It Explains A Lot

After this morning's tough pilates/yoga workout, I was grateful for the opportunity to spend the day right here at my computer. The keyboard and I are old friends now as we navigate the black hole of family history. I'm half-way through my free two-week trial membership at Ancestry.com and haven't finished following all the little green leaves that serve as clues for more information in Wayne's side of the family tree let alone start on mine. We're thinking we're going to have to join for real, at least for a while, because we're just enjoying what we're discovering too much to let it go.

Like this old photo of Wayne's great-grandfather at age 18. Someone who has some of the same lineage as Wayne had shared it and we're thrilled to have it. Off the top of my head I don't think we had any pictures of him at all but I haven't dug through the old photos to be sure.

I've added 85 photos, records and stories into my family tree program. That's one of the things I really like about this software...you can collect all the information in one place and link it to every person it pertains to. So while the photo above would only be linked to Thomas Oliver Arnall, the 1880 Census entry would link to him and everyone in his family who lived with him at the time. That doesn't happen automatically, of course; that's where me and the keyboard come in. It's not quite as straightforward as it might seem either. There are multiple Thomas Arnalls in the family so you have to link to the right one which entails lots of virtual flipping back and forth between the pages of information. And you have to know that the name on the Census might have been a family nickname rather than the actual given name. It's impossible to find Julia in the index unless you know her real name is Fema Augusta. It's a rather tedious process but also a rewarding one.

We're finding stories too...of a relative here to served with Sherman when he marched to Atlanta in the Civil War, of another there (a Missouri resident) who was killed during the Civil War by "Kansas redlegs," and even one who's census entry showed he resided in the insane asylum. That wasn't, however, the reason I chose It Explains a Lot as my title...although maybe it fits as well.

Today I found information on two different lines that allowed me to extend them back an additional two generations. One in particular got me thinking because it took this branch of the family back to Germany. I was mentally adding up just how much of Wayne's family has roots in Germany and it's a lot, on both his mother's and his father's side. After I rattled off to him all the German parts of his family, I concluded by saying I now understood why he was so stubborn...it's in his genes. It's a little like the pot calling the kettle black though as I have German blood too.

The stories we're uncovering are never going to be featured on Who Do You Think You Are? but some are pretty darn interesting. And I think that the more you find out about those who came before you, the more you understand about who you are. And we're going to understand a whole lot more when this process is done...if that day ever comes.

Comments

[Margot/NZ]

I'm sure if my name was Fema Augusta, I'd ask to be called Julia as well!

[Diane Standish]

Brenda-you inspired me to get the Family Tree Maker-from Amazon-for 20 dollars and a free month of Ancestry.com. I am anxious to get started-I am afraid I will never leave my computer once I start though-and hubby gets testy after I have been on too long! Thanks so much for your inspiration...

[LianeZ]

It has to be more than German ancestry that causes stubbornness, because I far as I have found I only have a little German ancestry on my dad’s side but a long line of very stubborn mules on my mom’s side with no German blood that I have found! Guess I’m going to have to buckle down and get better internet at home so I can find out why there are so many very stubborn relatives. Happy leaf following.