Healing the Rift of a Century

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Healing the Rift of a Century

A cousin reached out to me last week on FindAGrave.com, because I had posted pictures to her grandfather's memorial. 

Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/38737708/rolland_stewart-wade: accessed August 23, 2024), memorial page for Rolland Stewart Wade (14 Jun 1898–3 Dec 1962), {{FindAGrave|38737708}}, citing Blue Mountain Memorial Gardens, College Place, Walla Walla County, Washington, USA; Maintained by Blue Mountain Memorial Gardens (contributor 47135041).

She had never known her grandfather or anyone from his side of the family, for reasons her father had never wanted to discuss. But now that her parents have passed on, she felt that she was missing a piece of her history, and decided to go looking for some answers.


Rolland Wade

Her grandfather, Rolland Wade (1898-1962), was an older brother of my great-grandmother, Olive Wade Swenson, whom I was fortunate enough to know as a child. I told her what I knew of Rolland from the documents collected in the course of my own research, and I put her in touch with my mother, aunt, and a cousin who all had fond memories of Great-Uncle Rolland. Over the next few days, the five of us pieced together the story in a series of emails.


Rolland's Family

Rolland had married in 1920 to Opal Cole. In 1924, their only child, Alvin, was born. But it seems Rolland was never certain that Alvin was really his son, and in those days, there was no way to be sure. By 1928, Rolland and Opal had divorced. Opal remarried, but her new husband did not want to raise Alvin either, so he was sent to live with his maternal grandmother, going so far as to take her surname, Reece, rather than use his father's or stepfather's.


Son Alvin Wade Reece

Rolland, too, remarried, adopting his second wife's son as his own, and later having twin daughters with her. He was known in the family as a devoted father and brother, and a beloved uncle. He never made an effort to reach out to Alvin, and Alvin never tried to get in touch with him.



Cousins Healing the Rift

None of us have done a DNA test, but we have family photos and the evidence of our eyes. The Wade genes are strong. It now seems clear that Alvin and his family were always a part of us. The pain of suspicion and betrayal can cause permanent rifts, but cousins can still find one another a century later or more. The work we do in exploring our own history can bring about healing and provide needed answers for those left behind. Let the old resentments die with the passing generations. We don't only build our trees backward into the past, but outward in the present, gathering one another in as family.

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Editor's note: When we generously share photos, plat maps, birth, marriage or death documents, obituaries in our possession, we never know how these will be received. Ecclesiastes 11:1 says, Cast your bread upon the waters; for thou shalt find it after many days (King James).

*1920 wedding photo of Rolland and Opal and photo of Alvin Reece from c. 1928 from Rowan's personal photo collection.


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Send YOUR story to m.strickland@skcgs.org


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Rowan Leinart


Since Rowan is a new contributor, we asked for a short intoduction from them: 
Rowan Leinart became a member and volunteer of SKCGS in the past year, but has been working on their family tree since high school, a hobby inherited from their grandmother. Rowan is a professional researcher as part of their work as an archaeologist, and can usually be found at the Genealogy Help Desks at Auburn, Federal Way, and beginning in September, Renton Highlands KCLS libraries.

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