FAITH IN WHAT WE DON'T SEE

FAITH IN WHAT WE DON'T SEE

The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It's our handle on what we can't see. The act of faith is what distinguished our ancestors, set them above the crowd.

Hebrews 11:1 (The Message Translation)



Saturday, December 31, 2011

GENEALOGY GOALS FOR 2012

Since starting this genealogy project the farther I get into it the more I have come to realize the need to verify sources and facts. A couple of times I have found myself get lost by following false facts and leads.
So goal #1 is to complete files of each grandparent, great grandparent, gg grandparent and ggg grandparent. In each file I'm enclosing copies of birth cert., marringe cert., death cert., obituary, and a photo of their gravestone. I am also going to try to find land records for those I knew had property. I need to check all facts, provide source documentation, find each family in the census and transcribe the numerators census information.  I also want to make a detailed timeline for each couple, and an accurate family group sheet and share all this information with the rest of my family.
2. Work on Family History Skills classes on the NGS website. I feel these classes will be a help to me as I start to get into unfamiliar territory such as land records and immigration records.
3. I need to get more tech savvy and set up a family genealogy website to be able to share information about my findings with my family. This may also help me find others out there that are researching a branch in the same family line.
4. In the summer as I spend time in the various cemeteries in my area I would like to help with Find-A Grave. I am going to check the Find-A-Grave website and see if I can fill the requests by adding a photo for another genealogist.
5. I still have boxes of old family photos that need to be scanned and identified. I realize I may never find the identities of some but maybe by scanning and adding them to my families website someone may have a lead for me to follow.
6. Last but not least I would like to attend the NGS Family History Conference in Cincinnati OH. My schedule may only allow me to attend on Saturday May 12th but looking at their program there are several classes I would enjoy. The chance to socialize and meet other genealogists is at the top of my list. I am also planning on going thru the the exhibition hall and looking at all the new genealogy tools that are out there.
This is going to be a challenge for me to complete while still working full time but I'm going give it my best shot and see what happens.

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Why the name???

As I was setting up this blog site, coming up with a name was very easy. Genealogy is very much like a puzzle. Researching a family you never get the whole picture at once. As we look thru old family photos we get pieces. As we go thru the family bible we find names and dates--more pieces. As we begin go ask questions and interview family members--more pieces. As we begin to travel to cemteries, libraries, and court houses..there are several more pieces. Not until we sit down and begin to enter the information into our computer program of choice....not until we hunt down as much information as we can  possibly cull from the census...not until we fill out the timeline of a family or begin to write their story do we have the full picture.

When my husband and I first started dating we would put puzzles together as funds we few. To this day at Thanksgiving or Christmas family get togethers someone usually breaks out a Charles Wysocki puzzle to start assembling. It's always a good way to get several family members around a table to start talking about memories and good times. Most times the puzzle isn't totally completed before everyone has to leave but the memories are and a new generation has learned that life can be fun without cell phones, I-Pods and video games.

For almost a year now I have been hunting down puzzle pieces, and very early on I realized I probably won't find all of them, and I won't be able to finish the big picture of the past, but that's ok. I just look at the picture of my family today and its wonderful.
KB