MY SMALL WORLDThis book is dedicated in honor of my brothers Gerald and Milton and in memory of my brother Ronald Owen. This memoir is a collection of my daydreams and Owen family history shared by family members and friends as noted. Please know you will be reading words complied by several writers; phrases and spelling in personal letters are presented with styles, spelling and punctuation as originally written. I believe the originality reflects the realism of daily life during my childhood. My childhood was not concerned with matters of style or perfection; I always felt the urgency to get the work done each day "and make do".This memoir is my attempt to discover if our DNA retains memories of events from the lives of our distant ancestors. Scientists are seeking evidence to confirm that our DNA allows us to recall a wispy image of an event that happened during the lifetime of a long deceased ancestor. Encarta World English Dictionary gives several interesting definitions for memory. One meaning has a curious connection to human memory: the ability of some materials, for example, plastics and metals, to return to their original shape after being subjected to deformation. Could this meaning hold a clue for why we humans (usually at an older age) recall our "original shape" through childhood memories? As I recall my own childhood memories, am I, like a salmon, struggling upstream, trying to return to the same water from which I was spawned; am I, soaring like an eagle, searching for the same nest each year? Mammals and insects have an inborn memory, ensuring basic survival skills are carried forward to future generations. Is it possible that we humans also carry memories of our ancestors -- rooted deeply within our DNA? Following is quoted from a book: Ancient Land -- Current Connections, written by Ellis-Smith in 2003: "... It's only been about 10,000 years since farming first began; before that, we were all hunter-gatherers, physically and spiritually in touch and in rhythm with Nature and her cycles. Science has just confirmed something that many indigenous people have known for eons and that is: we carry the memories of our ancestors in our bones and blood. Strong beliefs, actions, emotions, ceremonies, etc. are written within our genetic structure in blood and bone. We now call it cellular or genetic memory. This influence plays itself out in many ways in our everyday life. Music that inexplicably stirs us to dance; images and shapes that draw deep emotional responses from us; art that attracts and holds our attention with a sense of knowing there is something familiar and connected in the scene..."I cannot recall events of December 1939 when my parents moved a few personal items to their first home and the focal point of my childhood memories. For this journey back in time, we'll look at Owen family memories from 1800s to 1900's. I believe our childhood memories might be a portal of entry allowing us to "feel" a connection with our distant ancestors. More research might hold the answers to confirm this idea. While I'm waiting for scientific proof, there are other more traditional ways to connect with our ancestors. Searching for letters and obituaries and creating a family tree can be exciting (and time consuming), but the time and efforts expended can yield a collection of historical records depicting daily lives of our ancestors. I was only three years old when he died, but I still have a faint image of my Grandpa Hiland (Hiley) Owen. My Small World includes family history and personal memories from my cousin, Marlis (Bock)