Family Ties

Today I enjoyed a genealogy presentation and the saint louis county library with a good friend of mine tonight.  I decided that I am going to start to find my roots and I'm excited for what I may find! I think its important to know where you come from.  If you think about how far you know your ancestors, by name and or any personal fact, it is pretty scary to think that in that same matter of yrs you may be forgotten/unknown by those who follow you.  I don't know anyone past my great-grandparents which means if I am lucky, if the pattern continues, I can only expect to be remembered 3 generations out. To think that my life and all its experiences will die with me is pretty sad, so I look forward to digging in and discovering my origins on both sides and eventually in my husbands family as well and I encourage anyone even slightly interested to do the same. You'd be surprised all of the resources and information out there that is available to us.  There are entire libraries and archives and more dedicated to the different facets of ancestral findings.  You can look people up by military records, deeds, birth and death records as well as marriage licences and education records.  I wonder if I have any Native American Ancestors, or any European decent.  I know a common finding in many African Americans when they research their roots is that they come to find that many AA's take on the last names of their slave owners which can end their findings unless they can somehow find a last name prior to their capture and where they lived before.  We also have access to many immigration records which can come in handy for those whose family members came from other countries.  If you know the year or a time period in which they came there is a pretty good chance you can find records on them.  And then of course the Census is an excellent aid to find out information as far as where they live, their occupation and household information.  It is going to be a long, but interesting journey that will benefit not just me, but all of us.  The speaker said something that rang very true to me, that every piece of personal history that people discover is a small piece of american history and can help us all in some way. I just hope to create a new standard for those who follow me to start to pay more attention to our history and its documentation.  I would also like to make a memoir of my life in my elder years as well as trying to journal more like I used to. I know I may not do it on a daily basis, but more often than not, because even when I look back on the pages I've written and evaluate the emotional state I was in when writing it, or the age and place in my life it seems interesting to me even now.  My main issue is that I get caught up in wanting it to be perfect.  I am afraid to document the imperfections of my life, or when I go too long without writing in my journal, I'll "scrap" it and start over, not realizing that though it may not be perfect, though it may not be ideal, its how I felt, its my life, its my story and it is important.  So I am excited for the journey that awaits me and as always, will keep you posted!