Good Rain . . .

It rained most of the afternoon and into the evening yesterday which was really nice for the new plants just put in . . .

Most of yesterday was spent backing up facts regarding a more distant cousin of mine whose obituary I culled from "historical" news clippings.
It is interesting how many of my HILES relatives I never knew about before my delving into genealogy.

For example, 100 years ago the Governor of California was a cousin of mine that I never knew about until recent rooting around in the trees. I did hear mentioned a few times that we did have a relative that was Governor of California but since we lived in Illinois growing up and not much was really ever said about family history I kept that thought in the recesses of my mind.

James Norris Gillett was my cousin. My great grandfather John Hiles married Emily Adeline Gillett. Adeline was the name I think she mostly used, but her Dad's brother Cyrus Gillett (her Uncle) was the father of James Norris Gillett. James was born in Viroqua, Wisconsin and eventually studied law and became a lawyer. He found his way to Eureka, California and into California politics and eventually just after the turn of the century he ran and was elected Governor -- 1907 thru 1911, the 22nd Governor of California. He served one term and chose not to run a second time.

Growing up I wish I had known these details -- it would have been a lot more fun in some of my history classes . . . and now that I have lived in California longer than any place else it is nice knowing that other Hiles relatives left the Midwest to come to the Golden State before me.

It is also ironic that I have a nephew and family living in Viroqua, Wisconsin who did not know about the many relatives who lived (and died ) in Viroqua until this genealogy came out. The local cemetery in Viroqua has a lot of our relatives buried there as do many other Wisconsin cemeteries.

So, it is back "into" the trees that I immerse myself on a rainy day -- so nice to hear the rain -- and view the moisture as it continues to blur the view from my office window. Later we might even venture out for errands.