Why I love family history

I started doing family history when I was 10 years old with my mother. I look at this like putting a puzzle together - always finding more pieces to put in place. Before computers, I hand copied all the information my mom and dad had on their sides. After I finished copying all the stuff, my mom asked me to help her find some information on her grandmother's side of the family. I went to the LDS Family History Center a lot with her and learned how to research - searching through all kinds of records: wills, census records, immigration patterns, etc. We came by a will that she was sure to belong to this family and she sent a copy to her grandmother. Grandma insisted that is wasn't the right person. We felt it was. After 10 years of trying to get more information, my mom came across someone else working on that line. She sent us what she had and hoped it would help. My mom couldn't figure it out and asked me to see if I could figure it out. In ten minutes, I put the families together. Not only was this the same guy as the one in the will but also it took us three generations further back. Boy was my mom excited.

My family is very involved in family history. Not only was my mom doing it, both of my grandmothers and one of my dad's sisters was doing it. Also, my little brother has helped me with research.

My mom has taken me to the Salt Lake City Family History Center to do some research.

I have been to a number of local seminars. In fact, I have helped put one seminar together. I'm in the process of getting accredited (with the encouragement of my aunt). I have taken over the research for my dad's side of the family. My aunt knows a lot of the stories and she wants to get them written down before the stories are lost.

I have been able to take some lines on my mom's side from 16th generation to the 74th generation. I know there is a lot of history there but I didn't pay that much attention in high school. My brother did recognize some of the names. Now that I have some connection to the past, I try to read on some of the names just so I know a little bit more about my ancestors.

For me, family history is like putting together a 1000 piece puzzle. Once you get a new name, you go looking for the next name to see how far back you can go. There are those who don't care where their families came from but there are a lot more who do care. Please get in touch with me to if I can help you.