tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26204193.post8630407441542182307..comments2024-03-26T11:22:41.940-07:00Comments on Genea-Musings: Saturday Night Genealogy Fun -- What Started You Actively Researching Your Family History?Randy Seaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17477703429102065294noreply@blogger.comBlogger28125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26204193.post-73900336969921395262016-09-20T15:07:16.007-07:002016-09-20T15:07:16.007-07:00http://www.researchjournal.yourislandroutes.com/20...http://www.researchjournal.yourislandroutes.com/2016/09/sngf-it-began-with-a-simple-conversation-with-my-grandma/Melhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13311557694307825428noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26204193.post-33807524584068561332016-09-20T09:28:18.087-07:002016-09-20T09:28:18.087-07:00I'm a few days late but here is my blog post! ...I'm a few days late but here is my blog post! Basically, I thought I could find one thing...and two years later here I am! <a href="https://ellen2321.wordpress.com/2016/09/20/saturday-night-genealogy-fun-september-17/" rel="nofollow">https://ellen2321.wordpress.com/2016/09/20/saturday-night-genealogy-fun-september-17/</a>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26204193.post-66686903787717113052016-09-20T00:14:30.632-07:002016-09-20T00:14:30.632-07:00My journey started about 8 years ago with the aim ...My journey started about 8 years ago with the aim of proving or disproving the myth that we were descended from an English Civil War character who was shot for high treason. <br /><br />Then it just sorted of expanded from there into all 4 of my grandparent's lines, and has gone down a few rabbit holes as people have told more stories and mysteries about my family. It never gets dull! <br /><br />Here's the full story on my new blog: https://cornucopiaofkin.wordpress.com/2016/08/09/my-beginnings-tracing-treachery/Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04618331961637619239noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26204193.post-41804443466367948202016-09-19T09:33:07.445-07:002016-09-19T09:33:07.445-07:00Here is the link to my post: http://emptybrancheso...Here is the link to my post: http://emptybranchesonthefamilytree.com/2016/09/saturday-night-genealogy-fun-what-started-you-researching-your-family-history/<br /><br />I started when I decided to prove whether my mom's Adams line was linked to the Presidents or not.Linda Stufflebeanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10652044674485948749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26204193.post-9615189500618688812016-09-18T09:14:31.359-07:002016-09-18T09:14:31.359-07:00In teaching genealogy, I've learned that there...In teaching genealogy, I've learned that there are several predominate triggers that start an interest in genealogy: 1)a book, TV show, or movie such as Roots, or the Sims! 2)a life changing event such as a death, or 3) having an interest, and finally finding time to do it. In my case it was a life changing event.<br /><br />My dad passed away in 1996. He was the only child of an only child. He and he parents immigrated here after WWII, the lone family on his side to come. Before he passed, realizing what little time we had left, I interviewed him in the car to and from chemo treatments. Wrote notes on his stories when I got home. With money I inherited after his death. I bought my first new computer and a genealogical data base program (FTM). <br /><br />Previously, I had done a little research, that I had kept in a shoebox. I was thrilled at the flexibility of a database. I had always loved the stories and information, but got frustrated with how to keep it in an organized fashion. This was the turning point for me.<br /><br />I feel fortunate I started rather early, I was in my 40's. I still had elders in the family whom I could interview. My father’s mother who lived to 99, wrote to our relatives in Europe helping me with information on the family. She let me interview her for hours. Her stories were fascinating.<br /><br />I found that family members who knew of my interest, were more than happy to share and give me the information they had saved. I didn't know it at the time, but it was the beginning of becoming the family historian and archivist. I am very thankful for all those who were so generous. Seeds to Treehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07146194433439896630noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26204193.post-967246060357292232016-09-18T07:37:59.249-07:002016-09-18T07:37:59.249-07:00Randy:
I know the exact moment and event that tri...Randy:<br /><br />I know the exact moment and event that triggered my interest. It was in 1993 when I received a letter in the mail to "Dear Cousin:" The letter announced that the sender had just written a book on the Richhart/Ritchhart/Ritschard Family. She told a little about the book, mentioned the Library of Congress catalog Card Number. The book was $45 plus $5 postage. A lot of those type letters are rip offs and they just provide you with a list of the surnames out of phone books, maybe organized by state and maybe a family crest they found online, along with a history of the name. I barely knew how to use a computer; but managed to check the Library of Congress Catalog and, sure enough, the book was registered. I ordered the book and when I received it, my father and his family were listed and it took the Ritchhart family name back to the 1500 in the little Swiss village where Christian Ritschard emigrated from in 1750 to Pennsylvania. Well that did it--I was hooked. I decided I needed to get a software program to put all the data in the book into. I had seen adds for Family Tree Maker, so I ordered it and was off and running. I later corresponded with the author Bettye Richhart, bought several more books for all my kids and grandkids, and actually stayed with she and her husband while on a trip across country. I am very thankful for that trigger; because it has provided me with thousands of hours of enjoyment researching, lecturing and helping others with their research. . . Del Ritchhartdritchharthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08213238918166239787noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26204193.post-31436106946386070882016-09-18T07:17:10.833-07:002016-09-18T07:17:10.833-07:00Looking back it was inevitable that I would develo...Looking back it was inevitable that I would develop the interest somehow, but the event that spared me off was when my dad casually mentioned that my great-grandfather (who was never discussed beforehand) was famous for carrying a 256lbs sack of wheat for a full mile.<br /><br />It was searching for a record of this event online that lead me to family history sites like GenesReunited and Ancestry, and then I connected with a cousin who not only had photos of the event I was looking for, but family photos that went back to my great-great-great grandparents.<br /><br />There was no turning back after that, I am now a full blown fanatic.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14190730319098949639noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26204193.post-47985123835000567122016-09-18T01:16:12.582-07:002016-09-18T01:16:12.582-07:00Randy - I always try to comment on everyone's ...Randy - I always try to comment on everyone's post that participates in the challenge but I am not sure I always remember to comment on yours. Two things struck me about your post. First of all I loved your comment that you thought "This shouldn't take long" in respect to your beginning your family history search. And I am totally envious that you have been to NEGHS. Very cool. Mary Rohrer Dexterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05130749558811827084noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26204193.post-12528437269112177402016-09-18T01:06:54.979-07:002016-09-18T01:06:54.979-07:00Janice - I left my comment for you on your blog po...Janice - I left my comment for you on your blog post. Mary Rohrer Dexterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05130749558811827084noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26204193.post-77586014481933553602016-09-18T01:06:06.658-07:002016-09-18T01:06:06.658-07:00GeneGinny - are your Boone's the English line ...GeneGinny - are your Boone's the English line or the German Bohn's? I have the German Bohn line in my history. Mary Rohrer Dexterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05130749558811827084noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26204193.post-51037057646162174502016-09-18T01:04:22.668-07:002016-09-18T01:04:22.668-07:00Shirley Ann - I love that you got to spend time wi...Shirley Ann - I love that you got to spend time with your grandmother and get the stories down before she passed on. Mary Rohrer Dexterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05130749558811827084noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26204193.post-18171855215755964852016-09-18T01:02:52.298-07:002016-09-18T01:02:52.298-07:00Richard - someone invited me to try brothers keepe...Richard - someone invited me to try brothers keeper a long time ago. I was using FTM at that time. But brothers keeper was a nice program. I use Reunion now. Mary Rohrer Dexterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05130749558811827084noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26204193.post-90544147702689744672016-09-18T01:00:20.771-07:002016-09-18T01:00:20.771-07:00Wendy - I left a comment on your blog post. Wendy - I left a comment on your blog post. Mary Rohrer Dexterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05130749558811827084noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26204193.post-87259882524660046922016-09-18T00:59:29.796-07:002016-09-18T00:59:29.796-07:00Lisa - it is very neat that your older family memb...Lisa - it is very neat that your older family members were such an important part of your life. I had some of those type relatives in my childhood too. I don't see that kind of intergenerational exchange going on today with youngsters and it worries me. Mary Rohrer Dexterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05130749558811827084noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26204193.post-2611418290385437642016-09-18T00:57:43.114-07:002016-09-18T00:57:43.114-07:00Edward - the job photographing for your aunt sound...Edward - the job photographing for your aunt sounds like a dream job. It is very cool that you have a craft like photography to bring to the table in your family history research. Mary Rohrer Dexterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05130749558811827084noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26204193.post-69195872899616782032016-09-18T00:56:18.038-07:002016-09-18T00:56:18.038-07:00Melissa - I have never played Sims2 and don't ...Melissa - I have never played Sims2 and don't know what it is. It must be fun. Cool that a game sparked your interest. Mary Rohrer Dexterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05130749558811827084noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26204193.post-77652012207836088462016-09-18T00:55:29.805-07:002016-09-18T00:55:29.805-07:00Janice, I love that you thought you could complet...Janice, I love that you thought you could complete your family history in six weeks. My first goal was unrealistic too. I wanted to get each line back to immigration and determine what county they immigrated from. I wanted to in that way determine my heritage. Of course I learned that the migration that occurred prior to immigration was substantial so getting each line to immigration was not going to determine my heritage. Mary Rohrer Dexterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05130749558811827084noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26204193.post-92013616993327510392016-09-17T22:34:29.870-07:002016-09-17T22:34:29.870-07:00Hi everyone! Here is mine for this week! http://...Hi everyone! Here is mine for this week! http://skeezicks1957.blogspot.com/2016/09/the-what-started-you-actively.htmlMary Rohrer Dexterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05130749558811827084noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26204193.post-29045479419069183972016-09-17T21:11:50.625-07:002016-09-17T21:11:50.625-07:00I actually started before Roots, back when I was j...I actually started before Roots, back when I was just 13 years old. I was lucky to start that young, because I still had plenty of family members to talk to.<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://ancestraldiscoveries.blogspot.com/2016/09/saturday-night-genealogy-fun-what.html" rel="nofollow">http://ancestraldiscoveries.blogspot.com/2016/09/saturday-night-genealogy-fun-what.html</a>Janice M. Sellershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08466785140555595069noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26204193.post-49381882256287186112016-09-17T18:54:28.231-07:002016-09-17T18:54:28.231-07:00My grandmother was helping a cousin write a book o...My grandmother was helping a cousin write a book on the Israel Boone Family in the early 1960s. We lived in State College, PA, and they wanted some information on the Boones in Pennsylvania, so I spent a bunch of weekends during my junior year in high school (spring 1965) researching in the Penn State University library. My grandmother and cousin, Alice Boone, were thrilled with the information I sent them.<br /> With my appetite whetted, I tried to get information out of my father to research his family. He was zero help. Did not even know his mother's maiden name or where his parents were born....and he really didn't want to know. While my mother was happy to research her family with me, she didn't want to know anything about Dad's family. Since I've never met any of them, it's been a challenge.<br /> After marrying my husband in 1976, I got interested in tracing his Swedish family history, which actually turned out to be mostly Finnish. His mother never really appreciated learning that she hadn't married a fellow Swede.GeneGinnyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05172142394579145655noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26204193.post-22211588887779321522016-09-17T18:35:25.483-07:002016-09-17T18:35:25.483-07:00My grandmother was born in Missouri and growing up...My grandmother was born in Missouri and growing up I heard many of her stories about family members I never met. I wanted to research my family history, but I didn't know how to get started. The main problem was that the records in Missouri weren't accessible. So I got a late start, abt. 1998. <br /><br />My dad went to visit my grandmother and he told her about what I was doing. My grandmother gave my dad a book to use in my research. The book was "Maryland Catholics on the Frontier" by Timothy O'Rourke. The book was over-sized and about 1100 pages, so I spent months going through all the genealogies.<br /><br />Later I returned to book to my grandmother, and spent a day talking about the family and she shared some stories and answered all my questions. She passed away about 4 years later at the age of 93.Shirley Ann Rankinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09332814640155455138noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26204193.post-36510770081444947572016-09-17T17:34:16.072-07:002016-09-17T17:34:16.072-07:00I started after watching Roots on TV back in 1977....I started after watching Roots on TV back in 1977. Pulled out some notebook paper and made my first pedigree chart. It did not go far, just back to some of my great grandparents. A couple years later my aunt sent me some pages of my dad's family someone had put together. Added more when I got married. At some point I placed what I had on Brothers Keeper, don't remember anything about it. The ball really got going in 1997 when I got access to the web. Did a search (no Google then) for some of the family names, found some boards and I was off. Started using Broderbund's early FTM and now here I am, 4000 records later. P.S. Located a cousin who inherited work his aunt had done. Surprise, surprise, it was the original work that my aunt had sent me years earlier. Different aunts, same extended family.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05828977113580009330noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26204193.post-37325247696373857252016-09-17T17:30:19.380-07:002016-09-17T17:30:19.380-07:00As an avid player of Sims 2 and, now, Sims 3, I wi...As an avid player of Sims 2 and, now, Sims 3, I wish I could give Melissa's answer! LOL<br /><br />But for me, it started with my parents' divorce in 1979 and a leather wallet full of family information.<br /><br />http://www.newenglandgenealogy.net/2016/09/saturday-night-genealogy-fun-what.htmlWendy Callahanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07427385054194307024noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26204193.post-25306478443444815152016-09-17T17:20:37.562-07:002016-09-17T17:20:37.562-07:00It was the birth of my daughters that got me think...It was the birth of my daughters that got me thinking about the future and the past and how I was the connector. I had always paid attention to who my aunts, uncles, and cousins were, so it was natural to get into genealogy. Wished I had started when I was 13 and stayed with my grandmother's sister. Oh the stories those two told at the dinner table every night. It also helped that I had a friend who made a yearly week-long trip to the Family History Library. Finding my grandfather the first time in the 1920 census really hooked me and I began taking trips to the FHL, too.Lisa S. Gorrellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06086125812111254305noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26204193.post-13913232419744742282016-09-17T17:04:48.895-07:002016-09-17T17:04:48.895-07:00I came through the back door. My Dad and older bro...I came through the back door. My Dad and older brother were experienced amateur photographers and I followed in their footsteps. My Mother's first cousin was a professional genealogist and hired me to take photos of gravestones, houses, copy old portaits, artifacts, etc. Then in 1962 she gave me a two post binder filled with blank family group sheets and said I had an immigrant ancestor (not one of hers) of whom no one had done a descendancy. I'm now 7000+ family members. And I had to branch out and work on all my lines. I topped it off by merging one of the lines ... I married my sixth cousin.Edward Blackhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11683538091981892955noreply@blogger.com