(This blog post was written as part of the A – Z blogging challenge given by 10 Minute Novelists. Therefore it is somewhat of an introduction of my blog and genealogical work, very familiar already to my blog readers whose support I appreciate greatly, hope you enjoy this as well.)
Everyone who knows me, knows I am into genealogy! Yesterday, I joined a facebook group called “Genealogy Addicts Anonymous”! Seriously. Not one of us who joined this group wants to give up genealogy, we just want to join together with other ancestry obsessed! I belong to four or five other genealogy groups online as well–like Genealogy Bloggers, Genea Bloggers, Irish Genealogists, Scotland’s People, Italian Genealogy, and more. Besides my own blog, I write for “Worldwide Genealogy~A Genealogical Collaboration”. My blog is featured in a Netherland blog as well, as I occasionally write about my Dutch ancestors. It’s fun, it’s informative, and we hope our work will leave our families something to treasure. Now that I’ve added stories about my ancestors through my blog “Heart of a Southern Woman”. I hope it just adds joy to the facts I’ve found in my research.
I keep my main family trees on ancestry .com, with a backup on Family Tree Maker on my computer. My main tree, “Old Virginia Families” has over 23,000 people in it now! I have actually got 26 other family trees I have started on ancestry as well. These include, one for my husband’s family, and the rest for cousins! This has been my hobby/avocation for the last nine years. It is absorbing, intriguing, and makes me feel like a detective at times. Yet, I have several “brick walls” still, places where I can’t find the next generation. Lots of times, a group of us have gotten together to pool our skills, but we still can’t always find that elusive connection!

Katy and Liam, grandchildren of author, in front of the Governor’s Palace in Williamsburg, Virginia, designed by their 10th Great Grandfather, Henry Cary
A lot of people ask me questions about my work, other than who did you discover in your family tree this week? (one of my favorites) Questions like have you found anyone famous? Yes– how exciting is that! How about anyone historical? Yes, and yes! Have you ever found someone in your family tree in jail? The answer is yes, I was shocked! These finds thrilled and surprised me! I had no idea I could trace my family back to Jamestown and the Mayflower! That I had ancestors who were the first in New Jersey! No idea one of my cousins married the daughter of Daniel Boone–after saving her from the Indians! Can you believe I am kin to the Plantagenets, the Tudors, and royalty in Scotland, Denmark, and Russia for heaven’s sake! You can find all these stories in the index of my blog. I actually did trace my granddaughter Eve back to Eve of Adam and Eve! No wonder I am kin to everyone, I guess we really all are!

Six Degrees of Separtion visualization by Dnnie Walker featured in Wikipedia article about this subject. see link in accompanying post
April 8, 2015 at 2:14 pm
So interesting. I have always loved genealogy, but boy is it a lot of work!
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April 8, 2015 at 2:19 pm
You have to just enjoy it. Some of it is tedious, but programs like ancestry make that easier, you just do a lot of clicking.LOL and transferring of data, not typing so much. A lot is hunting and searching out stuff! Thanks for reading and commenting Lauren.
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April 9, 2015 at 12:44 am
I’m fascinated by it, always have been! I haven’t found ancestry.com that helpful, maybe it’s because all of the info I need is in Europe and you have to pay extra for that. One day I’ll have the time to hunt and search or maybe I’ll hire someone to do it. You can find family members by testing your DNA?
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April 9, 2015 at 1:29 am
Oh yes, you can find family through dna. I have about 3000 matches on ancestry. 73 of them are like 3rd or 4th cousins! About 20 of us, cousins, started a Hogue research group on facebook to help find our Scottish family. We’ve become friends as well as cousins! Some of my best friends on facebook, I met through dna then even though we are 5th or even 6th cousins, we met at a reunion last August! It has been amazing!
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April 9, 2015 at 9:33 am
Helen, you do genealogy well. Perhaps when you get to T you can Teach us some of your methods or Tricks in Tracking down your ancestors. The Techniques you show use could be of great help. Anyway just a suggestion. 🙂
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April 9, 2015 at 5:42 pm
My husband has become a huge genealogy nut. frequently out weekend consist of pulling request for genealogy assistance off of findagrave.com and then searching local graveyards to photograph the requested head stones.
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April 10, 2015 at 1:03 am
Scarlett Embers, you should meet Charles Moore who left the message above you! He and his wife often travel to graveyards and genealogy sites also! They would get along famously! Thanks for sharing Scarlett
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April 10, 2015 at 1:07 am
Oh Charles, what a nice thing to say! You are the natural born teacher, but i will think about it! See my comment to Scarlett Embers below if you will. Thanks my friend.
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