Sitting Under The Family Tree

I’ve been researching the family tree off and on for just over 20 years and it’s been extremely boring at times and a wild ride at others.
I mentioned to a friend of mine that I really would like to know something about my mother’s family. Her sister, who lived a hundred miles away at the time was “into genealogy” called me a few days later, gave me a thorough interview about what I knew and the rest as they say was history. I’ve often defined genealogy as a huge jig saw puzzle with no flat edges. The never ending “just one more generation” attitude has become my mantra.
It took almost ten years to find the information I was looking for but along the way I discovered that I had a passion for research (my husband says I’m just plain nosy). My father’s family, which I thought I knew just about everything turned out to be another mystery.
Like all hobbies the by-products seem to latch on and take hold. I’ve done research for complete strangers, extended family and close friends. Becoming a volunteer for a fine organization called Find A Grave, I’ve spent many hot and sweaty hours in cemeteries searching for the tombstone of the ancestors of people I’ve never met. Combining my love of quilting and genealogy nine folks have received quilted family trees as gifts. Of course I don’t have one of mine own. Started but still to be completed.
I intend to share with you my journey, trials and tribulations. Some tips work well and some just fall flat. But we’ll explore them together and perhaps you and I can help each other achieve the goal.

© Photo Copyright Philip Halling and licensed for reuse under Creative Commons License