Anyone here into Genealogy?

[HollyJoy]

Just curious to find out if anyone else here at the Dis shares the same hobby as I do! I got into researching my ancestors a couple of years ago, thanks to my sister and my Aunt, who started digging years ago.

Tell me about your research. Have you found lots of information, or have you come to a lot of dead ends. I have several lines which have taken me very far back, and others that just come to a hault. Very frustrating, but fun.

I'm currently working on a Heritage album (combing my love of scrapbooking and genealogy).

 

[The Mystery Machine]

No I am not but DH's uncle is. He has been doing it for 20+yrs and has had several books published. The other side of DH's family has had books published as well. I don't how they do it.

Now as far as my side of the family, nothing, nada. I don't have a clue. I think about doing some of it but I am not ready yet.

 

[shortbun]

Family full of genealogists here. All the woman, Mom's side, have
traced back to 8 Revolutionary war soldiers. We've gone even
further into Europe on both sides too. I spent a good deal of
my childhood in cemeteries rubbing graves and in small town
libraries getting trained on how to do this research. The internet
has helped although loads of information is not listed or the
whereabouts are unknown. My Mom has helped several Native
American tribes/familes record their family history and do some
research. I'm trying to get DH's family done before I lose all the
old folks and their memories/diaries/papers. It's fun, time consuming and rewarding. When I was a child, I didn't understand
all the effort. Now it's me dragging my son around. Hopefully he
will get the bug too!

 

[Kallison]

My great grandmother came over from Ireland during the potato famines. She was the second oldest of a large family and was supposed to send for her siblings but never did. Also never talked about her Irish family, all we know is her surname and her County of Birth. I recently found her death certificate which lists the year she came over. I would love to find some of my Irish relatives. I'm wondering if those websites where you pay a fee are any good.

My parents just cleaned out their house of 56 years, I found a lot more out about my Dad's grandparents. He had an Uncle who died at birth that he never knew about, my Great-Aunt also didn't know that she had a brother at one time. That was freaky! I found their marriage certificate that had all these births and deaths listed on the back of it -- it was over 100 years old, just stuck in the bottom of an old cigar box.

 

[Mom2Em]

I love to research my family history... I am trying to get enough info to make a heritage album, also!! I had a difficult time getting started because my family names consist of Alexander, Burris, Smith... not too many of them ...

 

[HollyJoy]

Cool!! I do have a membership at Ancestry.com, and would be happy to look something up for you. Just PM me if you'd like.

Have any of you found any famous relatives? We have several! I am VERY distantly related to our current President of the United States (on his Mom's side). Also related to William Penn, founder of Pennsylvania. There's a Sargent Jasper from the Rev. War that is a direct ancestor of ours, and my Mom says that growing up, she was told that we are related to Mary Queen of Scotts. Havent' figured out that line yet though! LOL

 

[missypie]

At my parent's 50th anniversary celebration, they presented us with a notebook that contained, in easy to read, narrative form, all that they've found out about our ancestors. Very cool and very interesting reading!

 

[HollyJoy]

Originally posted by missypie
At my parent's 50th anniversary celebration, they presented us with a notebook that contained, in easy to read, narrative form, all that they've found out about our ancestors. Very cool and very interesting reading!

That's awesome!! What a great gift. I think it's really important to know where you come from. I'm hoping to get this all together and have it for my girls. My FIL has already done his family's ancestry, now we just have to get DH's mother's side.

 

[Crankyshank]

shortbun, that is so incredible!

I'm interested in starting to research my family, but it is so difficult for me because my family has only been in the country for about a century and there's a lot of name changes that occured.
Is it worth it to pay for a subscription to places that have access to more records?

 

[BlkBearSuz]

Originally posted by HollyJoy
I'm currently working on a Heritage album (combing my love of scrapbooking and genealogy).

Me too! I love working on my heritage album. It's coming out beautifully. I inherited my grandmother's pictures when she died and I have been using all of her original photos in my scrapbook.

I've also been a genealogy addict for the past 2 years. I've posted a few of my pictures on www.ancientfaces.com and just recently got an email from someone who was able to identify a couple people in the picture I didn't know. Small world!

My grandmother hailed from Canada and in my research I've discovered that I'm related to Celine Dion and Madonna. I also discovered that I'm fourth cousins once removed with one of my friends, whom I also work with. I find it all fascinating.

Does anyone have the new FTM version 2005? By the description, it looks pretty good and I'm wondering if I should upgrade to this version.

Sue

 

[Tinks]

My mom is really into geneaology and has been doing it for several years. She takes an annual trip to Salt Lake City for the Library. There are some really good stories she has found. We are descended from William Brewster of the Mayflower. I'm his 14th great-granddaughter.

There was an article in our local paper about geneaology and how it is really great to have a scoundrel in your family tree because they leave alot of paperwork behind. If your family was all normal and boring they didn't create many papers in their lifetimes I guess. I hope you all find a good scoundrel to make finding your realtives easier!

 

[Belle041281]

I have a cousin doing a lot of research and traced our family to England (last name Champion) That's on my mom's side. My dad's side is from Austria and Poland. My grandparents both came to America when they were children. Very hard to trace though because of a possible name change. My maiden name was Kruck. My Dh is a bit more interesting. His family is from Tenn., Kentucky area. His ancestors lived in a cabin built by Daniel Boone, Johnny Appleseed I forget which one exactly but one of them. His mom's cousin was also on America's Most Wanted for robbing a bank. Unfortunately I didn't get to see it, but my MIL told me he visits his wifes grave everyday and the cops staked out there and he tied them to a tree. Crazy man I guess. Don't worry my MIL has nothing to do with him at all.

 

[piglet too]

I would love to do this! I know nothing about my Mom's side, and all I know about my Dad's is that we are descendant of Viking royalty. I think it would be super cool to do my husband's as well. Does it cost a lot to join a website searching place?

 

[Toby'sFriend]

I have tried to do it both both my Mom's side AND my Dad's side are very difficult.

My Dad's family originated from the Missouri Ozarks and weren't even listed in most of the Census data. My Aunt says the family was famous for aiming a shotgun at anybody who dared to wander down the lane. My Great Grandmother and Grandfather both died fairly young. My Grandpa went to live in Oregon with distant family, and it is also really hard to find info on him. He died before I was even born, and there aren't many family members left who remember the stories.

On my Mom's side I found a Draft registration card for my Great Grandfather. My Mother never even knew he was in WWI. Does our family not communicate or what?

I've really concentrated on writing down everything I can about our family and the people I know. So one hundred years from now, my descendents won't have these problems.

 

[missypie]

Yes, the scoundrels are interesting. There is a guy in our line whose older brother was personal doctor to the King of England. When he came to Virginia he amassed a fortune, but did it in a very ruthless way. He'd be in trouble for a while for his devious tactics, but his influential brother would intervene and he'd come out on top!

My grandfather's parents married in about 1890. What's funny is that both of their lines were in Virginia in the 1620s...I keep wondering if they knew each other!

 

[2MuchOhana]

I love working on the family tree! Occasionally I do get stuck; but when that happens I just move on to a different branch of the family! I have some conflicting information on my dad's side of the family. Jones is a common name! And of course, the relatives in Norway can be difficult to find sometimes; becasue the last name always changes!

I have the current version of Family Tree Maker 11.0 now and a member of Ancestry.com, too. I don't have as much time as I would like to do the research! I am inspired to start again! Willing to help if anyone wants or needs it!

 

[Az Pirates]

I keep thinking that I need to learn more about it. I have not done much other than maybe a 3 generation sheet. I do have some relatives who have done a lot of work though.

My cousin sent me a kind of fun print out that shows I'm related to :

Nathaniel Hawthorne, Bing Crosby (Did you know his name is really Harry Lillis Bing Crosby), Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain) and even William Shakespeare.
Lots of royalty from way back too.
That's just on my mom's side.

It's amazing how much they can trace. It's hard to even concepualize a 35th grandparent and lines that go back as far as 999. Both things that show up in the stuff my cousin sent.

How in the world do they find that info?!

 

[sue1013]

My uncle (mother's brother) had gotten me into it about 10 yrs ago. Its so interesting you think you've got things figured out the another surprise and its back to square one.. We found relatives no one had ever heard of. I've gotten back to VA in 1770's but there are so many with the same name its hard to sort them out. Has anyone done the Y DNA testing?

 

[Crankyshank]

TF I have the same problem - no one communicates in my family.

I do know that my father's family long ago were viscounts in France. I'm descended from Vikings on that side of the family as well. And my Great Grandfather's Grandfather served under Napoleon.

I'm sure we have some bad seeds too
Maybe we should have a support thread or something to help each other out?

 

[WendyWhiner]

I can't fit into my jeans. They are too small. I have eaten too much cake.