MY MOTHER

Catherine Juanita Fairchild

Twins: Cordelia (Dee) and Catherine (Kay) Photo taken 1983

**more photos to come.. **

Interesting Facts:

• Born in Colchester, New York.  Birth registration claims she is Catherine Juanita Fairchild with an S.

• First born twin girl, sister Cordelia, nicknamed Dee (Dee Dee), who would follow a few minutes later and she is proudly the big sister in all ways!  They have a brother, Frances, nicknamed Pete, living. 

• Following the death of her father in 1945 at the age of 5-6 years of age, she and her sister were put in a foster home which would become home after home.  At the age of 14 she would find out she had half siblings from her mother Cecelia's first marriage to George W. Lockwood Sr.; a half brother, George W. Jr. and half sister, Margaret.  Another half sister Mildred passed away at age 14 months.

• She graduated in 1957 from Delaware Academy in Delhi, NY where she met and married her first husband.  She would go on to have all but 4 of her children in Delhi.

• She has had a significant hearing loss most of her life.  Recently I was told her Grandmother Josephine,  her mother Cecelia's mother was deaf and blind.

• She is a mother to nine children, fifteen grandchildren and one great grandson to date,  2007! 

Would You Believe:

Her first six children were all born between 1958 - 1965 which means not a year went by that my mother wasn't pregnant or having a baby.  How she did it, I still can't fathom.

At the age of 16 she lost a kidney to tuberculosis and the doctors told her she wouldn't have any children.  They surely underestimated my Mother.

How Do You Keep These Children Straight:

1st marriage- A. Gordon, Cheryl, William B. (Big Billy), Phaedra (deceased), Eugene and Anthony. 2nd marriage ~ Tamara, William Jr. and Serena.  (In the midst of all these children, there were a few miscarriages which aren't mentioned.)

• Phaedra and Eugene born Oneonta, NY.  Tamara and William Jr. born Margaretville, NY.  All other children born Delhi, NY.

Mom still can't look right at me without calling me by my baby sister's name!  When I call she has to ask me who I am because if I didn't tell her she can't tell who I am.  And yes, we have our nicknames you really think Mom gave us names to call us by them, no.

Where Did She Come From:

There are stories aplenty!  Especially of Native American ancestry which honestly if you look at her mother, that comes as no surprise. Cecelia/Cecilia V. Fisher's lineage as of this date has yet to be traced beyond her parents and siblings but she was without a doubt American Indian.  But to hear that my Grandfather was once Stiles William Longknife who was adopted.  There are no records proving any of this.  My many years of genealogical research have come up with nothing to validate this.  So I can only speculate this is family rumor gone awry as Stiles name comes from his great grandmother Anna Stiles wife of Bille Fairchild.

I have contributed my mother's Fairchild genealogy information which includes all her children to the 2nd book, 'More Fairchilds In America' by Jean Gilmore. Although another researcher did the same and birthdates of Catherine's children were misconstrued and do appear incorrect in the book.

To sum this up, my mother is a direct descendant of Thomas Fairchild b. abt 1610.  I will give a brief view of how but this will be on a webpage to come!

• 4TH GREAT GRANDFATHER: FAIRCHILD, Thomas b. abt 1610

• 3RD GREAT GRANDFATHER: FAIRCHILD, Joseph b. 15 Apr 1664

• 2ND GREAT GRANDFATHER: FAIRCHILD, Bille (Billey) b. 13 Aug 1781

• GREAT GRANDFATHER: FAIRCHILD, Stiles b. 24 Jan 1802

• GRANDFATHER: FAIRCHILD, Elisha Wiley b. Sept 1839

• FATHER: FAIRCHILD, Stiles William b. 27 May 1875

• FAIRCHILD, Catherine Juanita b. 6 Nov 1939 ** LIVING **

Sources of Information:

• my Mother, Catherine Juanita Fairchild Sanford

• My personal genealogy and research files

• 'Fairchild In America' books by Jean Gilmore

• Donna Lockwood Rushing (daughter of George W. Lockwood Jr.)

Memorial Website To My Mother's Parents: (genealogy website to come soon)

http://www.sanfordgenealogy.net/fisher-fairchild.html