Wild Branches

According to my genealogy software, I have 4363 names in my family tree. Only problem? Now I have to buckle down and find the documents, photographs, records, etc. for each one. And this includes info for the newest little branch on my tree, my nephew Parker.

Finally some progress

I was at a loss on my family genealogy for awhile. I had a ton of sources to sort through, no (free) access to some of the most needed sources, and absolutely no clue where to begin. But I have finally found the solution and it was right in front of me the whole time: just take it one person at a time. Easy enough, right?

Unfortunately, this decision didn't magically create a starting point. Instead, I had close to 1,200 names to choose from. I decided to start with the person that I have some of the most primary source for, my great-great-grandfather on my dad's side, Levi Mathew. It is so interesting how many newspaper and county sources I have for him, but I only have two known photographs of him.

I'm putting all of his information into a biography with pictures and all that good stuff. Hopefully this will be the beginning of a book, newsletter, or other type of genealogy project. If I ever get it done to my satisfaction, I'll post it here.

Wordless Wednesday

I think this says it all...

New social media tool just for genealogists

I have a few ways of receiving new genealogy information. I get this information from a couple of email newsletters, a Yahoo group, and Twitter. All of these resource exploded with information yesterday about Genealogy Wise, the new social networking site for genealogists. I had a little trouble at first trying to sign up for an account there, but once I was able to, I did. It seems like it's going to be a great new resource for sharing information. I cannot believe that this site is still in pre-launch. From what I have read, this site doesn't official launch until July 17th.

I'm still exploring it to see what I can find. If you want to join me on my journey, you can add me as a friend through my profile page

My orginal goal

Starting genealogy was not just a random thought for me. The reason I got into this in the first place was for two reasons: to find out who may be in many of the family photographs I have, and to also find more family photographs that may be in someone's possession. For instance, the picture that I use as part of this blog heading is a complete mystery to me. I have asked some family about it before, but I don't think anyone recognized the place.



And no, it's not some fantastical, trippy land. The photo was either exposed to a lot of light or something was wrong with the negative when it was printed. Originally, it was a deep blue sky and an orange color where the yellow and red tones appear. The way you see it now was after trying to to use an automatic color fixing tool on Picture It! And that circle to the right? It's not the sun or the moon. When looking at the original photograph, it is either a rust stain or a cigarette burn. But I love the way this looks, and even though I'm not sure who took it, where it is, and why it was significant, I will have an easy mind knowing that some day I may figure it out. And if not, it's still a really groovy pic!

We're on the road to yesteryear

Welcome to Ancestry Musings, a blog dedicated to my adventures in researching my family history. I have been researching my family for the past eight months and I have quickly fallen in love with genealogy. Although I am a writer by trade, I am looking to study genealogy and become certified in this type of research. But for now, I'm fascinated with discovering my own family.

From the research I have conducted so far, my family has roots throughout the United States and around the world. Somehow they all ended up together in Northwestern Indiana within the last century. Like any other family, they lived, laughed, loved, and suffered tragedies. Some of this can be seen in photographs; other information is provided by newspaper clippings and storied passed down through the generations. I have chosen to honor these people by knowing all I can about them and sharing their story.

And so the journey begins...