Journeying into the Past

The Roots of a Family Tree begin with the Love of Two Hearts.

~ Unknown

I have spent numerous hours journeying into the past, researching mine and my husband’s family tree. Doing this research about our ancestors and collateral relatives has given us a lot of fascinating and inciteful information. It has helped us to learn new things about our families and confirm some information we already knew. Our journey has re-connected us with family we lost touch with and introduced us to new family.

The key is finding the right pieces to connect.

The many twists and turns among the family branches can sometimes make the research feel a little like trying to find your way through a labyrinth. It can all be a little confusing and it doesn’t help that not all information you find is accurate. My research has consisted of personal knowledge, using various websites, books, documents, and DNA tests to connect the right pieces.

Unfortunately, when there are people with the same or similar names sometimes the wrong documentation can get attributed to the person you are researching. Another tricky issue can be spellings of names, which can vary depending on who was documenting things. Consequently, I sometimes need to do additional research to verify the information. As new information is brought to light the tree is added to or changed.

Learning about the past is not always easy.

We have learned about the places they have lived, jobs they have had, achievements they have made, and the struggles and losses they endured. Some ancestors came from money and were born into high society. Others were born poor and worked their up in the societal ranks. And then some stayed poor their whole lives.

Without all of our ancestors, no matter who they were and what they did, we would not exist.

Have you created a family tree or taken a DNA test? What have you learned? Have you been surprised been any of your results?

Share your stories in the comments below…can’t wait to hear from you!

Republished from Artsymom’s Balancing Act (which is owned by me). Original post published on 7 Oct 2021. (https://artsymomsbalancingact.com/journeying-into-the-past/)