Happy Memorial Day!

Even though we are far from home, we happen to live right where my great grandparents, and great-great grandparents on my Hanks side are buried. After we left, I realized how I had no idea WHY they were buried there, so I called my grandma and here is the scoop:
My great-great grandpa, the first Sidney Alva Hanks (His dad was Ephraim K. Hanks, who is famous for helping save the Martin handcart company) was a forest ranger in the Teton mountains in Idaho when he got real sick and couldn't get better. His oldest son lived in California and told him to come here and recuperate in the weather. He did just that and loved it so much he never went back to Idaho. He was the first patriarch in the Pasadena Stake.
His son, Sidney Alva Hanks Jr, was married when he dad came to California, but during the depression came to California also and took over his dad's job as the custodian at Monrovia Middle School and never went back to Idaho either. My grandpa actually lived here for 7 years (from when he was 7 until he was 14) when his mom decided she wanted to be in Idaho and my great-grandparents got divorced and she took my grandpa back to Idaho. I never knew my grandpa had lived here!

Adam and I realized that we take our genealogy for granted. Since the work is already done for us, we don't know a lot about it, which is the whole point in it! It was good to learn about my ancestors. I am happy to be right back where my roots came from :) I guess when us Hanks's come to Southern California, we never want to leave!