The Joke’s on Me!  Or Is It?

I would like to tell you a funny story about my husband’s Grandmother, Maude Steward.  I adored her and she was the respected Matriarch of the family.

I had no knowledge of this story for 45 years or as long as I've known my husband,  It was just told to us four years ago, long after Grandma Steward left this earth.

I tried to figure out when this story really got started and I guessed that it was when my husband was born.  He was named James Steward May, the Steward was his Grandfather’s last name.

I was no where around for that event because I was too busy being born myself.  So I’ll have to start with my son, Jim Jr’s birth on March 24, 1967 and believe me, I was there for that one.  

Through every pain I kept saying, “There will be no Jr’s, and that’s that!  But as soon as my baby was put in my arms, I couldn’t see anything but his father.  He was beautiful or should I say handsome, tan, with very dark hair and the exact same eye shape as the Steward family had.

So, Jr. it was!  After all, I loved the Steward’s and I wanted to honor them too.  Jim said you could trace his ancestry back to England and the Queen.  But if you ever get to read the story I wrote entitled “Just Jim and I”, you will see that things he says aren’t always what they seem.  

But who cares now, my son, James Steward May Jr. was here and Grandma and Grandpa Steward were absolutely wonderful and good people.  Besides, they were related to the Queen.

It was at the time of our second son’s birth that I remembered why I didn’t want to have a Jr.  I didn’t think it was fair to the other boys that came later.  Just because one was lucky enough to be born first, I felt the others should have something of their father's too. With this in mind, I decided since the Steward name was so distinguished, I would also give my second son that same family name. 

So my youngest son was named Thomas Steward May.  I was so proud of the name I chose and thought Grandma Steward would be just as proud. Off we went to visit our family in Shamokin, Pennsylvania to show off our new son.  Grandma and Grandpa Steward's house was the first place we headed for.

When Grandma and I were alone, she said with a very funny expression on her face, “Bonnie, why in the world did you give Tommy the same middle name as Jimmy?”  I was shocked at her words and at first I couldn’t say anything.

Finally, when I could speak, I told her proudly, “I wanted him to have the Steward name too and I wanted to honor you and Pap.”    Grandma looked at me like she wanted to say something but she just smiled.  I assumed at the time, she was just too choked up to talk.  So I just gave her a big hug and kiss.

Well, it is now 2004; my husbands Aunt came for a visit and told us something that shocked not only me but my husband as well.  We were told that Pap Walt Steward was not born a Steward.  He was illegitimate! He was born a Snyder to a single mother.

Years later when Pap was 19 years old he decided to take his biological father’s last name illegally.  So the joke is on me, or is it?  I have a husband and two son’s walking around with the ripped off middle name of Steward.  No, the jokes just not on me its on all on us.  Who would have thought Grandma Steward had such a sense of humor.

I’ve since wondered what the poor Snyder family felt when Steward got all the credit for the off-spring and Snyder wasn't even known about until now. At least none of us have ever heard of them before this.

Thanks for the laugh Grandma, I love you and Pap and you both will be remembered no matter who you were.