Genealogy,,,,,,

Greetings!!

As usual I have a million thoughts running through my mind but I decided to write a little about the genealogy I have been doing.  I have actually done genealogy on and off for several years.  I started with my dad's side of the family because it is such an unusual name and I felt it would be easier to track.  I quickly got back into the 1600s with family information.  It was fascinating!!  Revolutionary war heroes, ancestors connected to the Mayflower and Civil War soldiers and much more.

My mom's side of the family proved to be much more difficult.  I had very little information to go on and a very common name, Parker.  All I knew was my grandfather's name and the approximate years of his birth and death and where he was buried.  I had no idea if he had siblings and if so, where they were or had died.  I did not know his parents names either.  Right off the bat I discovered all the records were destroyed by a fire and there was no birth or death certificate.  Years went by and I could not find anything.  My mom's generation are all gone.  I have a few cousins who either did not know anything or were not discussing it.

You can imagine how frustrating that can be when you can find no information at all.  I went back to work on dad's side of the family for a while.  Then I even stopped for a few years.  I tried again, still nothing to be had.  This went on and off for several years.

Recently ancestry.com had a free two week trial and a special deal if you joined.  I took the two week trial and then joined.  Suddenly, everything had opened up and I found all sorts of information!!  Not only did I find my grandfather's parents names, I know his great- grandparents names.  I have census reports, property deeds, obituaries, newspaper clippings, the name of the cemetery, and even some pictures!!

I have met a couple of "woodpile" relatives online and we have joined forces to find even more information.  I may have found the name of my great-great-great-grandfather but am now in the process of trying to confirm that.  Sometimes I feel like I am trying to connect the dots or perhaps putting the pieces of a puzzle together.  Other times it is like looking for a needle in a great big hay stack and seems impossible.  But that one needle will sew all the pieces together neatly like the quilt of our life. 

Along the way I am learning way more about history than I ever did in school.  Actually, I hated history in school, it was my worse subject.  Being able to tie it to ancestors and places I have actually been to makes it interesting to me and so now I am really enjoying it.

I have downloaded a couple of e-books about the history of the area my g-g-grandfather settled in when it was still wilderness.  I have an e-book of the Parker genealogy written in 1889 which takes my family history back into the 1200s in England.  I have a newspaper article stating that Captain John Benjamin Parker of the Lexington, Mass Militia was the great-grandfather of my great-great-grandfather, but I have a couple of generations missing that I need to connect the dots with to prove it without doubt.

I have learned that just because someone told you years ago something it does not make it true and you must have proof for everything.  For example, everyone was told the land that my mother was raised on was a land grant from the King of England to my ancestors pre-revolution, turned out to not be true.  My great-great-grandfather purchased the land in 1853.  I have a copy of the deed to prove it.  I also have a copy of the plat map that shows the boundaries of the land he had purchased.

I have a sibling who insists g-g-grandpa was an Admiral in the British Royal Navy and that is why he was given the land in a grant.  Impossible!!  He was born in NY State, and in 1817 long after land grants were given by the King of England!!  Yes, I have the proof to back it up.

Recently I discovered one of my uncles had been married twice.  Something I did not know!  The first marriage apparently did not last long but was "ordered by the superior court".  That was in 1930, long before I was even a glimmer in my daddy's eye.  No one had ever spoke of it though, so I thought that was interesting.  I believe he had a child with his first wife.  I might have discovered the child's name, but it is not confirmed yet.  If I am on to the right person he would have died very young by an "accidental drowning" and that might explain why my uncle never discussed it.  Time will tell as I am still digging.

Today I plan on punching holes and putting all the documents I have downloaded and printed out into a three ring binder.  It helps to have hard copies to check dates and names from time to time.  And I am accumulating quite a mass of papers now.  It is so interesting to find out about your ancestors in history.  Who they were, where they came from, what kind of work they did, etc.  You can find out a lot about your own personality traits by your ancestors traits.  For example, I definitely have the Parker strong will and determination.  I know it came from them by how they were written about in that genealogy written in 1889 that I mentioned above.

I will not be posting tomorrow for it is the Lord's day.  But I will be back on Monday.  Have a wonderful weekend!!

Until next time,,,,,,,Blessings!!