When I was a child, my grandfather gave me a copy of our family tree, one that he had been working on for many years. I was fascinated by the names, dates, and places and imagined what their lives must have been like. This ignited a lifelong interest in genealogy that has greatly enriched my life. It nourishes my love of history, geography, and learning about the life and times of mostly ordinary, but decent people. I'm also able to combine genealogy with my interests in photography and travel and to improve my skills in researching and investigating difficult family lines.

I am especially interested in documenting those who honorably served their country and in particular, those who gave the ultimate sacrifice that ended their lives much too soon. Theirs, like all lives, should be acknowledged with respect and not forgotten.

On Find A Grave, I try to post memorials to aid genealogists in finding information and greatly appreciate others that do the same. I strive for accuracy and prefer quality over quantity. It's frustrating to find so many examples of sloppy research and inaccurate information posted on Find A Grave and other genealogy websites. This not only uses precious time that few of us can ill afford to waste in pursuing false leads, but results in connections in our family trees of unrelated people. Our ancestors deserve better.

Although, I strive for accuracy, I am not perfect and appreciate any corrections others may provide. I usually accept edits, but sometimes may ask for the sources of information. Usually, this is done if the information provided conflicts with something I have researched or documented. For bio additions, I add contributor numbers so they can be traced back to them if there is a question as to accuracy.

For some individuals, I may include two given names, a paternal surname and a maternal surname, if this is the naming custom of that individual's culture, such as in many Spanish speaking regions. If known, I also try to include a person's non-English name, such as those from Native American or other communities.

"A Visit to the Gravesite"

Dear Ancestor,
Your Tombstone stands among the rest,
Neglected and alone.
The name and dates are chiseled here,
On polished marbled stone.
It reaches out to all who care,
Though it is too late to mourn.

You did not know that I exist,
You died and I was born.
Yet each of us are cells of you,
In flesh and blood and bone.
Our blood contracts and beats a pulse
Entirely not our own.

Dear Ancestor, the place you filled
One hundred years ago,
I wonder if you could have known,
Would spread among the ones you left
In all the seeds you've sown.
I wonder how you lived and loved?
I wonder if you ever knew?
That someday I would find you in this spot,
And come to visit you?

Walter Butler Palmer
.
.
.

"To laugh often and much, to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children, to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends, to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others, to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded!"
Ralph Waldo Emerson
.
.
.
.
.
.

When I was a child, my grandfather gave me a copy of our family tree, one that he had been working on for many years. I was fascinated by the names, dates, and places and imagined what their lives must have been like. This ignited a lifelong interest in genealogy that has greatly enriched my life. It nourishes my love of history, geography, and learning about the life and times of mostly ordinary, but decent people. I'm also able to combine genealogy with my interests in photography and travel and to improve my skills in researching and investigating difficult family lines.

I am especially interested in documenting those who honorably served their country and in particular, those who gave the ultimate sacrifice that ended their lives much too soon. Theirs, like all lives, should be acknowledged with respect and not forgotten.

On Find A Grave, I try to post memorials to aid genealogists in finding information and greatly appreciate others that do the same. I strive for accuracy and prefer quality over quantity. It's frustrating to find so many examples of sloppy research and inaccurate information posted on Find A Grave and other genealogy websites. This not only uses precious time that few of us can ill afford to waste in pursuing false leads, but results in connections in our family trees of unrelated people. Our ancestors deserve better.

Although, I strive for accuracy, I am not perfect and appreciate any corrections others may provide. I usually accept edits, but sometimes may ask for the sources of information. Usually, this is done if the information provided conflicts with something I have researched or documented. For bio additions, I add contributor numbers so they can be traced back to them if there is a question as to accuracy.

For some individuals, I may include two given names, a paternal surname and a maternal surname, if this is the naming custom of that individual's culture, such as in many Spanish speaking regions. If known, I also try to include a person's non-English name, such as those from Native American or other communities.

"A Visit to the Gravesite"

Dear Ancestor,
Your Tombstone stands among the rest,
Neglected and alone.
The name and dates are chiseled here,
On polished marbled stone.
It reaches out to all who care,
Though it is too late to mourn.

You did not know that I exist,
You died and I was born.
Yet each of us are cells of you,
In flesh and blood and bone.
Our blood contracts and beats a pulse
Entirely not our own.

Dear Ancestor, the place you filled
One hundred years ago,
I wonder if you could have known,
Would spread among the ones you left
In all the seeds you've sown.
I wonder how you lived and loved?
I wonder if you ever knew?
That someday I would find you in this spot,
And come to visit you?

Walter Butler Palmer
.
.
.

"To laugh often and much, to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children, to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends, to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others, to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded!"
Ralph Waldo Emerson
.
.
.
.
.
.