I started doing family trees as a project in the 7th grade. The information my mother and grandmother provided wowed the teacher and created an interest in learning about my ancestors that hasn't stopped.

It certainly opened up avenues to physically meeting many family members I never knew. One branch of family took great care to save old letters and well marked photos of their relatives that were invaluable. The letters told amazing stories of early life in America, how and why they came here, and how hard it was to set up a homestead.

Nothing we see today compares to how hard it was for people to uproot from their home countries and start over in a place that was undeveloped.

I have been working on my tree for over 50 years and it's rewarding to see where each branch goes and understand how all the pieces fit together.

I started doing family trees as a project in the 7th grade. The information my mother and grandmother provided wowed the teacher and created an interest in learning about my ancestors that hasn't stopped.

It certainly opened up avenues to physically meeting many family members I never knew. One branch of family took great care to save old letters and well marked photos of their relatives that were invaluable. The letters told amazing stories of early life in America, how and why they came here, and how hard it was to set up a homestead.

Nothing we see today compares to how hard it was for people to uproot from their home countries and start over in a place that was undeveloped.

I have been working on my tree for over 50 years and it's rewarding to see where each branch goes and understand how all the pieces fit together.