[RayBob]

My two vices are Freeping and genealogy. I started working on my family tree about two months before my daughter was born. I've been at it for almost 8 years. You're never finished!

When I started out, I have about 34 names with some dates...nothing else. I now have about 1,200 in my database, with census records, birth, death and marriage records, wills, estate papers, copies of deeds, and photographs! of my ancestors. I can take most branches of my tree back to at least the mid 1700s and some considerably further.

My daughter has 5 direct ancestors who served in the Revolutionary war, two on my side and three on my wife's. I have two direct ancestors who were Whiskey Rebels, and have records of their arrest, conviction and pardon. Its great fun and has given me (and hopefully my daughter) more of a sense of what it is to be American. My only disappointments have been those damned Belgian ancestors... My other claim to fame: I'm related to Jimmy Kimmel!

[cdefreese]

Would you suggest sticking to the web for beginners? I have looked at software in the stores and wondered if they are any good. Also, some of the 'pay' genelogical sites too... I don't know anyone that has had any real luck though.

Any suggestions?

[NormsRevenge]

Agreed.. It's a good way to spend time and connect to the past.

In my dad's last few years , he and my step-mother spent a lot of time working on the family trees. They had the families traced back to the 1700s or thereabouts, I believe.

My step-sister has the records and all the documents they accumulated and had a couple of binders of stuff.

I remember looking through them but I can;t recall how many scoundrels and scalywags we had in our families. From talkin' to my dad, it sounds like a little liquor got dispensed of along the way .. in more ways then one ;-)

[MamaB]

Believe me, it can be very addictive. You are always trying to find that hard to find info. My cousin's wife had been doing this for over 20 years and had gone all over the country trying to find records. Now, the internet has really helped that. I have Indian blood and we have never been able to find out which tribe my greatgrandmother belonged to. Everyone who has seen her picture has said she is definitely Indian but not even the people in Indian research facilities have been able to help. She was adopted by a family in my hometown and that is as far as we have gotten. She and her children were offered land in Indian Territory-now Oklahoma and they went back and forth from MS to that area. Some info is very hard to find but other stuff is very easy. Good luck.

[Oorang]

What research sources would you recommend? Any suggestions you have would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[girlscout]

You're never finished!

Isn't that the truth!! I've been working on mine for years with no end in sight.