Genealogy
Back in the mid-to-late 1990s, I was working on my family tree. It was sparked by a visit to my mother back home after she obtained a copy of a family tree put together by a cousin on her father's side. Internet Genealogy was just getting going back in those days, but now, 15 or so years later, it provides incredible convenience to "strapped" individuals like myself who don't have the time or money to visit the local branch of the National Archives.
I do have the benefit of an LDS that has a family history center, though, but have not gone there until I get all I can get from our local library's membership to Ancestry.com.
Family Search is also a great place to go for FREE access to many of the records that Ancestry.com has available (it's all sponsored by the LDS). In addition, many states are going online with their public records, such as birth, death, marriage, and divorce.
My father's side of my family has been distant practically all of my life since my parents got divorced. Recently, they've reached out and I'm now researching my father's side with a rough draft of a family tree. I've been putting together the pieces slowly, but surely, and it is rewarding.
As if I didn't already know by looking at my mother and my father, I come from a true-American mixture. In my case, I have lots of Native American and European. There is dark hair and dark eyes mingled with blue or green eyes and red hair! It's fun, but it is also useful. Was there a genetic predisposition for certain cancers, deafness, blindness, etc.? Knowing something like that would be useful to document for your children so that they don't go completely blank when filling out their medical forms.
Have you ever been interested in tracing your family tree? How far back can you go? Where did they come from? Did you make any fascinating discoveries?
I do have the benefit of an LDS that has a family history center, though, but have not gone there until I get all I can get from our local library's membership to Ancestry.com.
Family Search is also a great place to go for FREE access to many of the records that Ancestry.com has available (it's all sponsored by the LDS). In addition, many states are going online with their public records, such as birth, death, marriage, and divorce.
My father's side of my family has been distant practically all of my life since my parents got divorced. Recently, they've reached out and I'm now researching my father's side with a rough draft of a family tree. I've been putting together the pieces slowly, but surely, and it is rewarding.
As if I didn't already know by looking at my mother and my father, I come from a true-American mixture. In my case, I have lots of Native American and European. There is dark hair and dark eyes mingled with blue or green eyes and red hair! It's fun, but it is also useful. Was there a genetic predisposition for certain cancers, deafness, blindness, etc.? Knowing something like that would be useful to document for your children so that they don't go completely blank when filling out their medical forms.
Have you ever been interested in tracing your family tree? How far back can you go? Where did they come from? Did you make any fascinating discoveries?