THE UPS AND DOWNS OF GENEALOGICAL RESEARCH
My paternal grandmother, Hazel Cunningham Butler, raised my interest in my family’s history in the few years prior to her death. She died August 15, 1986. With a handful of information, the following year I embarked an amazing, and frustrating, journey.
I had no idea what to do or how to do it. My first trip to the genealogical department at the Waco-McLennan County Library was daunting. The shelves were towering ramparts laden with history about people and places. The readers for the microfilm weren't that hard to use. Once I was shown how to thread the microfilm on the reels, it was a cinch. Resources were quite primitive. I didn’t get a computer for home until 2003, sixteen years after I first started. My research hasn’t been the same since. In the beginning, I also had to overcome my timidity of calling up folks I didn’t know, or were just ever so slightly acquainted with, and asking them questions. I could rightly have been called nosey. Like learning to ride a bike, I soon got the hang of it and never looked back.
My great-great grandfather James Cunningham had been twice married. He had nine children by his first wife and ten by his second. I am descended from the second marriage. For years I hunted for information and descendants from the first marriage, to no avail. I only had my computer a month, when I received a snail mail letter in response to a query posted on a genealogical site. It was from a descendant of the first marriage. While still joyfully reeling from that, another snail mail letter from another first marriage descendant came. “BINGO!” The first family opened up to me. I soon, within months, had distant cousins from the first marriage coming out of the woodwork!
More recently, in 2005, I finally got into my mother’s Miller family, her mother’s maiden name. My maternal grandmother, Addie Mae Marie ‘Missy’ Miller LaFrance Whitaker, died October 31, 2005. After her funeral I met the son of one of my mother’s cousins, James Miller. We exchanged emails and addresses. He sent me information and pictures that I treasure. Then in the early summer of 2006, after making an inquiry of the LaFrance family, mom’s maiden name, I got an email from her cousin Jimmy LaFrance. My mother’s side of the family opened up wide, real wide. The delay of getting into mom's family was due to the fact she didn't know much about them, having not grown up around her family. She has reconnected with many of them, though she'd always been in touch with her three sisters. Things happen out of a child's control. Don't let a lack of information hold you back. It may take time, but it'll come.
In and around these triumphs there has been frustration and brick walls. Nothing was as it seemed. Censuses, though most helpful, proved the most perplexing. Handwriting ranges from the clear to the horrendous. In some cases, the census taker just recorded initials for the first names. If you don’t already know the first names, how are you suppose to figure out, for example, who D, K, Q, S, B, and R, are?
You cannot always count on birth places for a clue. It may be right for a census or two, and wrong for two or three. One born in Germany, and so listed on a census, may on another census be listed as born in Bavaria or Hanover. A little googling for German history and maps will show both places were parts of Germany. My great-great-great grandmother, Philipena Bothme Wilcox, was born in Germany. There is another census that says Hanover.
Ages cannot always be counted on either. They tend to always be a few or so years off more so than right. I came up with a formula, on my own, and it didn’t take a PhD. to do it. Just when I think I am lacking common sense, I find more to spend. Knowing an ancestor’s, or related individual’s, birth year, I write it down. I list every census year between their birth and death, if that year is known. Using my computer’s calculator, I subtract that birth year from the census year. The result is their approximate age for a given census, approximate because it depends on the individual’s birthday in relation to the date of the census and whether or not I have the month or day. If you don’t know the death year, that’s okay. You know when you get to 80 and up it’s likely they’ll disappear from census records. At best, you can get a range. What is especially helpful is when other research can narrow that range down. That was the case concerning my great-great grandmother Fanny Holloway Bible, wife of William A. Bible, on my mother’s side. We don’t know when she died or where she is buried. I discovered they had their last child, John Frank Bible, May 11, 1898. Then I discovered a death record for their daughter Myrtle. Myrtle, at age 15, died of Typhoid March 20, 1910. I also discovered, though not to my surprise, on the 1910 census William’s wife’s name was Emma. We always heard he was either married before Fanny or afterwards. More searching turned up a marriage date for W. A. Bible and Emma Fisher, March 17, 1910. We now know Fanny died between 1898 and 1910, a broad expanse, but it’s better than what we had.
Another perplexing issue is the name game. Folks would use whatever name suited them at any particular moment, flip-flopping like a politician. A couple of fellows on my Cunningham line on my father’s side introduced me to the name game. Either a person is so inconsistent with what name they use it makes locating them almost impossible or they are so consistent no one knows they have a different name than what they are using. Fortunately, my aforementioned paternal grandmother did tell me her father’s name wasn’t just Neal. He was named Cornelius Madison Cunningham. Such openness was not the case in his brother Lee’s family. Lee’s youngest daughter, the late Mary Evelyn ‘Dutchie’ Cunningham Howell, always knew her father’s name as Lee. In some instances he is found as Lee A. Thinking it was actually Lee Andrew she suggested the two names for her only grandson. She was quite surprised when I told her he was actually Leander Alexander Cunningham, and proved it with copies of records. Neal’s and Lee’s brother Joseph Daniel Cunningham was the inconsistent one. He went by Joe, Dan, Joe Dan or J. D. He was so hard to find, until Dutchie Howell recounted her memory of his funeral to me in either the late 1980‘s or early 1990‘s. She said it was in the early 1930’s and cold as the dickens. She remembered the curtains on the car being down. It’s not rocket science to figure out the cold months are October through March, the coldest being November through January. She told me he had hung himself with a telephone wire on the front porch of the McLennan County Poor Farm. Until then, I didn’t know there was such a place. Using what she told me, I went hunting. I finally found my grandmother’s Uncle Joe. He died November 8, 1930. I even obtained a copy of his death certificate and had to quickly sit down and shake my head. His own brother Neal named him on the death certificate as Dan W. Cunningham! W! I’ll never know why or where that came from.
Misspellings were the next problem, both first and last names, the two that matter most. Middle names rarely show on censuses. In other records they may appear, wholly or just the initial, either correctly or be a different middle name, or initial, all together. I’ll start with the first names. Mom’s maternal grandfather was Burtis Samuel Miller, however, the first name can be found a Bertis or, as in the case of her brother named for him, Birtis. Burtis’s father’s name was just as bad, Cerilus Miller. Cerilus can be found as Serilis, Serilous, Cyrillos or Cyrillous. Also on my mom’s side, is the issue of Philipena Bothme Wilcox. She is found as Phillipina, Philipina, Philipene, Philopena and on her marriage record she is Tellycenia! Since I do not have actual proof of just how she spelled it, I’ve adopted Philopena. Because of the handwriting on the license, we aren’t too sure of her maiden name. Surnames are more frequently misspelled. Mom’s maiden name of LaFrance can be found with the two parts together or separate or as one name- Lafrance. An older half-sister of Neal, Lee, and Joe Cunningham, Margaret Cunningham, married Hosea Hammonds. That surname can be found as Hammons, Hammon, Hammond, and even Hermann and Harmon. Another older half-sister, Sarah Cunningham, married Thomas J. Dearman. That surname can be found as DeArman, DeArmand, DeArmond, Dearmon, Dearmond or Dearmand. The maiden name of my great-great grandmother, Rebecca Vermel Oliphant Miller, on my mother’s side, is another victim of misspelling. I have found it as Oliphant and Oliphent.
As if the name game and the misspellings are perplexing enough, there are the nicknames and abbreviations. Until I began my research I didn’t know Sally was an old nickname for Sarah. Here are a few other’s: Margaret- Maggie, Peggy, Betsy, Peg or Meg; Martha- Patsy; Catherine or Katherine- Cathy, Katie or Kate, with either C or K; Elizabeth is abound with nicknames- Eliza, Liza, Lizzie, Bess, Bessie or Beth, to name just a few; Mary- Mollie or Polly; Josephine- Jo or Josie; Johanna/Joanna/Joanne- Jo, Anne, Ann, Anna, even Hanna. The boys prove easy: James- Jim or Jimmy; Joseph- Joe or Joey; William- Will, Bill, Billy or Willie, to name just a few. I quickly figured out both Jhn. and Jno. are the abbreviations for John. Here are a few others: Chas.- Charles; Jas.- James; Danl.- Daniel; Rbt.- Robert.
Perhaps the names you encounter aren’t ‘English’. Recently there was an inquiry into my Miller branch. In a nutshell, there are equally similarities and differences between our Miller families. The 1850 Bastrop county, Texas census was referenced. It was one with first initials with only a child actually named. The point of interest was the daughter- L. Well, when all was said and done, L was Louise Miller, as the inquirer thought, but on her marriage record she was listed as Ludviska. It’s the German equivalent of Louise. In the end, the 1850 Miller family is not mine, and likely not the inquirers either. Such early censuses may reflect the family’s origins, such as Germany France, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, China, Ireland, Mexico or others. The sister of my great-great grandmother Johanna Wilcox LaFrance shows up in one census as Margaretha. Well, Margaret is so obvious. Margaretha is the German variation of Margaret. Margaret is even used on her marriage license and in the first census her and husband, John Valentine, appear in. My Margaretha was easy to figure out, while the unrelated Ludviska was not.
That is how it is. I have learned some names spelled in the family’s original language may be hard to figure out, while for others the English equivalent is obvious. So while researching, don’t be surprise if your Mary becomes a Polly, your Elizabeth a Lizzie or Eliza, your Catherine a Katie, Joseph a Joey or William a Willie. Further, don’t be surprised if your German great-grandmother Hilda began life as Brunhilda, a Czech Aunt Ann as Aneta, a Spanish great-uncle Joseph as Jose, an Italian Uncle Benny as Benito or a French great-grandmother Bea as Beatrix. I've not only learned names weren’t always cut down, but that they weren't always Anglicized either. The latter would happen either inadvertently or purposely. In the case of the latter, it could have been to simplify the name or to distance oneself from their heritage. For instance, in both world wars, especially the first, all things German were out of favor. You can research names at the following websites, the two I have used and with satisfaction:
I had no idea what to do or how to do it. My first trip to the genealogical department at the Waco-McLennan County Library was daunting. The shelves were towering ramparts laden with history about people and places. The readers for the microfilm weren't that hard to use. Once I was shown how to thread the microfilm on the reels, it was a cinch. Resources were quite primitive. I didn’t get a computer for home until 2003, sixteen years after I first started. My research hasn’t been the same since. In the beginning, I also had to overcome my timidity of calling up folks I didn’t know, or were just ever so slightly acquainted with, and asking them questions. I could rightly have been called nosey. Like learning to ride a bike, I soon got the hang of it and never looked back.
My great-great grandfather James Cunningham had been twice married. He had nine children by his first wife and ten by his second. I am descended from the second marriage. For years I hunted for information and descendants from the first marriage, to no avail. I only had my computer a month, when I received a snail mail letter in response to a query posted on a genealogical site. It was from a descendant of the first marriage. While still joyfully reeling from that, another snail mail letter from another first marriage descendant came. “BINGO!” The first family opened up to me. I soon, within months, had distant cousins from the first marriage coming out of the woodwork!
More recently, in 2005, I finally got into my mother’s Miller family, her mother’s maiden name. My maternal grandmother, Addie Mae Marie ‘Missy’ Miller LaFrance Whitaker, died October 31, 2005. After her funeral I met the son of one of my mother’s cousins, James Miller. We exchanged emails and addresses. He sent me information and pictures that I treasure. Then in the early summer of 2006, after making an inquiry of the LaFrance family, mom’s maiden name, I got an email from her cousin Jimmy LaFrance. My mother’s side of the family opened up wide, real wide. The delay of getting into mom's family was due to the fact she didn't know much about them, having not grown up around her family. She has reconnected with many of them, though she'd always been in touch with her three sisters. Things happen out of a child's control. Don't let a lack of information hold you back. It may take time, but it'll come.
In and around these triumphs there has been frustration and brick walls. Nothing was as it seemed. Censuses, though most helpful, proved the most perplexing. Handwriting ranges from the clear to the horrendous. In some cases, the census taker just recorded initials for the first names. If you don’t already know the first names, how are you suppose to figure out, for example, who D, K, Q, S, B, and R, are?
You cannot always count on birth places for a clue. It may be right for a census or two, and wrong for two or three. One born in Germany, and so listed on a census, may on another census be listed as born in Bavaria or Hanover. A little googling for German history and maps will show both places were parts of Germany. My great-great-great grandmother, Philipena Bothme Wilcox, was born in Germany. There is another census that says Hanover.
Ages cannot always be counted on either. They tend to always be a few or so years off more so than right. I came up with a formula, on my own, and it didn’t take a PhD. to do it. Just when I think I am lacking common sense, I find more to spend. Knowing an ancestor’s, or related individual’s, birth year, I write it down. I list every census year between their birth and death, if that year is known. Using my computer’s calculator, I subtract that birth year from the census year. The result is their approximate age for a given census, approximate because it depends on the individual’s birthday in relation to the date of the census and whether or not I have the month or day. If you don’t know the death year, that’s okay. You know when you get to 80 and up it’s likely they’ll disappear from census records. At best, you can get a range. What is especially helpful is when other research can narrow that range down. That was the case concerning my great-great grandmother Fanny Holloway Bible, wife of William A. Bible, on my mother’s side. We don’t know when she died or where she is buried. I discovered they had their last child, John Frank Bible, May 11, 1898. Then I discovered a death record for their daughter Myrtle. Myrtle, at age 15, died of Typhoid March 20, 1910. I also discovered, though not to my surprise, on the 1910 census William’s wife’s name was Emma. We always heard he was either married before Fanny or afterwards. More searching turned up a marriage date for W. A. Bible and Emma Fisher, March 17, 1910. We now know Fanny died between 1898 and 1910, a broad expanse, but it’s better than what we had.
Another perplexing issue is the name game. Folks would use whatever name suited them at any particular moment, flip-flopping like a politician. A couple of fellows on my Cunningham line on my father’s side introduced me to the name game. Either a person is so inconsistent with what name they use it makes locating them almost impossible or they are so consistent no one knows they have a different name than what they are using. Fortunately, my aforementioned paternal grandmother did tell me her father’s name wasn’t just Neal. He was named Cornelius Madison Cunningham. Such openness was not the case in his brother Lee’s family. Lee’s youngest daughter, the late Mary Evelyn ‘Dutchie’ Cunningham Howell, always knew her father’s name as Lee. In some instances he is found as Lee A. Thinking it was actually Lee Andrew she suggested the two names for her only grandson. She was quite surprised when I told her he was actually Leander Alexander Cunningham, and proved it with copies of records. Neal’s and Lee’s brother Joseph Daniel Cunningham was the inconsistent one. He went by Joe, Dan, Joe Dan or J. D. He was so hard to find, until Dutchie Howell recounted her memory of his funeral to me in either the late 1980‘s or early 1990‘s. She said it was in the early 1930’s and cold as the dickens. She remembered the curtains on the car being down. It’s not rocket science to figure out the cold months are October through March, the coldest being November through January. She told me he had hung himself with a telephone wire on the front porch of the McLennan County Poor Farm. Until then, I didn’t know there was such a place. Using what she told me, I went hunting. I finally found my grandmother’s Uncle Joe. He died November 8, 1930. I even obtained a copy of his death certificate and had to quickly sit down and shake my head. His own brother Neal named him on the death certificate as Dan W. Cunningham! W! I’ll never know why or where that came from.
Misspellings were the next problem, both first and last names, the two that matter most. Middle names rarely show on censuses. In other records they may appear, wholly or just the initial, either correctly or be a different middle name, or initial, all together. I’ll start with the first names. Mom’s maternal grandfather was Burtis Samuel Miller, however, the first name can be found a Bertis or, as in the case of her brother named for him, Birtis. Burtis’s father’s name was just as bad, Cerilus Miller. Cerilus can be found as Serilis, Serilous, Cyrillos or Cyrillous. Also on my mom’s side, is the issue of Philipena Bothme Wilcox. She is found as Phillipina, Philipina, Philipene, Philopena and on her marriage record she is Tellycenia! Since I do not have actual proof of just how she spelled it, I’ve adopted Philopena. Because of the handwriting on the license, we aren’t too sure of her maiden name. Surnames are more frequently misspelled. Mom’s maiden name of LaFrance can be found with the two parts together or separate or as one name- Lafrance. An older half-sister of Neal, Lee, and Joe Cunningham, Margaret Cunningham, married Hosea Hammonds. That surname can be found as Hammons, Hammon, Hammond, and even Hermann and Harmon. Another older half-sister, Sarah Cunningham, married Thomas J. Dearman. That surname can be found as DeArman, DeArmand, DeArmond, Dearmon, Dearmond or Dearmand. The maiden name of my great-great grandmother, Rebecca Vermel Oliphant Miller, on my mother’s side, is another victim of misspelling. I have found it as Oliphant and Oliphent.
As if the name game and the misspellings are perplexing enough, there are the nicknames and abbreviations. Until I began my research I didn’t know Sally was an old nickname for Sarah. Here are a few other’s: Margaret- Maggie, Peggy, Betsy, Peg or Meg; Martha- Patsy; Catherine or Katherine- Cathy, Katie or Kate, with either C or K; Elizabeth is abound with nicknames- Eliza, Liza, Lizzie, Bess, Bessie or Beth, to name just a few; Mary- Mollie or Polly; Josephine- Jo or Josie; Johanna/Joanna/Joanne- Jo, Anne, Ann, Anna, even Hanna. The boys prove easy: James- Jim or Jimmy; Joseph- Joe or Joey; William- Will, Bill, Billy or Willie, to name just a few. I quickly figured out both Jhn. and Jno. are the abbreviations for John. Here are a few others: Chas.- Charles; Jas.- James; Danl.- Daniel; Rbt.- Robert.
Perhaps the names you encounter aren’t ‘English’. Recently there was an inquiry into my Miller branch. In a nutshell, there are equally similarities and differences between our Miller families. The 1850 Bastrop county, Texas census was referenced. It was one with first initials with only a child actually named. The point of interest was the daughter- L. Well, when all was said and done, L was Louise Miller, as the inquirer thought, but on her marriage record she was listed as Ludviska. It’s the German equivalent of Louise. In the end, the 1850 Miller family is not mine, and likely not the inquirers either. Such early censuses may reflect the family’s origins, such as Germany France, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, China, Ireland, Mexico or others. The sister of my great-great grandmother Johanna Wilcox LaFrance shows up in one census as Margaretha. Well, Margaret is so obvious. Margaretha is the German variation of Margaret. Margaret is even used on her marriage license and in the first census her and husband, John Valentine, appear in. My Margaretha was easy to figure out, while the unrelated Ludviska was not.
That is how it is. I have learned some names spelled in the family’s original language may be hard to figure out, while for others the English equivalent is obvious. So while researching, don’t be surprise if your Mary becomes a Polly, your Elizabeth a Lizzie or Eliza, your Catherine a Katie, Joseph a Joey or William a Willie. Further, don’t be surprised if your German great-grandmother Hilda began life as Brunhilda, a Czech Aunt Ann as Aneta, a Spanish great-uncle Joseph as Jose, an Italian Uncle Benny as Benito or a French great-grandmother Bea as Beatrix. I've not only learned names weren’t always cut down, but that they weren't always Anglicized either. The latter would happen either inadvertently or purposely. In the case of the latter, it could have been to simplify the name or to distance oneself from their heritage. For instance, in both world wars, especially the first, all things German were out of favor. You can research names at the following websites, the two I have used and with satisfaction:
http://www.behindthename.com http://www.babynamesworld.com.
Another thing I have learned along this journey is to document even the most trivial piece of information. It may or may not relate to your family, but if it has the faintest hint of a connection, write it down! If you’re at the library and don’t have copier money, write it down. I have overlooked information only to find myself scrambling later on to find it again. I have usually been good at retrieval, but there have been times when I have kicked myself. On my father’s side of the family, my great-grandfather William L. Butler, lost a brother and sister due to burns from fire the 1870’s. At one time, at the library here, I found an article about it in a book pertaining to Coryell county, Texas. I had no copy money, and I just wasn’t sure so I didn‘t bother to write it down. We’ll, years later I kicked myself because there was a connection. I’ve yet to find that same article. Documentation can either settle or create disputes within the family. My Cunningham kith and kin heard our James Cunningham was at San Jacinto and on the monument. Well, there is a Cunningham on the monument, but not ours. In Fayette county, Texas there were at least two different Cunningham families, and some with the same first names. One came down from Tennessee and ours from England. I traced the other family and copied information in the hopes of settling the matter. Even with proof in hand the San Jacinto Cunningham wasn't ours but of the other Cunningham family, I still faced scoffers. Don’t let the possibility of hardheadedness from family members sway you. Find the truth and show the proof. If they don’t want to get it, as mine didn’t, oh, well. If they want to remain disillusioned, fine. At least you know the truth.
When I embarked on the path to my family’s history, I never imagined how handy a calculator would be. That simple tool settled an issue on my Cunningham line. It was believed James Cunningham came over at the age of 12 or 13, or thereabouts. He did not and I could prove it. He served in the Texas Volunteer Army and in documentation for his pension the date of his emigration is March 1835. James was born in November 1818. Doing the math indicates he was 16, just 8 months shy of his 17th birthday, when he arrived in Texas. This was easier for the family to digest. The calculator also helps in determining if a woman is a second wife or not. In some cases it may be obvious such as she is 30 and the oldest child is 20 and there are children younger than, say, 8 in the household. My James Cunningham was married twice, as previously stated. As I said before, he had nine children with his first wife and ten with the second. I am descended from the second marriage which was to the widow Lucinda Jane Bolton Jones. She was 17, and he 44, when they married in March of 1863. Her oldest step-child was 16. Lucinda was born in August a few weeks after James married his first wife, Rebecca Fitzgerald, on July 31, 1845. The oldest child of James and Rebecca was born in June of 1846. Lucinda, thus, was August 1845 to June 1846 older than her oldest step-child. I couldn’t have figured all that out without a calculator. Well, you may not need a calculator, but I certainly do.
It’s been over 21 years since this journey started. I’ve not ceased to be amazed or perplexed. The lessons I’ve learned have made it somewhat easier. Once you embark on the journey to your family’s history, you'll find more surprises than you thought. Revelation sheds light on your ancestors, makes them real. You may find achievements you never imagined or scandals. You may uncover unfathomable sorrow, as in the loss of many children. Remember, that sweet smelling roses come with thorns. And even in a flower bed choked with weeds, there may be a bright blossom or two. With information technology ever growing and changing for the better, I encourage you to start the genealogical journey if you have an inkling to. You’ll have an easier start than I did.
Another thing I have learned along this journey is to document even the most trivial piece of information. It may or may not relate to your family, but if it has the faintest hint of a connection, write it down! If you’re at the library and don’t have copier money, write it down. I have overlooked information only to find myself scrambling later on to find it again. I have usually been good at retrieval, but there have been times when I have kicked myself. On my father’s side of the family, my great-grandfather William L. Butler, lost a brother and sister due to burns from fire the 1870’s. At one time, at the library here, I found an article about it in a book pertaining to Coryell county, Texas. I had no copy money, and I just wasn’t sure so I didn‘t bother to write it down. We’ll, years later I kicked myself because there was a connection. I’ve yet to find that same article. Documentation can either settle or create disputes within the family. My Cunningham kith and kin heard our James Cunningham was at San Jacinto and on the monument. Well, there is a Cunningham on the monument, but not ours. In Fayette county, Texas there were at least two different Cunningham families, and some with the same first names. One came down from Tennessee and ours from England. I traced the other family and copied information in the hopes of settling the matter. Even with proof in hand the San Jacinto Cunningham wasn't ours but of the other Cunningham family, I still faced scoffers. Don’t let the possibility of hardheadedness from family members sway you. Find the truth and show the proof. If they don’t want to get it, as mine didn’t, oh, well. If they want to remain disillusioned, fine. At least you know the truth.
When I embarked on the path to my family’s history, I never imagined how handy a calculator would be. That simple tool settled an issue on my Cunningham line. It was believed James Cunningham came over at the age of 12 or 13, or thereabouts. He did not and I could prove it. He served in the Texas Volunteer Army and in documentation for his pension the date of his emigration is March 1835. James was born in November 1818. Doing the math indicates he was 16, just 8 months shy of his 17th birthday, when he arrived in Texas. This was easier for the family to digest. The calculator also helps in determining if a woman is a second wife or not. In some cases it may be obvious such as she is 30 and the oldest child is 20 and there are children younger than, say, 8 in the household. My James Cunningham was married twice, as previously stated. As I said before, he had nine children with his first wife and ten with the second. I am descended from the second marriage which was to the widow Lucinda Jane Bolton Jones. She was 17, and he 44, when they married in March of 1863. Her oldest step-child was 16. Lucinda was born in August a few weeks after James married his first wife, Rebecca Fitzgerald, on July 31, 1845. The oldest child of James and Rebecca was born in June of 1846. Lucinda, thus, was August 1845 to June 1846 older than her oldest step-child. I couldn’t have figured all that out without a calculator. Well, you may not need a calculator, but I certainly do.
It’s been over 21 years since this journey started. I’ve not ceased to be amazed or perplexed. The lessons I’ve learned have made it somewhat easier. Once you embark on the journey to your family’s history, you'll find more surprises than you thought. Revelation sheds light on your ancestors, makes them real. You may find achievements you never imagined or scandals. You may uncover unfathomable sorrow, as in the loss of many children. Remember, that sweet smelling roses come with thorns. And even in a flower bed choked with weeds, there may be a bright blossom or two. With information technology ever growing and changing for the better, I encourage you to start the genealogical journey if you have an inkling to. You’ll have an easier start than I did.
Labels: bible, butler, cunningham, genealogy, lafrance, miller, oliphant, research, wilcox
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