ANCESTRAL SPARKS ARE FLYING!

Back in Genealogical Action!

I took a short blogging sabbatical due to work obligations, but continued to research whenever I had the chance.  Many exciting mysteries were brought to light recently.  I would like to share some with you:

1.  Helping a Friend with a Road Block:

A few years ago, I had the pleasure of meeting a lovely couple.  They were born in the same town my ancestors hailed from in Vizzini, Catania, Sicilia, Italia.  This couple has been a constant source of inspiration to me as I continue on my journey of digging up the past.  Yesterday, I went to visit them for a little while and brought my laptop.  My friend, Marianne, was asking me how I was able to find so much information so quickly.  My reply to her was, "I'll show you."  Within three hours, we traced her roots back five generations and found out that she and her husband are FIFTH COUSINS!  They share the same 4x-great-grandparents.  Needless to say, she was overwhelmed and very excited at the amount of names and dates that were presenting themselves.  Ancestry.com and FamilySearch.org continue to provide me with excellent resources that enable me to make someone who is having trouble searching on their own very happy!

Ancestry
FamilySearch

2.  "I Didn't Even Know Who My Great-Grandparents Were!":

Sometimes, when I hit my own brick walls and cannot go further back in my own direct ancestry, I branch off to search for some of my aunts and uncles through marriage.  I decided to call my aunt in Nevada and asked her if she would permit me to do a little research into her family tree.  I told her that all I was interested in were names and dates.  She gave me the information that she knew of, which only really went as far back as her grandparents.  After receiving her permission, I got to work.  Seven hours later, I traced her roots back to the year 1130 A.D.!  Her 23rd-great-grandfather, Bertoldus Hubere was hanging out in France just waiting to be discovered!  I did not get much sleep that night because I was so very excited, so I printed out all the information I had gathered, packed it, stamped it, and sent it off to Nevada.  She was so overjoyed!

3.  A Gift from the Heart:

My mother-in-law is continuing to have difficulty researching her branches.  I am trying to aid her in this quest, but her ancestors are elusive.  We decided to take a break in searching her ancestors.  After all, if an ancestor wants to be found, they'll present themselves in their own time, correct?  Anyway, she mentioned her disappointment in only having two or three photos of my father-in-law when he served in the U.S. Navy.  There were small pictures that needed a new life, so her wish being my command, I tried coming up with something just for her.  I purchased some military picture frames and came up with this (see below).  I made one in honor of my father and two in honor of my father-in-law.  I gave one to my mother-in-law on Valentine's Day.

**Note:  If you are looking for gifts and/or replicas that are military-based, the following website has some amazing items.  I purchased a frame from them to display my father's U.S. Army medals.  Check it out!  

Medals of America

4.  A Shoutout to a New Friend:

About a week ago, I reached out to a gentleman named, Thomas MacEntee.  He is the founder of GeneaBloggers.  I wanted to ask him a few questions about how to turn a passionate hobby into a part-time career.  He not only answered my email the next day, but sent me some wonderful and helpful resources.  He was kind enough to list my blog on the Geneabloggers.com site.  Look below for the GeneaBloggers Badge!  Thank you, Mr. MacEntee for your friendship!

Geneabloggers--Thomas MacEntee, Founder


Thank you for reading my blog.  I hope that you find it informative and enjoyable.  This truly is my passion.  Happy hunting!