A new found acquaintance of mine, someone who was new to my circle of friends, began discussing hobbies. I mentioned that mine was in records research to support DNA matches. I shared that through my research, I had discovered that my family (as are many) was descendants of the Gardner family in New England. Her eyes lit up. Her husband, she stated, was a Gardner. In fact, his great grandmother had provided him with a book about the family history, and highlighted the relatives which he was descended from, and whom he was named after.
Her husband, graciously offered to let me read the book. A short book, a fascinating read, gave me insight into our Gardner lineage. The bonus was the genealogical records included in the last few chapters. I discovered the mystery behind the Widow Shattuck and was able to sort out the names and dates of birth of the Gardner family for our own tree.