Family History Research ... How it began ...

Okay typically I only write about my latest Ancestry finds here, but today I thought I'd discuss my "journey" into this adventure. And yes it has been a 17+ year adventure that started in 1999 for my mother and I when I was doing my quick family tree for one of my 8th grade projects. From that point on my mother and I had researched whenever we could, typically on weekends. Also, because it was ONLY 1999, 100% of our research at that time was visiting the various deeds offices, cemeteries, hounding relatives (like my a few of my Aunts and Uncles on my father’s side to get that info or my Great Aunt and Uncle to learn more about my mother’s side), checking out libraries that housed baptism records, and more. On an average day, we would go to one location and spend all day there as we had only the basic facts to go on and we had to verify EVERYTHING by hand, especially since at that point the Ancestry website really was not sharing its information online compared to how accessible it is now.

Are You Familiar With How Long It Takes To Verify Facts?

QUITE LONG. Especially since Ancestry is just like trees, you are the trunk and your previous ancestors are ALL the HUGE divided branches that occupy the top part of it. ALSO ... it is BECAUSE when my mother and I began doing our research we wanted to be "all inclusive" which is why I have people on my tree that have NO relation to myself but might have some relation to other parts of my family BECAUSE we wanted to add wives/husbands families too. I have cut back on that aspect over the years as my mom and I have begun our own research (after I got married) but that doesn't mean we don't share our info to verify it all again as it SUCKS when you find out the person you believed was your ancestor isn't and you have to delete all the wrong research and begin again. It's an absolutely sucky feeling to begin again. Yet as I was saying as my own tree NOW includes my mother and father's sides with all the extras I had found while I only had the research with my mother, it has quadrupled as I now have my husband’s sides (with all his extras) included too. As it stands now I have 4,189 people listed on my family tree.

Yet .... though Ancestry has more open access then when it did when my mother and I began this process ... it STILL take a LOT of time and energy to find the truth of our past Ancestors .... not everything you find is factual BECAUSE of the mixed families (meaning those who've been married a few times) that have happened in the past AND how the ones filling out the census records never verified their own words they just took what people told them at face value, which made it so some of it is wrong ... or those who immigrated here who changed their names once they arrived that is hard as hell to verify.

ALL IN ALL it means that the RESEARCH that my mother and I have done and STILL do is ours. WE put took time into FINDING it. WE took the time into verifying it. And because of how Ancestry is now with its information IF you're willing to pay a fee to research it all ... WE are STILL verifying, searching, and researching EVERYTHING to find out the truth of WHERE WE CAME FROM.

It is a never-ending process that will never end, as there will ALWAYS be more info to find, if not about one relative then we'll find something on another.

We both enjoy it and enjoy learning more. But it is ours to share and have. That is why I have this blog to share with you my finds and if you want to know more ask or research it yourself.

If you have any questions ... ask away. ♥



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My Mother's Family Tree Display | #FamilyTree #Genealogy #HomeDecor

I'm a genealogist who was shocked by my DNA results!

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  1. Oh my you have the words of wisdom (must have gotten that from your fathers side) Love you forever and a day Mom

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