Tracing the past... on do my genealogy on 43 Things

Tracing the past... 4 years ago

I am a genealogist, a person who follows family lines and digs up those roots. It is amazing to find cousins who you look like. It is satisfying to be able to say my ancestors came from here or there and this is why they came to America, or why they had this occupation. To me, it is almost incomprehinsable to know that anyone of those hundreds of ancestors, just one, would have married someone else, or died in childhood, or had some other life altering event that did or did not happen that I would not be here. That I would not be who I am today.

I need to get back to that, it has been two months since I’ve seen a census record or ordered a birth certificate.

Sep 29, 2005, 11:43AM PDT | 14 cheers

Comments:

thistlechick

=)

I’ve recently been thinking about doing something with genealogy too… I am a librarian and have avoided looking into the free genealogy databases to which we have access… i’m afraid I’ll get addicted… however, i was at a presentation recently where we looked at Ancestry.com and i was amazed by the incredible details available there (i.e. digitial images of the actual handwritten census records) ....

sooooo… I’m adding this to my list of 43things… Thank you for reminding me =)

(email me if you want to chat about this together: beatrixspinster@yahoo.com =)

Oct 20, 2005, 06:28AM PDT | Thread | Respond to this

cathibeth

You should!

Ancestry.com and genealogy.com are basically one in the same, but have enough different information to make it worth my while to subscribe to both. Another wonderful source is the LDS church. They rock and are oh, so friendly and helpful!

But do beware. Laundry will pile up when chasing down an ancestor!

Oct 20, 2005, 07:18AM PDT | Thread | Respond to this 3 cheers

Map Guy in Colorado Want's to get excited about Christmas

familysearch.org

Isn’t that another site?

Oct 20, 2005, 07:43AM PDT | Thread | Respond to this

cathibeth

Oh, I cannot believe

that I forgot that one! Thanks for reminding me! familysearch.org is run by the LDS church. It does contain great leads. Beware though, as with everything that other genealogists have submitted (also to ancestry and genealogy) to double check with primary sources!

Oct 20, 2005, 08:53AM PDT | Respond to this 1 cheer

AnnieDee is an Extroverted Tree Hugging Money Manager

Ancestry.com and Genealogy.com

They used to be different as you said, Cathibeth, but recently they told me that everything on Genealogy.com is now also on Ancestry.com (they are owned by the same company). And that Genealogy.com will become a free site at some point. I’d just subscribe to Ancestry.com and forget about Genealogy.com.

Have far have you gotten, Cathibeth? I love tracing my family history, too. But now I’ve gotten so far that any new info is very difficult to find. Ancestry has offered me a really good “come back” deal and I’m agonizing over whether to accept it. I know that I will spend hours and hours for one little piece of new data. I’ve planned several vacation around courthouses and cemeteries. The genealogy bug is worse than getting hooked on 43T :-)

Nov 28, 2005, 03:40PM PST | Thread | Respond to this

cathibeth

The are just about 85% the same...

Take ancestry for instance… all of their census records are indexed and searchable, genealogy.com does not.

Ancestry has more for the buck I believe, but I keep full subscription to both as I have clients who I work for.

On my own family, I believe the year 340. Or somewhere around there. Once you find a titled person in your family the University of Hull (UK) has all of documented as far back as they can. Even they, at a point, tell the genealogist that the lines (from, say 700 and before) are probably fiction as the family story has been passed down from generation to generation.

I thank genealogy for a lot of things. I have traveled to nearly every state (with the exception of Maine and the north western states, Alaska and Hawaii) researching.

Anyone on here, if they have southern blood or Pennsylvania dutch blood, can take me back at least five generations, I’ll make them my cousin! At least I’m 95% sure of that.

When is your earliest American immigration. Mine was in the early 1600s to Virginia with the family Farthing (England)...

Nov 28, 2005, 06:37PM PST | Thread | Respond to this 3 cheers

AnnieDee is an Extroverted Tree Hugging Money Manager

Well, I have both Pa dutch and Southern blood

So, maybe we are cousins. Hochstetler, Lauer/Lower, Miller, Neff, Dietz, Benell are some of my Pa dutch names. Any sound familiar? On the southern side I have Mathis/Matthews, Holland, Applewhite, Dykes. The southerners seemed to land in Va in the 1600’s and drift south to Georgia or Florida. The Pa Dutch side moved west from Pa to Ohio, then Indiana.

Just talking about it makes me want to work on my family history again, but then I’ll never get my other 43 things done.

Nov 28, 2005, 06:54PM PST | Thread | Respond to this

First name out... - cathibeth

That was the Mennonite route... - cathibeth

Ialiuxh

We have a relative in common!

I was looking at some of your entries, and we are related to someone in common. I am a 4th cousin to Elvis Presley (no joke). My father went to school with him. My father’s name is Charles Steele. My grandfather’s name is Relder Steele. I once asked my father about the connection and he explained it, but I have long forgotten. Something with regards to the last name Parker. He is living with my sister now, I shall have to send her an email and get the story. Let me know if you are interested. ialiuxh@yahoo.com

Nov 08, 2005, 09:23PM PST | Thread | Respond to this

cathibeth

I'll have to open up

my genealogy to get the direct link. We are, I believe 3rd cousins 2x removed off of my Sauders/Roach side. They are my Mississippi family.

No, not a close relation, but hey, he is a cousin!

Nov 09, 2005, 05:56AM PST | Thread | Respond to this 1 cheer

Ialiuxh

I did some additional research

I never had researched my genealogy before, but was curious last night. I found the cemetary where my grandfather, Relder Aubrey Steele 3/9/2909 to 7/6/1997 (not Relder Otis Steele, which was a name that popped up sometimes) was burried, I found the name of my grandmother, which I did not know. Then I found out who all my great grandparents were, and some of their child. I found out that my grandparents lost an infant. Quite a few of my ancestors are buried at the Tiden Union Cemetary. I noticed that Elvis has a Smith in his family that was born in Itawaba country, and that their are a lot of Smiths at the cemetary where my great grandparents are, I think that might the connection, but I haven’t figured it yet. Any insite would be greatly appreciated. My grandmother, Pearl A. Mattox 8/18/1885 to 7/23/1967. My paternal great grandparents, William Marion Steele (parents James and Sarah Bright Steele) and Sarah Elizabeth Brown Steele 1853-1928 (parents William and Sarah Kitchen Brown) I think the connection might be through my grandmother though??? I always thought it was my great aunt (my grandfather’s sister) Mirtie Steele Parker, still living in Morrisville, MS. I would love to figure out my Elvis connection, any help would be greatly apprieciated. By the way, Hi cousin!

Nov 09, 2005, 12:12PM PST | Respond to this

MA says..."I Reject Your Reality & Subsitute My Own!"

If I could do genealogy all day, everyday...

I’d have too much fun. I’ve been “playing” around with the family research for years now.

A good story I had happen was I went on a visit to Ohio (which is where much of my family settled, but not where I live) to stay with a friend. I met her cousin and many of her friends while I was there. A couple of months later, she called and told me her cousin was doing some searching and asked if I was related to the Fast’s in their line, and yes, I was. So my friend and I turn out to be cousins 6 or 7 x’s removed, but still related.

It so funny that we knew each other for years and talked about being sisters in our hearts, but now we’re cousins, also.

I love that!

Nov 28, 2005, 02:25PM PST | Thread | Respond to this

cathibeth