Genealogy Excitement

I'm such a nerd. I freely admit that.

I am so incredibly excited that there is now an iPhone app for Ancestry.com and I can open up my family tree where ever I am.

It's the little things like that that make my day....

Label Your Pictures!!

Unknown Norwegian Children :)

I can pick my great-grandmother out of this picture - but who are the rest of these women? Relatives? A church group? Who knows...

Someone's kids enjoying a snack on a bench - somewhere...

This is just a gentle reminder to label your pictures.

You know who the people are when you take the picture and it seems like a silly thing to do, but it's worth it to take the time to label them. Even looking back through pictures from my childhood (and I'm only 32), I can't always remember people's names - people I thought I would never forget!

Also, if you have older relatives with fading photographs, take the time to sit with them and write names/dates/places on the backs of the pictures. Otherwise, this family history will be lost. When you have a box full of old pictures and you have no idea who they are, it doesn't make them quite as meaningful as knowing that it's your great-great-great grandfather and his brothers for example.

I have a huge stack of pictures from my grandfather and about 99% of them are not labeled. I know that they are relations - mostly his siblings, but I don't know who or when or where. :(

I'm a genealogy nerd!

Family Tree
I admit it. I am a bonafide, certified, true genealogy nerd.

If I had time alone in the evening, I would happily spend it :

*searching through 19th century Swedish census records online. A pretty time-consuming process since I don't speak a lick of Swedish and they are scanned in copies with old handwriting and abbreviations. I have a Swedish dictionary though and it sounds like a fun challenge to me!

*reading through old newspaper articles to find obituaries or local gossip on my ancestors. Old newspapers make for such interesting reading material (Truly)! It's neat to see the old advertisements and to see what the headlines were during their lifetimes.

If I could go on a vacation anywhere in the world, it wouldn't be to a tropical island in the Pacific. I could be happy:

*traipsing through an old cemetery in Iowa or Kansas

*spending a week at the National Archives in D.C. or the genealogical library in Salt Lake City

*attending a conference on probate records or using DNA in family history research

*going to Sweden, Norway, Spain, Ireland, or Germany to visit the towns my ancestors are from

*visiting the Civil War battle sites where my ancestors fought

*searching through musty-smelling record books in the county courthouse of a tiny town

If I was able to go back to college (which I just might if I find the time!) I would most likely try to study genealogy. I would love to help other people research their family trees.

Someday when we build our own house and settle down from our nomadic lifestyle, I plan to paint a huge tree on one of our walls and write our family tree on it for all to see. (Okay, since I'm artistically challenged, I probably won't be the one doing the actual painting. I will commission someone who is talented to do the work!)

I have felt so lost since we moved here, because I haven't had any time to devote to my favorite pastime. I really enjoy the research and the challenge. In the absence of work or school, it has been a way to keep my brain going.

When Ellie and Kate were babies, I worked on genealogy for hours at a time. I got really good at nursing a baby while researching on the computer. I didn't have a whole lot to do during the day at that time though. They were too young for school and classes. We were homebodies.

It's so hard to find the time now. Between taking care of all 5 kids (especially a very active 2 yr old and a baby) and trying to homeschool the older three and chauffeur them around town every day, there is very little time left to do anything but fall into bed at night.

I know that my time will come. They won't be little forever.

Someday I will have time to devote to myself and my interests without feeling guilty for spending time away (even if it's just holed up in the basement on the computer!)

A few years from now, my ancestors will still be waiting for me. My kids need me now. So, for now I guess I need to be content with working on it as I find a bit of time here and there.

Catch the Genealogy Bug!

My great-grandparents - the Bergmans.

I started working on genealogy soon after my first daughter was born. I was newly separated from the Air Force and was getting used to the idea of not going to work anymore. I loved staying at home with my new baby, but I wanted something stimulating to do. Genealogy gave me the feeling that I was accomplishing something, using my brain, and doing research. I love putting all of the pieces together and solving the family history puzzles.

For those of you just starting out, a great program to use (the one I use!) is Legacy. They have 2 versions available - the standard one is free and is perfect if you are just starting out. If you get really into it, then you'll want to pay to upgrade to the deluxe edition with all of the bells and whistles. http://www.legacyfamilytree.com/

Another "must" I think is an ancestry.com subsciption. It's pricey, but definitely worth it if you're using it a bunch. They have TONS of databases - including census records (actual scanned copies), military records, scanned books, and much more. http://www.ancestry.com/

I have enjoyed being able to use our family's history in our history studies. When we talked about the Civil War, I was able to show Ellie that we had ancestors on both sides of the war. I showed her their military pension packets which contained letters they wrote and descriptions of their ailments or wounds. When studying immigration, I was able to show her when and from where her ancestors immigrated from. It has really brought history alive.

I hope that some of you consider taking the time to start your family tree and preserve your family's history for future generations. Ask questions of your elderly family members and get their stories and first-hand knowledge before they are gone. My grandmothers both died before I started my genealogical journey and there are so many things I wish I could have asked them - mysteries that I have had to try to solve on my own. Get your kids involved in the research. It could be a family project!! There are a lot of "school" lessons in genealogy research - writing letters to courthouses, interviewing family members, recording your sources, typing and data entry, learning about the history of the area your ancestors lived in - or about the migration trails they traveled. The learning never stops :)