Someone has asked me�..Why do you care about all this old stuff�why is it so important to you?I remember back to when I began this incredible journey. I worked full time and knew that I didn�t have time to do much original research. This was before the internet�when you had to go to courthouses and write tons of letters to government agencies, etc. So, I said to myself, �I will just gather as much information as I can from people who already know.� I wrote all of my relatives and copied all of their information, pictures�anything I could get my hands on. I sometimes shamelessly gathered and copied other people�s research�always keeping in mind that it might not be completely accurate (I still do that).
I actually believed that MY family wouldn�t be important enough to show up in old courthouse records anyway--that there wouldn�t be any old books written about MY family. How little I knew!
Eventually, I became so engrossed that I had to check out the courthouses (when I could) and write for all of the birth, marriage and death certificates. I spent so many hours at the Federal Center looking at microfilms of census records that I have a 2-inch stack of pages of handwritten census notes (the toll it took on my neck is the real evidence). I took beginner classes�..and intermediate classes�.and even more classes.
At first, I resisted putting my genealogy on the computer. There was so much--how could I ever get it all into a genealogy program? But, eventually, I decided it wouldn�t get better, so I spent hours typing all of the family group sheets, etc. Then, someone sent me a stack of research on one family. I typed it all up. And since my full-time job also required a lot of computer work, I now have what can arguably be called carpal tunnel syndrome. Has it been worth it?
Then came the internet. And, it kept getting better and better. I spent much of my free time doing research on it. Now, I spend countless hours mapping out land acquisitions. Obsessed is a word that is frequently used to describe me. I admit it�..I love dead people more (they're not as judgmental, for one thing)! I even dream about them!
And, finally, I retired. And, now I spend even more time. I take trips to the library in Salt Lake City. I take trips to visit courthouses. Then, I knew that I had to share what I know and so I learned to create a web page--and more.
Today, I sat here at the computer just looking at this website and all of the incredible stories, pictures, and documents that are here, and I asked myself, �How could I not have done this?� These are the stories of the people who built this country. They are the stories of my parents and grandparents�stories even they never knew, because they never had the time or opportunity. If I didn�t tell the stories of these people, who would?
I found stories of Revolutionary and Civil War soldiers, stories of crossing the great plains, stories of barges and riverboats. These people weren't perfect--there were also stories of infidelity, and stories of slave holders that especially disappointed me. But we are not perfect either, and I feel richer for knowing something about them.
I feel incredibly privileged to have had the opportunity and good fortune to do this research. If pride is a sin, as my parents would have said, then I am guilty--for I feel incredibly proud to have all of these people as my forefathers and foremothers! In fact, this is also MY story and I couldn't be more proud.
Why do I care�INDEED! I hope that your own research is as fulfilling for you as mine has been for me!
Fortune Footprints - White Whisperings
created by NM-llanera
My World Connect Tree
Created Apr 2013 - Last update
Sun Sep 9 20:12:56 2018 MDT