I often get asked what made me start digging around in my family tree. That is followed by how I got started. I don’t think I started out to do a huge amount of research to document every branch and leaf. I just saw a little kit at the store and thought it might be fun to fill out the details. I believe the kit included a small notebook and forms that fit into it. The forms included a family tree, blank census templates and then individual sheets for the people you put in your tree. Back then, if you wanted to see the US Census records, you had to go to a library and view the microfilm. Instead of making copies of the microfilm, you could use these templates to record the data. This was how it all began.
What I discovered along the way is that every time I uncovered a family member and his/her life details I felt connected to them. People who I never met, in life, became important to me. It was important that I tell their story so they would not be forgotten. One woman, died in childbirth. It was her first pregnancy, she was young, of course. Her life was snuffed out, her child would never know her and…it would seem…her memory just vanished. Fast forward 50 years, her information is found and reviewed…pictures located…suddenly she is hanging on someone’s wall and her story is being told by the grandchildren she never got to meet. The connection that should have been there from the beginning has been restored. This is one of several reasons I love genealogy. Do you have a forgotten family member? Maybe it’s time to find out.