[patsyt]

Kim, I know what you mean about another full-time hobby but I started genealogy first and when I started digiscrapping it seemed to be a perfect fit. So, voila, another full-time hobby!

[catvinnat]

this is a fascinating thread

My auntie has researched quite a way with my maternal line.
It, and of course the paternal line both go back to Ireland (where else with a name like Riley?). I think half the population of the cities of Manchester and Liverpool can trace their family back to the mass migrations at the time of the potato famine.

One of these days I might have a look but my hands are pretty full at the moment.
Sandi, do let us know how you get on with DAR

[SandiC.]

Christy (cwaller) and I went to the Genealogy Center in Independence Tuesday and she helped me find all kinds of info. In regard to DAR, there is already a registered member in my GGM's line, actually through a great aunt. that saves me having to do tons of research for documentation for the prior generations. I just need the primary documents for my grandparents and my mom. We found a will for my GGF in a wills index so I just need to figure out how to get that. I need to get death certificates for my GF and mom. Neither had birth certificates, but both are listed in the SS death index. I do have my GF's Bible so I've got good secondary info there. We found a book that has the hometown newspaper items and my GGF, GGM and Great Aunts are mentioned every few days. GGF was a MS state senator, a confederate COL and a big real estate agent in the area. Guess they were prominent citizens. I actually have 3 DAR registered ancestors, but the easiest to trace and document was GGM Stevens' family. I was sort of hoping the Carters would be the line, but Stevens is good too. In just a few short weeks I have so much info its already overwhelming. The more I find out, the more some of the stories Mom told me years ago are starting to come back to me. Some of the names are familiar, some I recognize. We also found the cemetary in MS where my GG parents are buried. Betcha sometime in the next year I'm making a pilgramage to MS. I'm hoping to get some time in SLC to do a little more research.

[Yvonne53]

Hey Sandi, I think a lot of us are doing this...seeking our roots, but I have been doing it since my great aunt on my dad's side said we were related to Zachary Taylor, 12th president of U.S. and there is also a relationship to Jefferson Davis. This was about 34 years ago, but in the last few years with the help of Ancestry.com, I have also been able to document that relationship and also all the way back to the Pilgrims through Fear Brewster and Isaac Allerton. As you know, this can become a full time pursuit, as everytime you find something, you want to find more and more. It is so wonderful and really cool to "meet" our ancestors and know how many of them were in important historical events that helped build our country.

The grandkids are really into this now and I have been showing them how to do searches, but the best thing is they like to show how they go back to the Mayflower and have a President for a 9th gen. GF, and how relatives were in the Jamestown area, etc. Now, like you, is trying to do it in a LO form/album. I have basically written everything down, gotten copies of certificates and prominent papers that vouch for the "pedigree" and then I have put them in a regular photo album for now. Eventually I will do LO for each one and hopefully Katelyn or one of the kids will carry on this work. But it will be a history book to hand down and with doing it through digi SBing, I can make several copies. So good luck in your search, have fun and thanks for starting this thread. Y*

[jeschaff]

Well, Yvonne, I knew there was something about you...I've traced my line back to Elder William Brewster, Fear's father. We're cousins!!!

I got some treasures over the weekend, some very old family photos. Now I have pictures of at least two of my great-great-grandparents, along with several others of their generation. Some of these date back to the 1870's. I need to do some scanning and then see what I can do to store them in something other than 20th Century envelopes.

[meterr]

if you have ancestors who served in wars, try sending for their military records! i did several yrs ago and they had handwritten account from my rellie on his war injuries, marrige certificates in them, tons of very personal info and physical discriptions! I still read and re-read these and find new things even though ive had them for yrs now!

[SandiC.]

I've found a cousin, a 4th cousin if I have it figured correctly, through ancestry.com MB. She had posted about the Bynum Cemetary in Ellisville, MS where I had found my GG grandparents had been buried. Turns out she's a Bynum decendant and the bynums were connected by marriage to the Carters. We have similar old photo albums, and thankfully, most of my photos are identified. She also has some of the Carter papers, from my great aunts. She said she's been looking for years for the Carters to resurface and is thrilled. she even has photos of my GG grandparents graves. slowly, the pieces are starting to fall into place. I just visited with my cousin in Sioux City, and she had some of our grandfather's papers her mother had, that fills in a lot of birth, death and marriage data back to our ggg grandparents. Also information on our mothers' half siblings from grandmother's first marriage. I've got 16 generations on my family tree now, through the Carter line and about 12 generations through the Stevens line. This is a lot of work and I don't have too much time to spend on it.

My cousin had a lot of information on her father's family. One of her aunts had done tons of research and so she'll really be well pedigreed from both her mother's and father's lines.

the quest continues.....

[jeschaff]

I'm really glad you're all having a good time with your family histories. I just found a photo online, circa 1895, of my great-aunt, probably on her wedding day. What a treat!

If anyone is looking for cemetery photos, I heartily recommend findagrave.com. They have a lot of photos online, and you can request photos and (hopefully) someone who lives in the area will go out, find the grave, and post a photo of it. I'm waiting for photos of my g-g-grandparents graves in Sioux City/Sloan, Iowa, Sandi if you're ever in that area again and are willing to take the time. Please let me know.

[SandiC.]

Jo Ellen, just give me the info. either I'll do it the next time I'm up there, probably next month, or my cousin will do it for you. We like to do stuff like that. I think this is a huge service to do for those looking for their loved ones. I've also decided I need to make a trip to Ellisville to see where my family is from. They all moved to California around the time of the depression, so I've never been there, just heard the stories. and I've had a blast in the local genealogy library which is one of the top ones in the country. Beautiful facility. When I go to SLC for the convention, I'll be spending at least a little time at the family history library. I'm making a list of what I want to look up there.

[SallyA]

I loved reading this thread! I've done a little bit of research on my dad's side, but mostly I've just come up with Census data. Three of my grandparents were already deceased when I was born and my remaining grandmother died when I was 5. My mother had a cigar box full of pictures with no names or dates on any of them and that's about all I have to go from. Both my parents are also deceased. I did take a trip to Stroud, OK and photographed graves of my GM, GF, and an aunt on my dad's side. I found from the census records that they came from Missouri and moved to Stroud, but I have no idea why or when. Anyway, I hit a dead end and just quit but reading this thread makes me want to start the search again.

[SandiC.]

I'm adding little notes, just bits and pieces of what I remember my mom or aunt telling me about the various people in my family and adding them to each person's record. its not much, but if I had that much for the preceeding generations, I'd really know more of these people. I can see now that my eyes are from my grandfather, just like his. I took one of his photos and one of mine and enlarged to compare the eyes. No doubt they are the same and I think most resemble my gg grandfather. So at least I'll have this generations info down and for my grandkids and great grandkids. Since I've been doing this research, I've felt so much more connected, part of something larger. I have hit lots of brick walls, but every once in a while I stumble onto something. Usually when I look at other children and their families. I am fortunate that I come from a well researched family. There is a lot of information easily available. Instant gratification is nice.

[jeschaff]

scrappin'doc, on Apr 13 2009, 03:08 AM, said:

There is a lot of information easily available. Instant gratification is nice.

I just got a copy of the parish register that shows my g-g-grandfather's baptism. I already knew his birth date and place from other sources, but it was a real treat to get an actual copy. I found it on http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/. There is also a site called Scotland's People which is supposed to be very good - I just haven't had time yet to go through that one.

Not only is there a lot of information easily available, but there's new information being added all the time so if you can't find it today, you might find it tomorrow! And when you're doing your searches, don't forget to check the Soundex or Alternate Spelling boxes. I've found more variations on the spelling of my family names than I ever would have thought of on my own.

[jeschaff]

I should also add to my last post that the two UK sites charge in British pounds, so it's a good idea to consult with a currency converter so you know how much you're actually spending.

[jenrou]

This has been an interesting discussion! Off and on I research my ancestors, and sometimes old deeds will supply wive's names, or other family information unavailable elsewhere. I found my great great grandmother's first name and maiden name, and her father's name in a property deed that my great great grandfather bought. It also listed which son was deceased, and who the other son had married.
Then I was able to look for their last names in census records. They all lived in the same area, but I would not have known.
J ( By the way, I love this site, and am slowly learning how to use the digital scrapbooking programs. Thanks to all of you!)