It’s been an exciting couple of days here in Chicago, following all the airport hassles trying to get here. I spent yesterday afternoon with Audrey, my very first meeting with a blood relative. She and my birth mother were first cousins, coming from fathers who were brothers. The six Bannister brothers included Ivan, my grandfather, who was the first-born in 1902, followed by Joseph 1903, Freddie, who was Audrey’s father delivered in 1906, then Louis 1908, Clyde 1911, and finally Ora in 1912. There was also Alvin a half-brother born in 1921. All were descendants of Henry Otis Banister 1879-1921, and all but Alvin would have actually known him, since he was born the year of his father’s death. Grandfather Ivan, Henry Otis’ eldest, would have been 19, while his mother Lillie passed when he was only 13. Henry then got remarried to Rachel and conceived Alvin.

During the conversation with Audrey, I realized that Charles B. Banister, born in 1875, who I now believe to be my birth-father’s father was not as closely related to my birth-mother as I originally thought. He and Henry Otis, on the birth-mothers side, were siblings of David & Elizabeth Banister, along with Fredie 1881, Cora Dell 1873, Minnie Alice 1871, Hattie “May” 1868, Frank 1859, John 1857, Mary 1868, Harriet Mae 1868, David Jr. 1866, Eliza 1859, Sarah 1856, and Leander 1855. Laborn Banister of 1801 and wife Sarah Yoder are the oldest known connection to this massive Banister family that I now stake my claim of membership.

Whew! You need a scorecard to keep track of all the Banisters – I use Ancesty.com. Audrey gave me additional family information that was passed along to her. It will help fill-in some of the gaps in my research, and will undoubtedly lead to some corrections to my current Jerry Lee Banister family tree. It uniquely combines the two distinct branches for Johnston and Banister that intersect with only me, Michael Lee Johnston.

I spent about 5 hours with cousin Audrey, and will be anxious to call her daughter Janine, who set-up the meeting for us. Audrey also got to watch my reaction when I met my newest granddaughter, Nora Grace Johnston, in her driveway. My son Adam, his wife Eliza, along with my two other grand-kids, Gavyn and Maddux also got to meet Audrey, although the kids were more intrigued with chasing fireflies that don’t exist in their home state of Florida. They were all part of the return trip from Plainfield that started with an Uber ride from the O’Hare Renaissance Suites Hotel.

It was great meeting Audrey. I brought along some documentation proving my connection to the birth-mother, her first-cousin. She was a very gracious host and gave me some baseball cards from her husband’s collection. Myron passed away several years ago. She also insisted on buying dinner, as we both stuck to our low-carb diets. I had greeted her with some flowers as the Uber driver was kind enough to drop me off at a nearby florist. I did not show up empty-handed, and certainly didn’t leave that way. We got some great photos together, and I’ll be sure to follow-up.

I’ll reiterate from previous posts that this may be the closest I’ll ever get to my birth-mother. Audrey grew up with her during childhood and shared some photos. She continues to stay in touch with my 85-year old birth-mother’s 89-year old sister. These two are probably the only people on earth that can positively confirm the identity of my birth-father. According to reported conversations, they conspire together in denial.  Unfortunately, I’m left with nothing but guesswork, but at least I’ve got more baseball cards.

My son and his family arrived in Chicago a day early. This allowed them to pick me up at Audrey’s house. I probably caught them a bit off-guard with my latest adoption news, as they suddenly came in contact with this stranger I was with. My son and I had a good conversation about my birth-parent speculation, and everyone was supportive of my quest as we made our way back to the Renaissance. I was anxious to show my 9-year old granddaughter a spot that could potentially meet her expectations of a “dee-luxe” hotel. Although, we all had to squeeze into a “dee-luxe” room for two nights. I had not booked to accommodate all six of us and the rooms were sold-out. It turned out to be a family “camp-in” with three in the king-size bed, baby in a crib, me on the fold-out couch, and cushions on the floor for my 11- year old grandson. We caught the “L” the next morning to Wrigley Field, both first experiences for my new granddaughter that only we elders will remember. It’s funny that you take the “L” to Wrigley Field and hope for a “W.”

It couldn’t have been a better day for the Cubs, who trailed 6-4 in the bottom of the ninth. There were 8.001 of us seated with my nephew’s season tickets. I hadn’t seen him or his son, who brought a little league teammate, for several years, so they too got to meet the new baby (.001). We all tried unsuccessfully to find a commemorative brick at the ballpark that was a gift from my wife. We took a picture next to it nearly 11 years ago, when my grandson was just a baby. Disappointingly, with all the latest construction changes, it has apparently been moved, and the team is trying to find it now that I’ve left Chicago. Bummer!

We were prepared to leave the stadium without a “W” after the first out of the ninth and two runs short. Instead, we got a Hollywood ending, as Bote tied the score with an unexpected two-run homer, followed by Rizzo’s towering walk-off. As a family, while we’re used to the magic of Walt Disney World, it definitely followed us to the “Win”dy City. I bought the Topps Now card honoring these two sluggers as a souvenir, especially since I never got a ticket stub for my collection. I hate electronic ticketing!

Hope we can all get back again to find the missing brick, sing “Take Me Out to the  ballpark,” and “Go Cubs Go” after another dramatic win with some of my favorite people. Fly the “W.” Priceless!

Banister. Birth-mother. Baby. Baseball. Brickless. Bote. “B”elieve.