My grandpa Alex always joked about having an uncle that was also his grandfather... Before you stop reading and think that there is something a little strange happening in my DNA, let me fill in the details behind this story...
A little background...
Orlie C. McKenzie had seven siblings, one of whom was a brother by the name of Lawrence Clayton "Spin" McKenzie.
Mae Arla King (the mother of Alexander Orlando McKenzie) was the daughter of Truman Edward King and Loretta Ward.
Loretta's husband Truman passed away in 1937 at the age of 69.
On September 2, 1944, we find a Michigan marriage record for Lauretta King
(Ward) and Lawrence C. McKenzie. Loretta is 65 and Lawrence is 44.
Conclusion: Lawrence Clayton "Spin" McKenzie was both the paternal uncle and maternal step-grandfather of Alexander Orlando McKenzie.
So, while family stories don't always turn out to be true, something the strangest ones are! Sometimes digging into the most unbelievable story leads to results with the most satisfaction.
Megan Hitchens ·
University of Sydney
Great work and interesting post. Thanks for presenting your findings.
Aug 6, 2015 10:18pm
Linda
3/20/2015 10:46:08
great job Becky
Sharon 3/26/2015 11:26:59
Wow that is very interesting !!
Hey me and my daughter was looking in the Mckenzie book and my dad (spin) first wife name was rosella ward king and the marriage license says Loretta so which is right. Both your picture and the picture in the book is the same. I’m confused
Her first make was Loretta. Her name was often misspelled in records. That is probably the reason for the confusion.