through the http://www.ancestry.com/ web site, I am always amazed and smile, smile, smile. Thank you so much for great information from anyone and everyone who finds the STEELE Family Tree. I have incorporated so many family lines inside the tree, that I feel so blessed when people reach out.

While in Portland, with Tess's (my cousin) excellent investigative prowess, I was able to find gravestones for family members from the past and her greatest find: An approximate site where the cremated remains rested for our great great grandfather, James Dillon Chubb -- Mom and I were given a map of the Lincoln Memorial Mausoleum and were told his ashes were in the ROSE aisle "right by the front door."

Winding our way around the cemetery roads, we arrived at the wrong door, but unknowingly, we proceeded to look on every wall along the quiet and seemingly empty mausoleum. I'd never been inside one before and not sure I ever want to return... There were five (5) floors to this massive building, quiet as a tomb (exactly!) with walls and walls of hallways and flowers sitting in tiny niches near the names of thousands (I kid you not) of resting bones. We wandered around, climbed stairs to the level below and craned our necks to read all the names. Then we found another door and thought we'd finally found the ROSE aisle but no, we did not. I finally left Mom on floor two and walked downward (73 steps) three (3) more levels and thought my eyes were being pulled from my head as I tried to read, read, read those names on all the marble hallways and in the 'ashes' boxes. I found the ROSE aisle and the little cubicles were as high as the very tall ceiling but would not give up! Tess and I had wondered for too long where our ancestor's ashes were! She gave me so many possibilities. and I could not let her or Mom (or me!) down... I'd already walked miles and miles of marble hallways and the quiet was overpowering.

The quiet mausoleum started to work on my worry bone, wondering what I would do if someone was there and nobody could hear my scream? Yes, my mind was sprawling in several directions...and then I espied a man on a very tall ladder who pointed to the ROSE aisle and then began to get testy when I kept asking him where, oh where or where??! Finally, he came off the ladder and told me I'd NEVER find the ashes without the map. What map? He was horrified to hear all we were told was the ROSE aisle. Period. He became my dear friend from the moment he hiked out to his truck, pulled out a giant 3-ring binder, looked up the number on the funeral card I held in my hand and then walked me around until he found him!! He pulled his very tall ladder over, climbed upward and said, "Here he is." I was ecstatic (yes, Mom was still upstairs on floor 2 but I couldn't leave the one person I found or let him out of my site.

He climbed up the ladder, confirmed James D. Chubb and I grinned like an idiot. I asked him, "May I please take a picture?" He said, "No." I was bitterly disappointed until he smiled at me crookedly and followed with, "But I can do it for you." I nearly skipped back up those millions (by now, they had multiplied I think) of steps to find Mom back in the car. When I told her the story and ended with the picture for her to see, we were both grinning like idiots (we are related you see) and couldn't wait to get back home to shoot off the picture to my cousin, Tess! We were all delighted and I must say, it was a day to remember! I have not attached a picture of the ashes in deference to the other three boxes in the cubicle and the descendents they left behind.