Stanley R Taylor Communications: December 2014

What a wonderful way to spend a Monday.

I left my home for the 450 km drive to Windsor, ON to attend the Cousins' (Cuz) Christmas Party at my Cuz Jan's house in LaSalle (next to Windsor). I was greeted at the door by Susan, Jan's sister who gave me a big hug as I walked in. We hadn't seen each other in years. I chatted with Alice, John's wife. John is Jan's older brother who was attending a funeral with Jan and they would drop by the party later.

Cousins came in, one after another bringing gifts and food. Of the 19 of us in the room, three of us were men. Even Jan's ferocious attack dog ISIS, a Chihuahua was a girl. My uncle Chess and Aunt Bess had three girls, Marg, Shirley and Betty Faye. They each had more girls. It was uncanny. So many girls.

I performed the marriage of my cuz John and his wife Alice in a United Church in Windsor according to the Anglican rite several years ago. It was the last marriage that I performed as an Anglican minister. As John pointed out, "It was a great ceremony. We're still married."

John and I were reminiscing about the marriage ceremony. John told me I had my surplice (white vestment worn over the black cassock) on inside out. "I forgot about that," I said. "Performing the service before one's family and the relatives was nerve-wracking enough," I said. We laughed some more..

Many fond memories were shared among the cousins and we laughed heartily throughout the evening.

John, Jan and Susan

John, Jan and Susan are the children of Ernie and Janet Kain. Ernie was my mother's brother. In order of birth there was Sam, Bess, Margaret (my mother whom everybody called Gret), Helen and Gord. Jan has all the info in her Kain ancestry binder that she continues to research. Jan pointed out that a few generations ago, like great, great, great grandfather was a smuggler. How cool is that? She also discovered that the smuggler was an Irishman by the name of Robertson. He was caught by the local constabulary but he escaped Ireland, changed his name to Kain and fled to Scotland. My mother's father was born in Scotland and while I've been boasting of my Scottish background, it may be possible that our background is really Irish.

I look forward to next year's Cuz Christmas Party. It was wonderful meeting so many of my cousins, but I would need more than a few hours to chat with each one. Perhaps next year, all the cousins will be in attendance and perhaps Jan will have uncovered more secrets of our ancestry.