A lifetime in Baltimore without finding my cousins
My grandfather, Bob Callin, had two older siblings. Bob was the baby, born in 1920; Yvonne, the oldest of the three, was born in 1907, and Norman was born in 1912.
John Norman Callin graduated from Fostoria High School in Ohio in 1930 and then moved to Orlando, Florida. His parents moved there about that time, probably because great-grandpa John had followed his older brother, Byron Herbert Callin, looking for business opportunities.
Norman married Ruth Frees Harpster in 1933, and at some point after 1940, they moved their family to Baltimore County, Maryland. I know from his 1964 obituary that he worked as a machinist for the American Can Company for 18 years, so I would guess they moved about 1946.
Norman and Ruth had three children – Michael, the youngest, was born in 1946. He is the young man in the white sweater at the left of the group photo above. He was the same age as my dad, but they only met once or twice; Michael died in 1976. Norman’s daughter, Marilyn, is still living, and I have been in touch with her children.
But their older son, John Richard “Dick” Callin (1933-1993), also died in Baltimore County and left behind a number of second cousins I have never met.
The Cousins in Baltimore County
I arrived with my young family in Maryland in 1997 when the Air Force stationed me there for a year. We had an infant to care for and I was only dabbling in genealogy, so I didn’t know any solid information about Norman’s family – I was just vaguely aware that Grandpa’s brother had lived in Maryland. I think I learned that Dad’s cousin Dick had died a few years before, but I didn’t yet understand whose son he was.
We bought our house in Baltimore County in 2005. By then I knew a bit more, but I struggled to find contact information for any of the Callin family. I didn’t know the names of Dick’s children for certain – though I knew his wife’s name was Edna. I found an address in Middle River and wrote letters periodically without hearing back.
Edna died in 2013, so at some point during the project to compile the Callin Family History I found her obituary. This gave me some confirmation of who her children were, and I tried again to reach out. I found Edna’s granddaughter on Facebook, a girl about five years older than my eldest, but she (probably wisely) ignored the Facebook message from a complete stranger.
The closest I came to making contact happened a few weeks before my wife and I moved to Texas. We were making a Costco run, and we went to the Costco in Middle River, where we usually shop. The cashier saw my name on my membership card and asked, “Oh, are you one of the Callins of Bowley’s Quarters?”
“Technically, yes,” I said. She didn’t know what to make of that.
“So, have I ever seen you at one of the cookouts?” I said no, and it only occurred to me later that I should have given her my number and asked her to pass it on next time she was at a cookout.
Maybe Someday
There are a number of reasons why distant cousins would not be interested in talking to me. I’m basically a stranger on the internet, and if they do any research on my name they are likely to find my writing and opinions splashed all over social media. They may be put off by my political opinions, by my open atheism, or (worst of all) they might not think I’m funny. For all I know, there was a falling out of some kind between Grandpa Bob and Norman that has carried down to Norman’s grandkids.
Who knows?
For now, they remain a mystery.
Mightier Acorns 
Say hello, cousin!