Single? Married? Children? Career? Hobbies? Responsibilities! All these categories of life help to define who you are and how much time you have to devote to any given pursuit. It was the same for your ancestors! You may think your life is too busy and totally boring at the same time; but, fifty years from now someone may find your journey on this earth something to drool over -- no kidding!
Researching your ancestors is really all about the personal verification of self, and how your family roots may or may not influence who and what you are today. We can't live in the past but, we can learn from it, and when necessary, apply what we have learned to the future we continuously create.
Anyone and everyone can work on genealogy, it doesn't matter who you are or what you don't know about yourself or your family history. Some people have no surface interest in the subject because they think there is nothing to find. Trust me, there is always something to find!
Some people are lucky enough to have a treasure trove of information from someone in the family who is a packrat (today, I think we call them horders). Others, like me, don't have much of anything. Regardless of which path you come from, there is always a way to build your own family tree.
How to begin?
You can actually start with two projects. The first is all about you. Dig out your birth certificate, marriage certificate, baptisim certificate, awards you won as a kid, pictures of yourself through the years, honors you received, etc. Make copies if you can, and build your own notebook or scrapbook. Keep thinking about someone in the future looking through these things. What would you like to tell them about yourself? When you have finished with your information, work on that of your spouse and children (if you have them). Be sure to include your pets -- no kidding! For years I heard my father tell amusing stories about Skippy -- a mutt his parents owned during the Great Depression. "There was never a better dog," my father would always say. When I found a copy of Skip's picture it was a cherished moment for me. Here was the dog that stole the butcher's steak right out of the corner store, stood guard over my aunt's babydoll carriage, and took a piece out of the drunk that tried to steal the tires off my grandfather's car, and so much more. Skippy now has an honored place on our family tree.
The second project consists of beginning to build your tree. I took a class to help me get started; but, if you don't have access to that -- never fear! There are lots of great books out there, a huge on-line community, and several computer programs that can help you to begin. You'll find lots of information on this site to help you as we grow together! Try using our own GraveDiggers Genealogy forms. They're free!
