I love researching my family. LOVE it. I can spend an entire day surrounded by books and papers in front of my computer screen. I go “down-the rabbit hole” so to speak.
One idea leads to another, to another. The Internet has really revolutionized researching; I can open multiple windows in a browser to work between as I answer questions. One of my favorite tools is Google Earth. It unequivocally gives me a chance to understand the geography of the place I am learning about and a chance to get an on-the-ground view of what the place where my ancestors lived looks like today. In some cases, especially in Europe, many of the buildings have not changed. Enter your ancestor’s address from a census and “Boom” – there you are looking at their house. It’s almost as good as time travel. It can also show you what has changed through time. Sadly, a few homes I have searched are empty lots.
So in the middle of all this research happiness, I have made a quite a few discoveries over the years. Some monumental, some quirky, some pausing. In almost all cases, this was followed by a phone call to my dad. “Guess what!” I would exclaim. No one shares as much interest and excitement as he does with my discoveries. I wish he was going to be here for the rest of my life so that I always have someone to call. It made me wonder who else in this world would like to have a place or more people with whom to share their love of genealogy – a fan site! Well, here we go.
Genealogy Love 