I Really Procrastinated

 

Last Xmas my daughter got me an Ancestry DNA Kit. I am very paranoid of giving out personal info online and was not sure I should do that. 

Today I finally decided to, and got around to getting the sample and creating an account. I am sure they will hound me to death for more paid services in the very near future. Hopefully I don't have a big negative experience from it.

My Brother, cousins, and both daughters have already done this a few years ago. 

We all did learn of a new, before that unknown, paternal, first cousin. She is one year older than me, and also loves cats. She was my fave uncle's unknown about child, given up for adoption. She ended up growing up near his area in the same state, then moved near where my mother grew up, in another New England state.  It is such a small world! Now she is a family facebook friend. She feels she missed out on being one of us closer cousins growing up. But really, that has been no picnic, especially lately.  

My Fave paternal Uncle and Aunt (different mother) both passed away some years ago, so she never met them. My brother knew about her, but decided not to get to know or meet the new cousin before he passed away from cancer. 

My younger, fave cousin for years, my fave aunt and uncle's youngest, son passed away inexplicably a year ago last summer. This cousin only had one son, divorced his wife, and then lived with a new woman who has daughters, in another area of the country.  Most cousins never met his new love, except some who attended another one of my paternal uncle's funeral in 2017. I was there.

As a result of my cousin's death, his girlfriend had to petition as a common-law wife to an inheritance claim, and to social security to get anything of the estate, or the only son would get all of it.  She emailed cousins for help to file SS forms saying we knew she was considered family. Then three  cousins got angry with the girlfriend, deciding she didn't deserve any benefits due to not being really married. But there are common law rules in that state, they did share a home for years. 

I had been introduced to her, the opposed cousins had not. So they blocked her from their FB and from the family page! They posted what they thought on the family page, where the ex-wife is still a member. They had the nerve to order me not to do anything to help her! My cousin's son is inheriting millions, the haters don't even know about, and are calling the live-in girlfriend a money grubber for fighting to keep a roof over her daughter's heads by getting the minimal SS. 

I wonder what the discovered cousin thinks of this spat. My mother would roll over in her grave at my relatives' unchristian behavior. I am suddenly not wanting to be part of that cousin group anymore...