Keeping it in the Family

By keeping it I mean the Family Wealth. After immigrating to this country back in the late 1700's, my ancestors made a fortune and wanted to keep it in the family. So they only married family, family is anyone up to and including third cousins. They didn't marry sisters or brothers or first cousins. My older brother married a second cousin. My great uncle Ken got a waitress pregnant and had to marry her, because of the double Barrel rule. Double Barrel shotgun that is. Anyway I was having troube finding a wife as there was more males than females at the time. So I went and seen Great Aunt Maud the family tree expert of our extended family. Telling her my problem of not being able find someone inside the family to marry that met all the rules. "Landsakes" she said "Your not looking very hard are you. There is more females than you know about and I know the right one for you". "Who" I asked, " Gloria" was her answer. " Who's Gloria, I haven't heard of her before". I asked. " She's your Mothers Uncle Richard Daughter" she replied. I didn't know Great Uncle Richard had any Children and wouldn't she be too old for me". I replied. "Oh he got married at 54 to Mary his business partners widow and they had Gloria and they moved to the cattle ranch as he couldn't handle the smog anymore". She answered. "How do I meet Gloria" I asked, " You just go out to our livestock holdings and visit your uncle Robert and he will arrange for you to meet Gloria". She replied. So I did and a week after arriving I meet Gloria, she was 5'5" slim with glasses and very shy at first with strangers. But after a while she wasn't shy anymore and great company. As I was told she was a second cousin to me and I liked her company. I asked uncle Robert " How do I go about asking for her to marry me". He said " Just asked her mother Ruth, but you'll have to speak up as she's a bit deaf". So I did, Ruth was in her forties when Gloria was born and was in her late sixties then. Ruth asked Gloria if she wanted to marry and she replied " Sure, but nobody has asked me yet". " Well David here is asking you now, what your answer" Ruth said. " Okay I guess" was Gloria's reply. So a family wedding was arranged and we married a month later. We had 6 children and now have 9 grandchilren and 2 greatgrand children. We have been very happy together in our sixties year Marriage.