My Journey
I've always been
interested in genealogy, but knew very little about how to start
compiling my family tree until I moved to Wisconsin in my 20s.
When I moved I became geographically nearer to my two grandmothers
and other members of my family for the first time in 15 years.
I had opportunities to hear family stories for the first time
and ask questions about who had been working on the family genealogy
before me. I connected up with a few distant cousins through
the mail and received a variety of information on a few of my
lines. On many, however, I was still left in the dark.
In some cases, I didnít even have the names of my great
grandparents.
All was not lost.
I found that I had settled in one of the best locations in the
United States to start my affair with family research.
I very quickly found the local genealogy society and began to
attend their monthly meetings. I found that the very building
in which they met was one of the best research libraries in the
country. Access to a full set of U.S. Census record microfilms,
an enormous newspaper collection, and many local histories of
Midwest counties virtually built my tree on all branches.
Now, nine years
into the project I find myself on a new path. Having exhausted
the standard records at the Historical Library for the time being,
I find myself using the Internet more and more. So many
amazing archiving projects have become available, and the network
of family researchers gets larger every day. I have encountered
many new cousins in the past few years through message boards
and grown friendships with them. I look forward to many
years of exploration!
The experience
I've had doing this has been amazing and spiritual. I thank
all the cousins that have entered my life and helped me with
my research from the bottom of my heart.
Hereís to
the future and the never-ending quest!
|
