I've done research on my family history since I was a teenager. My mom and dad couldn't tell me much - some names and birthdates of grandmas and grandpas, but that's about it. Neither my mom's or dad's side were close with extended family - I didn't grow up with any cousins, rarely saw grandparents, didn't hear from uncles and aunts very often. So I started with these few names and today I've got 3000 plugged into Ancestry.com. I found my father-in-law's siblings, family he didn't know he had. I found my grandma's half-sister, whom she didn't know existed. I've talked to distant cousins, encountered people extremely generous with their information, resources and documents, and learned about my Godly heritage (strong roots in a huge Church of the Brethren community in Pennsylvania who came from Germany). It's exactly like putting a puzzle together - the feeling is AMAZING when you've finally found that one piece that fits among a million 'close but no cigar' possiblities. Unlike a puzzle, I'm investing my time in something I can give my kids: knowledge of their heritage.
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