Lillie Emma

In 2000 Kellen was having a rough year in school with very little support from his classroom teacher. I was really stressed and not sleeping or eating well. It seems that when things are not going well with Kellen at school, it affects every aspect of my daily life.

Kellen's dad and I work really hard to build partnerships with Kellen's school staff, but once in awhile we run into a classroom teacher who just does not want to work with us. This was the way it was in 2000. At my wits end, I decided it was time to find a healthy distraction...other people might call this a "hobby". I've been interested in family history since I was a teen, but it took many years until I felt I had the time to dive in and get started. In 2000, it was time.

There are many free and low-cost genealogy resources on the Internet. The Internet has made genealogy incredibly easy and there is great software to help organize your finds.

One of the most surprising things I have discovered is that in 1908 my great-grandmother's sister had a baby girl with Down syndrome in Douglas County, Wisconsin. Lillie Emma Follis lived less then ten years and died in 1918. I found myself thinking about her alot. Did she have a heart defect like Kellen? Had her family ever met someone else with Down syndrome? What was life like in the early 1900's for a family raising a child with special needs at home?

Researching family history tends to transport me to another place and time. Sometimes that's just what I need.

note: I mailed the county for her death certificate and it turns out that she died of diptheria. If anyone lives near Iron River, Wisconsin, please let me know.