started me on this journey. Dorothy, particularly keen on our family history, preserved the heirlooms and papers throughout her busy life and several moves. In the final years of their lives, Patricia helped her to organize and compile an enormous amount of information. Mom became a very accomplished genealogist in the process.
I inherited the files and photo albums, becoming the family historian by default. For years, I sporadically browsed through them, and tried to make sense of Mom's "cryptic" research notes. Now and then, I would Google family names, sometimes finding an interesting item to add to the files. As the years progressed, the responsibility of being the keeper of the family history began to weigh more and more on me. I realized that the time had come for me to educate myself in the proper procedure of the practice of genealogy. In the summer of 2011, I enrolled in an adult education class at my local community college taught by Larry Van Horn, taking a second class during the winter months. The instruction from those classes was invaluable, and now it doesn't matter whether I can understand those cryptic notes, because I've learned how to research and put together my family tree myself.
The stories that I've learned about my ancestors have amazed me. My desire has been to write them in such a way that others can enjoy them also. Feeling that my writing skills could do with a bit of polish, I have taken several very helpful classes through Glenda Beall's Writers Circle Studio.
Now, I'm continuing my journey by way of this blog. I thank you for joining me and I hope that you will be entertained by the stories.
