My Second Love: Genealogy

Ever since I was a little girl. learning about the past was something I just naturally did.  I loved history, and since I already loved learning, it seemed like the logical next step to jump into genealogy.

In 1999, as a recent high school graduate, I started out researching my mother's side.  At the time, all she knew was her grandmothers' names and grandfathers' names and little else.  Her cousin, who has since then become one of my greatest friends and allies in genealogy, gave my mother a list of family members and birth dates that she came up with.  When my mother showed me the list, that was it.  I was hooked.  I started researching and within a year had more then doubled the known relatives on our family tree.  Soon, I was planning trips to my mother's hometown to meet with family members and dive into their memories and information.  I haven't looked back.

I also try to tinker more with my husband's side of the family.  It is sometimes like those early days in 1999 when I was scrounging for that one gem that would break down a brick wall.  And I love it.

These days, I am working on sharing my gatherings with the world, and working on connecting with extended family members on my mother's and father's sides of the tree.