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Breaking Through Brick Walls - The search for Grandma Lillian 

   My first and perhaps only direct memory of my Great Grandmother Lillian, is holding her hand as we walked down a set of stairs together. The carpet was soft, the wood walls and railing glossy and smooth with warm rays of sunshine beaming through the landing window to light our way. Our steps were careful and slow. She was old, the oldest person I had ever known and I had to help keep her safe. In that special moment in time, I felt love, compassion, respect and responsibility all wrapped into one. Lillian Margaret McCormick Huff passed away when I was one and a half year old, in the Autumn of 1961.

    When I began researching my family’s genealogy in earnest, I was surprised to discover that while Lillian was the only great grandparent I had ever known personally, her ancestry turned out to be a complete mystery. All I had to go on was her mother’s name on her marriage license, Christina, family rumor that she had a brother named John in the insurance business, that she was from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and her birthdate was February 14, 1879.

     I soon found her family in the 1860,1870 and 1880 censuses. Christina’s husband and father of Lillian’s brothers and sisters was William McCormick but no Lillian in the 1880 census and I soon found that William had died on October 4, 1873. Christina appears in subsequent census but as a widow that did not remarry. Amazingly though, Lillian does appear living with her older sister Rose in the 1900 census. 

     Who then was Lillian’s father? Where was she from 1879 to 1900? So many unanswered questions!

       If you’re a family member, PLEASE chime in with any hints you may have. Family and friends alike, please stay tuned for more updates on the search for Grandma Lillian!