A nice lady recently contacted me. She and her aging siblings had been experiencing some health issues, and found themselves wondering, "Where did we come from? Who were our grandparents?" She had tried to start a tree on Ancestry, but soon became overwhelmed by the process. I think a lot of new genealogy researchers can relate to that, don't you? Let's see if we had Fun Finding Family!
I was recovering from a bout of laryngitis and had some free time, so I looked her up on Ancestry. Let's just begin by saying, she was not a "Smith" or a "Jones" or I might not have been so anxious to dive in!
In no time at all, I had found the birth announcement for "Ms. Superman" which also kindly included the names of her existing siblings and her mother's full name, let's say that was "Kryptonite." An immediate hint came up in the 1950 Census. Next, the marriage license with the parents' names.
The 1930 Census popped up, and before you know it, I had 32 people in the tree. Ladies and gentlemen, these people that would form my new friend's family, all arrived in Milwaukee in the 1880's and they stayed. And their descendants are still in Milwaukee!
The earlier censuses listed where they were born in Russia or Eastern Europe as the borders existed at that time.
So friends, fear not to take the dive into your family history, even if you do have a few too many Johnsons and Smiths like I do. You can always start your search for free and FamilySearch!
Have you made your plans for RootsTech next week? It's all free, most of it online, and you cannot miss another look for your brick wall relative in their video archives!
I'd love to try to help you with your family! Finding your family can be a lot of fun even if you are not descended from a "Superman!" Send me an email!
Regards,
Leslie Ryan
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