In August of 2000, I finally discovered that the pictures in Barbara Ward's photo album were indeed those of my family as well.  This was when I also discovered Mary Rasco, whose name in the album's index proved--at least for me--that Ezekiel Burdine Wilson and Nathaniel Burdine Wilson were brothers.

The Rasco name was new to me--I'd never seen it before this time--and so when school started later that month, I was quite startled to see that name on the student roster of one of my classes!  As my student and I chatted about this coincidence over the next few weeks, I met one of my fifth cousins, James Ray Rasco, who is quite knowledgable concerning the Rasco genealogy.  I mentioned him to my student, who then asked me to ask him if he knew of her line.  He did!  And as it turns out, my student and he are third cousins twice removed.

But I have have not been as stunned by the uncanny as I was last week when I finally learned how to download the scans of the photo album pages sent to me by Barbara Ward.   As the scan of the picture of Mary Rasco and her son worked its way down the page, I had to look twice, then a third time, for there sat my student!  Oh, for sure she was wearing no makeup, and she looked a few--not more than five or ten--years older than my student does, but the differences end there.  They're related--there's no doubt!