Something in the May air?
There must be something about the end of May.
Something about the way spring is folding itself into summer.
Something about the way the days are getting long, the evenings golden and warm.
Something about the way the nights … well, the nights must be hot.
Um… literally, even.
As in passion-type hot.
Because there are a ton of February 28th birthdays in The Legal Genealogist‘s family tree.
From a fourth great granduncle, John Jones Jr., born according to family information on the 28th of February 1785,1 to a third cousin once removed who’ll only be identified as N.R., who was born in the 21st century and is way too young to consent to being featured in a blog — there are a lot of February 28th birthdays.
John T. Baker was born on February 28, 1829, most likely in Monroe County, Indiana.2 He was my second cousin four times removed, or my third cousin five times removed, depending on which line you look at (Baker or Davenport). His grandfather Henry Baker was the brother of my fourth great grandfather. John only lived 15 months. He died on 28 May 1830.3
There were the Robertson twins, born on a February 28th in Lamar County, Texas. There are a whole lot of issues with the twins, starting with their names. Their tombstone records them as Eugean and Clodean, and says they died in 1933.4
Their death certificates say that the boy was named Franklin D. Robertson and the girl Miriam A. Robertson, and they were born and died in 1934.5
Then there’s my brother Paul, born on a February 28th a number of years ago that I won’t mention, except to say that I still find it absolutely appalling that I can now be old enough to remember something that happened, now, some 62 years ago.
And a second cousin Richard, in the Gottlieb branch of the family, born the same day as my brother.
And a first cousin once removed, Rachael, born on a February 28th closer to the end of the 20th century.
And my nephew Dennis, born on a February 28th much more recently… but not as recently as my memory wants to remember it as… I still think of him as the tiny baby he was the first time I laid eyes on him. The reality is, he’s now taller than his mother and — very likely — taller than me.
Add in the other birthdays around the 28th — my grand nephew Jack, who celebrated his third birthday yesterday, and my first cousin Donna who shared Jack’s birthday but has been around a tad longer than he has, and Donna’s father, my Uncle Sonny, born on February 25th, a Thurmond cousin born on February 27th, and even my fourth great granduncle Sterling Jones who was born on February 29th, 1776,6 and you do have to wonder, don’t you?
Just what was it about the end of May?
There must have been something in the air.
Something about the way spring folds itself into summer.
Something about the way the days get long, the evenings golden and warm.
Something about the way the nights … well, the nights must have been hot.
In more ways than one…
SOURCES
- George Baumbach, “John Pettypool and Sarah ?Sanford,” Colonial Pettipool-Poole-P’Poole Families (http://www.mindspring.com/~baumbach/ppoole/ : accessed 24 Feb 2017). ↩
- Baker Family Bible, 1787-1878; The Holy Bible (Philadelphia : Jesper Harding, printer, 1846), births column, entry for John T. Baker; Bible Records Collection; Dallas Public Library, Dallas, Texas. ↩
- Ibid., deaths column. ↩
- Restland Cemetery (Roxton, Lamar County, Texas; West 3rd Street at Texas Road 38, Latitude 33°32’25″N, Longitude 95°43’53″W), Baby’s of Eugene and Ruby Robertson marker; photograph by J.G. Russell, 28 Apr 2003. ↩
- Texas Department of Health, death certif. no. 13995, Franklin D. Robertson, 28 March 1934, and death certif. no. 13999, Miriam A. Robertson, 19 March 1934; Bureau of Vital Statistics, Austin. ↩
- George Baumbach, “John Pettypool and Sarah ?Sanford,” Colonial Pettipool-Poole-P’Poole Families (http://www.mindspring.com/~baumbach/ppoole/ : accessed 24 Feb 2017). ↩
Ran into this just last night.
Researching a newly found family in daughter-in-law’s ancestry, and in 1900 Census, with 7 children listed, the last five are all listed as born in February (various years).
Of course, we’ll have to check the “real” records to see if they agree with the Census-taker…
Not all that likely that all five were born in the same month. Possible for sure but…
And my grandfather, William Elmer Irish, was also born on February 28th, in Missouri in 1890.
A popular day!!
Then there were those of us born on the 29th of February 😉
Only a couple of those in my family, including the fourth great grand uncle cited in the post.
Had a cousin who was born on Feb. 29th. His folks just decided that his birthday was the day after Feb. 28th, no matter what it was called. That way there were no missing days. I thought that was a cool way of handling it. Me, I was born on the first anniversary of the day the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. That was harder to deal with. All my life people made the automatic jump and somehow just could not keep themselves from saying it out loud. After the Sept 11th WTC bombing took place, I told people that whatever they did, if someone had a birthday on that day, don’t bring it up. Especially with kids. It is taking that person’s birthday away from them and associating it with a tragedy. I still get depressed for the two weeks between Thanksgiving and my birthday. (And the irony is that I was DUE on Thanksgiving Day, 1942! Now that would have been fun!)
And I always considered October 7th as “Birthday Day”, figuting that the first part of January was c-o-l-d.
My great-uncle Josh Cowin was born on that date in 1878. My mother, her twin sister, and her twin sister’s husband were born 10/7/1918. A cousin was born 10/7/1940.
I must no neglect Dad’s family. His oldest sister was born 10/7/1911, on their mother’s 19th birthday.
And I have a brother born on the 6th of October! 🙂
Judy… I feel warm and glowey to your family all of a sudden.
Bob Kirk
(born Feb 28th)
And a happy belated birthday to you, then!
It be every thus: From Camalot, “The Lusty Month of May”
GUENEVERE:
Tra la! It’s May!
The lusty month of May!
That lovely month when ev’ryone goes
Blissfully astray.
Tra la! It’s here!
That shocking time of year
When tons of wicked little thoughts
Merrily appear!
It’s May! It’s May!
That gorgeous holiday
When ev’ry maiden prays that her lad
Will be a cad!
It’s mad! It’s gay!
A libelous display!
Those dreary vows that ev’ryone takes,
Ev’ryone breaks.
Ev’ryone makes divine mistakes
The lusty month of May!
As good an explanation as any! 🙂