St. Mary's Church in Arnheim, Ohio

Let me begin by saying that this blog post is not about St. Mary's church in Arnheim, Ohio. I was hoping that this title would catch the eye of someone who attends St. Mary's and might be able to offer assistance because of the strange thing that happened to me today.

At work, I spoke to a woman in another department about a couple of business matters. She then said that her next question had nothing to do with work. Although I have known this woman for a number of years, she and I have never had a personal conversation and I have never told her about my family or interest in genealogy.

She asked if I had any relatives in the Sardinia, Ohio area. I told her I might, because my grandmother was from the Sardinia area. She explained that she has a vacation home in the Sardinia area and visited over the weekend. When she visits, she attends services at St. Mary's church and she said there is a woman who attends St. Mary's and looks exactly like me.

Now, if she had mentioned that she had seen someone who looked like me at any other spot on earth, including my other grandparents' hometowns, I would have probably been briefly interested and then have forgotten about it. But what are the chances that she would see someone who looked like me in the hometown of the family member I resemble most?

My paternal grandmother, Jennie Esther Ballein, was born July 17, 1901 near Sardinia Ohio. Her father was Noah Hite Ballein and her mother was Dora Elma Wardlow. Hite Ballein's father was Peter Ballein and his mother was Margaret Kincaid. Elma's father was John Reese Wardlow and Lulu Dunn.

Perhaps this mystery lady has Ballein, Wardlow, Kincaid, or Dunn blood coursing through her veins. I would love to know. Grandma is pictured below. If this resembles someone you know, please post a comment on this blog.








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