I've found yet another hobby. This one was inspired by my weekend with Joel's parents. I'm curious about Joel's family. I think learning about relationship dynamics within any family or social circle is a habit of mine. I say habit because it's really uncontrollable. I just do it. I tend to study in my mind interactions, reactions, and conversations, reliving them in my mind long after the moment has passed. It's a blessing, and a curse. But back on task...I was inspired by a class in church on Sunday teaching the how-to's on family history. I've been dragging my feet for years on starting my genealogy but after Sunday I had renewed motivation.
Joel's parents are some very different bloodlines. His family, like mine, is a rainbow of histories some intertwining and some way off the map. Joel and I sat together last night for family home evening and signed up for a two-week trial at www.Ancestry.com. I am not ashamed to say it - I am hooked. Joel began opening up and sharing stories he never had before. Probably not because they were secret but because as we would find names he would say, "Oh yeah! He did...." It was so cool.
I signed up for the website around 6 or 7 and was online until midnight searching diligently. Poor Joel was long asleep before I crawled into bed. I dreamed of finally finding the name of my great-great-great grandfather. I'm stuck now on Joel and I's great great grandparents as most of them were immigrants. I think for the first night of searching I did alright.
It is really special to be able to discover these things together as a couple. As I spend more and more time with Joel and his family I find out details here and there of how this wonderful group of people became who they are today. I take for granted that in the small family I grew up in we all knew everything about eachother and our friends. Joel's family is definitely larger and more spread out so I get to learn about memories and experiences as they pop up now and again during conversations. In the meantime, it's great to be able rekindle memories and connect the dots using good-old fashioned research!
2 comments:
Jenna, there is new information on Joel's father's side of the family. My brother Scott as well as my Mom are really into family history. Anyway my Mom started working on Roy's lines then my brother Scott decides to work on it too. I have the hard copies in a notebook my Mom set up. Scott put a PAF program on our laptop so you can view there.
A few years back my Mom and my brother we went to Vernal Utah to see my Dad's childhood home. We ran into to the nicest people who invited us into their homes and we heard great stories about my Dad.
Jenna I am proud of you for starting this, I have always been intimadated by geneology, hopefully you can show me somethin'. Good Work.
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