Baby Boomer Sagas's Blog
Excerpt from: “Aunt Jean and Uncle George”, Chapter IV | May 22, 2010
Jean and George at the shore, circa 1953
10/28/11: Here is a piece from Chapter IV where I am describing my Uncle.
My uncle George was not Italian, not that this mattered to any of us. In fact, he used to say he was a Heinz 57 variety. He even boasted about having Native American blood running through his veins. But he was sure he had Scottish, English, and Irish ancestors. Even as a youngster, though, I was able to recognize that uncle’s family was different. To me, they were the oddest bunch of people, and I used to make myself disappear whenever they were around. I can say almost certainty that they were the first country–and-western music fans of the northeast. None of my other family members, on either side, listened to that kind of music back then. But Uncle George’s mom and siblings listened to people like Hank Williams, Sr., and Patsy Cline long before country music became the trend. Another odd thing about Uncle George’s family is they all spoke with a southern drawl, including him. Now, not one of his family members was born in the South. They grew up in towns in northern New Jersey, and Jersey people do not speak with a southern drawl. So, some of Uncle George’s life is a bit of a mystery, and even though I and many of my other family members found his accent odd, we never questioned him about it. We just accepted him and loved him. I loved him like a blood relative. Really, children do not distinguish between blood relatives and in-laws. I think that’s because we always remember them being there. As far as I was concerned, he was no different than my mom’s or dad’s siblings. I think that’s the way it is in every family.
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