This week Oliver Daemen, an 18-year-old Dutch citizen, became the youngest person to go to the edge of space when he became a passenger on Jeff Bezos’ New Shepard rocket. When I heard about Mr. Daemen, I immediately thought of my distant cousins Andrew Oliver, Kelley, R.E., Jesse Henry, and Irean Adbrum Jones.

While moving to another State isn’t quite as great a feat as going into space, I think it must have been somewhat exciting, and a bit daunting, for these young people as their family pulled up roots in South Carolina to start anew in Georgia. The oldest of the children, Andrew, was approximately 15 when they arrived in Tattnall County and Irean, as the youngest, was merely seven-years-old. These siblings left some of their family behind, excepting an aunt, uncle, and some cousins who came with them. They also probably left childhood friends as well. Starting over in a place where they were now strangers couldn’t have been easy.

Thankfully, they and their parents were able to make lives for themselves. All that it took was that one small step, that one giant leap. #familyhistory #genealogy