Another reason why I love genealogy...

[Schultz]

...and my wife hates it.

I finally found enough documentation to prove an ancestor who fought in the Revolutionary War (and under General Mad Anthony Wayne, to boot!). This was enough to excite me.

Then I took a look at his wife's name. She's a Malone. Hm. That's definitely Irish.

A quick jaunt over to ancestry.com and assorted sites show me quite a bit of documentation linking her with a Daniel Malone, b. 1643, in Co. Westmeath...

...and another Irish district tartan to add to my list, causing my wife to remind me that I'm cut off for the time being.

Of course, when she shops, she MUST buy. When I shop, I just add it to the ever growing list of things TO buy.

The wicked thing is that there's the Locharron style tartan and the Marton Mills. I like them both. Guess that means I'll have to buy both. ;)

[auld argonian]

You think you've got genealogical problems?

I looked at the "genealogical headquarters site" for my family a couple of weeks ago and a recent bit of research has turned up the fact that I'm distantly related to President William Jefferson Clinton. Too good to be true! Yeeeeee-hah!

So...I feel your pain....order that District Tartan kilt.

Best

AA

[Riverkilt]

Ain't no better reason to buy a kilt than to honor an ancestor :-D

The more I find, the more I can buy.

And, it does feel good to connect with those that came before and passed on the genes that make me who I am. Without any of them, I don't exist.

Ron

[chasem]

I know exactly what you mean.

My father's Aunt has been researching our geneology a lot. She has my paternal side back to the late 1700's where a Patrick McKeown came over from Ireland. She had a hard time going back farther than that, and so switched to other parts of our family.


She has traced one line back through European nobility, on down to Lady Godiva and a couple others. I'm actually about to bust out the file and start scouring through it right now (primarily looking for more Scot surnames of course )

[oregonscot]

Hey Chasem,
You gonna wear Lady Godiva's tartan? And what sporran would go with it?

[herminator]

NOOOOOOO!!!!

I just don´t want to see it!!!

[mbhandy]

Would that be a Merkin?

MrBill

[KiltedCodeWarrior]

A quick jaunt over to ancestry.com and assorted sites show me quite a bit of documentation linking her with a Daniel Malone, b. 1643, in Co. Westmeath...

Schultz, I am also doing genealogy research, but have just started. Is ancestry.com one of the better sites? Is it worth the monthly fee for what they provide, or are there better sites?

thanks!

[Schultz]

I've found that ancestry.com is definitely worth the money. To get a good idea of what they have to offer, try your local county library, first. They may have a subscription to the "library" edition, which gives you access to about 2/3 of what the private paid subscription has. You can access all the census information as well as getting hooked into the "World Family Tree", which can save hours upon hours of research because you just may run into a distant cousin who has done most of the research already!

As a caveat, don't take people's words for it. If they have a date, try to find their source. On my father's side, I've always thought that the first Beck in America was named John Wendelinus of Angsfeld, Bayern, because that's what my uncle, who did alot of research, always told me. I went back to his sources (namely the church records of SS. Peter and Paul in Cumberland, MD) and found out that he was mistaken, somehow. His name was Wendelnius Georg of Nuedlingen, Bayern (aka Wendel). My uncle somehow confused Wendel's info with his wife's and son's and produced a hybrid that had no papertrail. Wendelinus Georg, however, has quite a papertrail and I've been able to pinpoint where he came in and his true birthplace. Unfortunately, I can't share this with my uncle as he passed a few years ago. I'm sure he would have loved to know I got past the brick wall, even if it was his fault! ALWAYS double-check sources.

I've found that most people doing genealogy are more than helpful in coughing up sources as long as you ask. Sharing what you have is always a plus, too.

In conclusion, ancestry.com is worth it, but check your library and see if they have free access to the library edition of ancestry.com and possibly the ProQuest software.

[macwilkin]

Sound advice, Schultz, especially about visiting the local public library. Beside subscriptions to Ancestry and HeritageQuest, the local library's genealogy section should have access to a plethora of other resources, both online and in print. A local genealogical/historical society might also have a good research library, although these are usually restricted to members only.

Libraries generally offer training sessions on a wide variety of genealogical topics, from military records to tracing your Native American ancestor. They are generally free and one would be wise to take advantage of such help!

Document, Document, Document! Genealogists do not suffer fools, especially ones with nothing to back up their claims.

Good luck!

Todd

**former local history/genealogy librarian, Springfield-Greene Co. (Mo) Library