One thing I’ve become acclimated to since I began this hobby is finding new and interesting things about my family; most of which I would have never known except through this research. Usually these unexpected surprises happen 3 or 4 generations ago in the haze and grayness of the early 20th or late 19th centuries.
Recently, however, I’ve uncovered a “mystery” much closer:
"Uncle" Earl Bynum
Earl Bynum was the brother of M. J. Bynum, my Grandfather. He passed away when I was a young child. Lived in Lake City (which likely means that Dada was his father) and moved to St. Petersburg, FL with the rest of my father’s family. Here’s the mystery….I knew just about everyone mentioned in his obituary….but I have NEVER heard of him. Not a word or whisper of his name from my father, grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc. Just about everyone on that side of my lineage is now departed, so I can’t depend on answers from the family. My mother never heard of this man during their marriage; despite being very close to M.J. and his brothers and sisters.
To add to this mystery a little, no trace of Earl so far in any household records I have sourced or found on ancestry.com (although I admit, time has prevented me from making this an exhaustive search). Still digging….
UPDATE: My post got me thinking a bit and I checked the site for the cemetery where my family’s plot is located and sure enough….Earl Bynum rests there.
Filed under: Brick Walls, Bynum, Mysteries | Tagged: Bynum, Columbia County, Florida, Paternal, Pinellas County |
My family's journey through time... A work in progress. 
Ethel was also my great grandmother. Her daughter Rosia Lee was my grandmother and Earl was one MJ and Rosia siblings.