Found Family Pictures

My maternal grandmother's mom and her father. (Laura Marcella Showers and Harry Showers) 

Harry Showers and his wife Blanche Wheeler. Blanche's family is where my Native American heritage seems to come from. Her grandmother's (Nancy Daughtery) native american heritage is widely accepted in the family, I guess, passed down in the best way to say it. There is no paper trail for Nancy's heritage and there is a note on her name in most of our trees that our DNA conclusively denotes Native American heritage "consistent with an 18th-century American Indian ancestor." I think that is rather interesting, I noticed that as well with my DNA using gedmatch.com, however, without sources I don't have much to go on. 

On my maternal grandfather's I found a picture of his grandfather and namesake Charles McCormick and his wife (?) Sarah Niles*.

*I am guessing because there are no notes attached to this photo of who this woman is and it is not linked to any other person in the tree besides Charles. Sarah's side of the tree has absolutely no information so I am unable at the moment to follow her branch back.  

Charles' parents John Wesley McCormick (who grew into a terrifying old man who looked like he'd seen some shit - see below) and his wife Rebecca Royal. (Bec's Royal/Hillman family branch is where I found some Quaker family members, realized some were original Plymouth colonist, and then discovered her/my relation to Sir Francis Bacon and all of that. However looking up the "Royal" family just gives me a bunch of current UK nonsense that is not really relevant to me trying to figure out information about Henry Royal I - b. 1740 - who has given me a dead end.) 

I have been showing his pictures to everyone because the photography of the time had really drawn a particular focus to his whiskers. 

Also, I am so absolutely moved by the similarities in looks between my grandfather and his grandfather.

(Grandfather with baby-Megan in red with my cousin)

[insert ranty crying]

The likeness just pulls at my heart because I miss him terribly at times and I do wish that he had lived cancer free to see me as an adult. He was very protective of me and despite his flaws, I did love him immensely and I wish that he hadn't wasted away in front of me that summer when I was 17. It is really tough to realize that I probably took his imparting of family history to me for granted - I remember his stories in glimpses - but I was too busy worrying about high school girl nonsense, and books, and music, and homework to be able to really take stock of what he was saying. I guess in high school you think you'll live forever and you kind of believe, in a sense, that everyone around you will be around as well. You procrastinate on moments and on sharing things. I always thought I would have more time - I did that with my grandfather, I did it with my father, I'll probably do it again. It is a lesson that I know I need to learn but haven't quite yet. There is never enough time and pretty soon all of us will be in age stained photos alive only in the memories of those who knew us and on forgotten branches of family trees.

At least until the inevitable heat death of the universe.

...and I am going to go play more AC:Pocket Camp.