When I was in about the third grade we were assigned a family tree project where we had to trace our roots back to our great-grandparents and list the country each of these lines of our family originated from. For the project, I had to call my grandparents to get the information on each of their parents, which they happily gave me. To be fair, none of my grandparents were 100% positive about the country we descended from, but there were accepted stories, tales, legends, etc. passed down generation from generation. So I filled in my family tree and handed it in to my teacher. And though I don't remember, I'm sure it probably received the best grade in the class!
Too bad none of it was true. Well, that may be a bit of an exaggeration; my grandparents at least had their own family names correct. Other than that, much of what we thought we knew about our family was wrong. But I'm all right with that. It's like the game "Telephone" you play in school where you whisper a phrase in someone's ear and they whisper it in someone else's ear and so on and so forth until the last person says the sentence aloud and everyone laughs because what they've said is so different from the original sentence. Stories start off as one thing, but by the time they've been told and retold to a new generation, bits of the story have been left out, forgotten, twisted, or exaggerated and are something completely different by the time they're passed on again. It's just what happens. And it's part of the reason I wanted to seek out the truth about our family.
I can't remember the exact date or reason as to why I decided to begin researching my genealogy more recently, but once I started I knew I couldn't stop. I was hooked. And once my historic and cultural preservation research started turning up results, I was even more addicted. Sure, there were relatives who questioned whether or not I was finding the "right people," after all, "we're supposed to be from Spain and Ireland," right? And, "what about that Grandma who was full-blooded Cherokee?" It's true, I wasn't finding people who fit what we thought our family was supposed to be, but there was little to no doubt in my mind that I did, in fact, have the right people. Researching genealogy is hard work and there's little point in doing it if you're just trying to find out which celebrity you're related to, or if you have royal blood running through your veins, because you can definitely find things like that, but it may not always be correct. Ancestry.com is a valuable resource, but it's just as easy to click one of those shaky leaves and get wrong information as it is to find information on people you are actually related to.
Historical sites are absolutely filled to the brim with archives full of information and during my research I've learned the importance of cross-referencing information in order to make certain I have found the right person. I know there is absolutely no point in all the time I've spent doing this, if the ancestors I've found are not our real relations. My ultimate goal is to find out who we truly were and where we actually came from, stories and legends aside. And if there isn't a princess among them, well, I'm okay with that. I know the hardship and struggle that my ancestors may have faced ultimately led to my existence and for that, I thank each and every one of them. Learning their names along with where and how they lived and died, gives me a closer connection to history in general, and for that too, I thank each of them.
Through my investigating I have found living, distant relatives I never knew existed, some of which had photos of my family I had never seen. I've heard stories and exchanged information and discovered documents and letters. It's been a fascinating and exciting journey, one, which I know, has no end in sight. I created this site, not only to share my journey with you, but also as a place where relevant information, links, photos, etc. can be exchanged and shared with others who may find that they are also part of Our Family Tree. If you have found yourself on this site because you're looking for someone to research your family tree, you may find more information under the tab labeled For Hire.
I now have a niece and nephew who will one day, I'm sure, be assigned the task of putting together their family tree for a school project. Only this time, it won't be full of false information.
I welcome all comments, questions, corrections, and suggestions. Contact me today!
Too bad none of it was true. Well, that may be a bit of an exaggeration; my grandparents at least had their own family names correct. Other than that, much of what we thought we knew about our family was wrong. But I'm all right with that. It's like the game "Telephone" you play in school where you whisper a phrase in someone's ear and they whisper it in someone else's ear and so on and so forth until the last person says the sentence aloud and everyone laughs because what they've said is so different from the original sentence. Stories start off as one thing, but by the time they've been told and retold to a new generation, bits of the story have been left out, forgotten, twisted, or exaggerated and are something completely different by the time they're passed on again. It's just what happens. And it's part of the reason I wanted to seek out the truth about our family.
I can't remember the exact date or reason as to why I decided to begin researching my genealogy more recently, but once I started I knew I couldn't stop. I was hooked. And once my historic and cultural preservation research started turning up results, I was even more addicted. Sure, there were relatives who questioned whether or not I was finding the "right people," after all, "we're supposed to be from Spain and Ireland," right? And, "what about that Grandma who was full-blooded Cherokee?" It's true, I wasn't finding people who fit what we thought our family was supposed to be, but there was little to no doubt in my mind that I did, in fact, have the right people. Researching genealogy is hard work and there's little point in doing it if you're just trying to find out which celebrity you're related to, or if you have royal blood running through your veins, because you can definitely find things like that, but it may not always be correct. Ancestry.com is a valuable resource, but it's just as easy to click one of those shaky leaves and get wrong information as it is to find information on people you are actually related to.
Historical sites are absolutely filled to the brim with archives full of information and during my research I've learned the importance of cross-referencing information in order to make certain I have found the right person. I know there is absolutely no point in all the time I've spent doing this, if the ancestors I've found are not our real relations. My ultimate goal is to find out who we truly were and where we actually came from, stories and legends aside. And if there isn't a princess among them, well, I'm okay with that. I know the hardship and struggle that my ancestors may have faced ultimately led to my existence and for that, I thank each and every one of them. Learning their names along with where and how they lived and died, gives me a closer connection to history in general, and for that too, I thank each of them.
Through my investigating I have found living, distant relatives I never knew existed, some of which had photos of my family I had never seen. I've heard stories and exchanged information and discovered documents and letters. It's been a fascinating and exciting journey, one, which I know, has no end in sight. I created this site, not only to share my journey with you, but also as a place where relevant information, links, photos, etc. can be exchanged and shared with others who may find that they are also part of Our Family Tree. If you have found yourself on this site because you're looking for someone to research your family tree, you may find more information under the tab labeled For Hire.
I now have a niece and nephew who will one day, I'm sure, be assigned the task of putting together their family tree for a school project. Only this time, it won't be full of false information.
I welcome all comments, questions, corrections, and suggestions. Contact me today!
