Step 1...Understanding more about what Genealogy is

Genealogy is researching and identifying your ancestors. It is finding names, dates, and places of your ancestors and also finding and putting together, like pieces of a puzzle, facts about their life such as how they lived their life, and the kind of people they were. It is forming your family history. Also, it is searching out information such as if they immigrated to this country, and their migration from place to place and details about the places they lived, any land they owned, information in Wills or Probate records that will give you more clues to other members in their family. It is gathering and compiling all this information you know and have about your family, present and past, and organizing and sharing it. (Wouldn't you want the memory of you and your life to be kept alive in the minds and hearts of all your future generations?). What greater, more rewarding and important work than this!

As you progress in genealogy work, you will soon realize that you want to learn much more than just the names, dates, and places. Instead you will want to learn about the lives your ancestors lived. You will desire to learn everything about them...what made them happy, and the trials they had to endure. The more you find out, the more you’ll want to know.

It is fascinating once you begin the quest to learn about your ancestors...this all brings them closer to your understanding...and your heart.