A to Z Challenge: Arthur

Hello and Welcome to Day One: A Day!

Kin Name:

Arthur Cloutier

Vital Information:

Born 5 April 1923 in New Hampshire, USA to Camille and Delia. Died 5 March 2010 in Connecticut, USA.

Relation to Me:

Paternal Grandfather

Tidbits/Characteristics/Commonalities:

While I did not have the opportunity to meet Arthur due to his death before my NPE experience, I have had the opportunity to chat with both his youngest daughter (my half aunt), a couple of his nephews, and a few of my cousins.

These conversations have offered me glimpses of his personality and gifted photos have offered me his likeness to carry forward with me. Additionally, his Obituary gave a perfect snapshot of his life while also enlightening me to the above mentioned half-aunt and another half-sibling of mine that I hadn’t yet discovered in my research.

A few of the things I’ve learned are:

• Arthur was the youngest of four children born over 17 years. It seems (via family whispers), that by the time he was born his mom was tired and not very affectionate towards him. Oh how my mama hearts aches for the both of them.
• Arthur served in the Navy during World War II in the Navy and was a survivor of the attack on Pearl Harbor.
• Arthur was a Professor of English and the Humanities for 22 years.
• He was a member of the Sierra Club and other non-profit organizations.
• He sang, acted, directed local community theater, and was a published author.
• According to one his nephews, “he was the best storyteller ever”.

I see in his passions that we share a love of literature and the arts, nature and animals.

I’ve also been told by a cousin that the way I write reminds them of Arthur’s writing and so I hope to be able to track down more of his writing in the future so I can see for myself 🙂

In Your Research…

Have you found or been told about surprise commonalities with any kin you have not/did not have the opportunity to meet?

Please tell me about it!

Housekeeping

My theme for the 2025 A to Z Challenge is Kin! The first names of direct lineage kin, to be more specific.

I’m spending the majority of the month focusing on the first names of many of my direct lineage kin. I’ll include their full names, any vital information I’ve found in my research, their relation to me, any fun tidbits/characteristics/experiences, and any commonalities I may have gleaned between myself and them.

In a couple of cases, where I have not identified an ancestor whose first name starts with a particular letter, I will choose a unique middle name, a direct line surname, and/or ancestral lands/places of significance.

Pop over to read my full theme reveal: A to Z 2025 Challenge Theme Reveal: Kin

Visit our host and see what they’re up to throughout this year’s challenge: A to Z Challenge

If you’re visiting from the A to Z Challenge please leave a comment so I can visit you, too! If your comment bio doesn’t link back to your site, please feel free to add the link to your most recent post to the comment field so I can be sure to find you.

Thanks for being here! See you again soon!

Onward,

Melissa