My mother inspired my interest in finding the people who made up our family. Her efforts included exhausting trips to churches, cemeteries, and town halls, flipping through dusty record books, looking for traces of family history. I am simply carrying on her tradition (so much easier today to find, document, and share - thanks to the internet!). In the process, I have also assumed the 'historian' role for my husband's family. They provided a rich source of family tree information and documentation. Researching my combined families has connected me to the larger American family, its history, and our culture. Person by person, family by family, state by state, history comes alive, underpinning the history lessons of school. (I authorize anyone to use my tombstone photos for your family trees.)

My mother inspired my interest in finding the people who made up our family. Her efforts included exhausting trips to churches, cemeteries, and town halls, flipping through dusty record books, looking for traces of family history. I am simply carrying on her tradition (so much easier today to find, document, and share - thanks to the internet!). In the process, I have also assumed the 'historian' role for my husband's family. They provided a rich source of family tree information and documentation. Researching my combined families has connected me to the larger American family, its history, and our culture. Person by person, family by family, state by state, history comes alive, underpinning the history lessons of school. (I authorize anyone to use my tombstone photos for your family trees.)