I live in Austin, Texas and am a sixth-generation Texan. My first cemetery visit was with one grandmother to the tiny Gates/Perry Family Cemetery in Washington County, Texas, where my pioneer ancestors rest. They came to Texas in 1821, as scouts and settlers with Stephen F. Austin's First Colony. She had family stories of our ancestors buried there. My other grandmother's family stories of her life in Galveston, its 1900 Storm, and her Maryland forebears from the 1840's, sparked a lifelong interest in genealogy.

It's satisfying to find burial plots for family members, and to connect historical and family stories of real people to those final resting places. As a retired social worker, reconnecting families, both living and deceased, has been rewarding. FindaGrave and its members are valuable resources.

I'm currently researching (Stump, Whitaker, Birdsall, Hopkins, Bristol, Gates, Mills) lines in Virginia, Maryland, New York, Florida, Tennessee and Texas. Looking for Birdsalls in Virginia, Florida and New York and would appreciate hearing from folks in those family trees.

I live in Austin, Texas and am a sixth-generation Texan. My first cemetery visit was with one grandmother to the tiny Gates/Perry Family Cemetery in Washington County, Texas, where my pioneer ancestors rest. They came to Texas in 1821, as scouts and settlers with Stephen F. Austin's First Colony. She had family stories of our ancestors buried there. My other grandmother's family stories of her life in Galveston, its 1900 Storm, and her Maryland forebears from the 1840's, sparked a lifelong interest in genealogy.

It's satisfying to find burial plots for family members, and to connect historical and family stories of real people to those final resting places. As a retired social worker, reconnecting families, both living and deceased, has been rewarding. FindaGrave and its members are valuable resources.

I'm currently researching (Stump, Whitaker, Birdsall, Hopkins, Bristol, Gates, Mills) lines in Virginia, Maryland, New York, Florida, Tennessee and Texas. Looking for Birdsalls in Virginia, Florida and New York and would appreciate hearing from folks in those family trees.