My Search For Margaret Lusk North

by Patricia A. Johnson

21 November 2000

In 1990 I seriously began to research my family history. One of the first families I found out about was my North, Lusk and Sanford families. This was thanks to my "patron" ancestor, William Oliver Sanford. He was born in 1822 in Tioga Co. New York and was the grandson of Rhoda North Sanford. He left a small collection of writing in which he described these people in such a vivid way that they became real to me. He knew little of his great grandparents, Asa North and Margaret Lusk of Farmington, Connecticut, but he knew their names and from this I found out more about them. Of great enlightenment was the book "John North of Farmington, Connecticut" by Dexter North. I was able to trace my ancestry to two of John North's sons, Samuel and Thomas. It was nice to find this information, especially for a fledgling genealogist. A little success does wonders to keep one interested in this pursuit.

Finding information about my 6^th great grandmother, Margaret Lusk North, proved to be a dead end. The Connecticut Historical Society could not help me, I could find no books on the Connecticut Lusks, and I was more or less forced to move on to other families in my search for my roots. Margaret became one of the first ancestresses relegated to the back of my mind. I have had many of these women -- they are almost invisible, as far as records are concerned. They silently moved from being someone's daughter to being someone's wife and that is the end of their identity. That is why I love the challenge of finding "their story." And find it I do, eventually. They may wait patiently in the back of my mind for years, but, when the time is right, something happens to reveal "their story."

For Margaret, the wait was about ten years. By some miracle I found myself in contact with Donna McQuade of Avon, Connecticut. When I mentioned my ancestors from that area, she did a marvelous job of finding local items and articles and tombstone pictures for me. Between the two of us we solved the mystery of Margaret Lusk's heritage. Margaret is the daughter of Thomas and Isabella Lusk. Her mother now moves into that spot vacated by her daughter, waiting to be revealed. Yes, just like life, genealogy closes one door and opens another. Perhaps someday the identity of Isabella's maiden name will be found.

For today, I am delighted to have solved the Margaret Lusk case. This project prompted me to buy two books about Avon, Connecticut. "Avon, Connecticut an historical story" by Mary Frances L. MacKie and "Avon" by Nora O. Howard. Both of these books help me see the area where so many of my ancestors were born, lived and died. It helps me see them as they must have been in their time.

I am sending this report, as well as, a group of family records to the Avon Historical Society. My hope is that this collection may help future researchers.

Patricia A. Johnson

4412 E. Mulberry #228

Fort Collins, Colorado 80524