posted 09-05-2005 09:13 AM               

This is "off topic" but it relates to my second hobby - Genealogy/researching my family tree. Genealogy has been one of my main interests since 2002 when a high school classmate introduced me to the subject at our 40th graduation reunion.

Since then, I have added 260 people to my family tree and I have discovered a wealth of information about my ancestors. It is a very interesting hobby and leads you to many interesting locations.

One decision that you must make when researching your current family tree or ancestors is - how far do you research a particular branch? That is, once you know the name of an ancestor, do you continue researching on that branch? I think YES because I want to make my family tree as large as possible. I go by the "President's Rule". This is: If you can link your family to a President of the US or any major celebrity or famous person (even an astronaut or astronauts ancestors), the branch should be researched.

posted 09-05-2005 11:14 AM              

Being a Scot,luiving in Scotland i am fortunate to have access to some of the best kept and complete Genealogy records available.

I have traced my family tree (paternal and maternal lines) back almost 300years to 1715, but am still working on it when i get the time. As you go farther back it gets more difficult and interesting.

I am working on a link and very possible connection through my grandmothers maiden name (Todd) to the wife of President Lincoln. Her family came from the area where my grandmothers family come from..will let you know!!!

I have also uncovered an ancestor who fought in the Battle of Salamanca (1812..if i recollect) against Napoleonic forces. I found his pension record which showed he lost an arm during the battle. He was 25 at the time and live to age 79!!

There are so many things that i have found out, and have family photos dating back to the 1890's.

posted 09-05-2005 12:02 PM               

I have managed to trace back all the branches of my ancestors about four generations back. The oldest ancestors I can be sure about were born around the end of the 1700s. They're all very humble folk too - agricultural labourers, bargemen - no royal blood in my line.

posted 09-05-2005 02:49 PM               

I now use the Family Tree Maket 2005 program. This program allows you to create a picture file for every ancestor, descendent and relative. It is a great place to save information and copies of documents and photos. You can also enter a wealth of information about individuals. This is not just a collection of names, it is a history of a family. I like to enter maps of the locations where my ancestors lived.

I recently found a photo of my father from the 1940's. It means a great deal to me because I now have six photos of my father. He was killed in Normandy, France in 1944.

I also located a few living relatives and corresponded with them on the Internet. They both had changed their family name in different manners and I was able to locate them on Ancestry.com on their "soundtax" search. I have also learned a great deal from cemetery records, including headstones. US Census records also contain a great amount of information.

If any Collect Space member would like to know how to begin researching their Family Tree, please contact me at: york780@aol.com This is not a commercial advertisement. I want to help people to find information about their family history. Perhaps you are related to as astronaut or a President.

posted 09-05-2005 07:39 PM               

(an old Rodney Dangerfield line)

Small smile.

posted 09-09-2005 02:36 PM               

quote:

---

Originally posted by Blackarrow:
My brother has researched our family tree and tells me that we are related (on our mother's side) to Anne Morrow Lindbergh, wife of Charles Lindbergh. Also one of the defenders of the Alamo (one of Davey Crockett's men, I think he was called Robert McKinney).

---

That is fascinating. Both Charles Lindbergh and Davey Crockett are important characters in US history and folklore. It is interesting when I discover new members of my family tree. Recently, because of newly released information, I found six more relatives who lived in Canada, just across the border from New York. It was a total surprise.