Monday, May 19, 2014

Frustration...

I found a good chunk of information about ancestors from the 1700's and back on a line that I was at a deadend with. No one else in my immediate family is particularly interested in genealogy so I had nobody to share the high I felt from my successful detective work. Have you ever felt that? I loved breaking through that brickwall last night. More pieces to the puzzle fit in place!

Friday, April 4, 2014

Genealogy, A Beginning

Genealogy has been an interest and an obsession on and off my whole life. I was enraptured by family stories told by my maternal grandmother when I was young. Hours were spent pouring over old photo albums. There was always something that I had missed or forgotten between visits. Her parents, had done a bit of genealogy collecting and learned that they qualified for several local societies, namely The Holland Society, The Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), and The Mayflower Society.

My great grandparents hired a genealogist in CT who also turned out to be a distant cousin of hers. Their discoveries led to a limited family history, most notably lacking most of the wives ancestors. Back then, all genealogy was done by mail or in person, so it consumed time and money.

My paternal grandmother was from a large family and they held yearly family reunions in the town where she grew up. A limited family history for her fathers side was compiled. They had the same problem of no ancestors for a lot of the wives of that line.

I have been able to significantly add to what was passed down and have had an interesting time doing it. There is still a lot of work to be done, but it is a fascinating journey!