Digging up Dead People

No need to worry....I'm not off robbing graves or anything like that! :-) I've started getting back into my genealogy a bit. Mom use to say I was digging up dead people...and since I've been at it for a good 20+ years I have dug up a lot of dead people.

My hope is to get my data for my mom's lines (at least 5 or 6 generations back) cleaned up and ready to convert into a book, add some pictures and get printed for that side of the family for Christmas. I've said for YEARS I would get books printed for each side of the family, but there just never seems enough time in the day. So maybe starting in August I'll get it done this time. The problem is as I'm cleaning up the data I always seem to get side tracked and go off researching missing info. Doesn't matter how many times I tell myself that my research will never be "done". I just have to bite the bullet and get what I have ready for publication and call it good....at least for now.

I found the cartoon below while digging through some boxes of research. I remember sitting in the middle of many a cemetery over the years. Research notebook in hand, camera, notebook paper....trying to piece together those buried there with what I had on my family. Are the people next to them part of my family by chance? Why isn't Great Grandpa buried with the rest of the family? And my favorite - that my great Aunt will appreciate - Cow Pasture Charlie! {ask me to tell you this story some day - it's quite funny}

If people would only make it THIS easy to determine who is who's kid/parents!!

Fun Facts about my research:

• I started researching at the age of 13th (1985-ish)
• My first Family Tree was drawn out by hand (by me) on notebook paper....and I still have it.
• When I began I didn't know my grandparents actual names - they were always grandma and grandpa. Didn't help that my mom's parents go by nicknames that are NOTHING like their given names.
• I have close to 2400 people input into my Family Tree Maker program. With probabaly another 2400 or more that NEED to be input.
• I have one line that goes back to my 10th Great Grandfather who was born in the late 1580's.
• I have another line that I swore for the longest time aliens dropped them in the small town in Kansas they lived in for generations. I just couldn't find his parents for the life of me for a good 5 years or more. It's my dad's side of the family and they do tend to be a bit difficult! :-)
• This hobby has been one of the most rewarding I've had over the years!!

Thanks for stopping by today! See ya next time!