Ancestor Tracking
Ancestors. Everyone has them. We all have about the same number of them. Why is it that some of us have found many of ours and others have found only a few?
Sometimes it is where and how you were raised. I have Revolutionary War ancestors buried almost literally in the backyard where I grew up. This is not uncommon on the East Coast but I grew up in the Midwest. People came to this country and many stayed fairly close to where they landed. Those weren’t mine. My ancestors traveled to Pennsylvania, Ohio and other points before ending up in central Illinois. Once they got there their traveling days were over.
I came from a large extended family. They knew their relatives, good and bad. I had first cousins and second cousins, first cousins once or twice removed — didn’t matter much. We were all related. I was nearly 30 before I found out this was not the norm!
Research found more relatives and more connections. I have a friend who is related to me five different ways – so far.
I’ve been at this awhile and I’ve learned a few things. In many ways my research has evolved into more of a location study. These are my thoughts, mostly random, on the never ending quest for ancestors.