Janis' Genealogy Site
Journey into Genealogy
I am a Mom of three, currently staying at home, but previously worked about 18 years in the computer field. I started researching my family history in 2003 when my daughter had yet another school project involving family trees. This time there was a little twist - she was suppose to find her immigrant ancestor(s) and their country (or countries) of origin. I guess this wouldn't be too bad if you have some late 19th or early 20th century immigrants (which my husband does). But, for my side of the family, this was not an easy task.
We have always rather glibbly said that we were French, German and Welsh. But we really had no facts to back this up - and no one had any idea who our immigrant ancestors were or when they came to America. In fact, we had very little information beyond just the names of my great grandparents - not even their birth and death dates. Fortunately, we had some family members to help us get started. They were able to find some old pictures and records, and even direct us to some cemetery plots.
Of course, my daughter was much less interested persuing this than I was, doing only what was necessary to complete the project. I, on the other hand, got bitten by the genealogy bug. Since that time I've continued to research and have uncovered much more data. I have found information in local historical societies and libraries, county courthouses and many, many local cemeteries. I have also found information online and met some distant (and not so distant) cousins.
From a research perspective, I've been very lucky in that nearly all of my (direct) family lines have stayed in the same general area of PA since arriving in the 1700s - which is also close to where I currently live. This makes it much more convenient to get to courthouse archives and cemeteries.
I have decided to generate this website to share some of the data I have gathered on my various family lines. I hope that it will help other researchers, and possibly even help me to find more cousins. Maybe even someone out there will see this and help me break through some of my brick walls!
Feel free to contact me if you think we have a connection. I may have more information, as I have not uploaded information on colateral lines at this time.
Acknowledgements
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all my family members for the information they've provided - including photos, records, and recollections. Also, thank you to all the fellow researchers who freely transcribe and post information and respond to message board queries.
Page Last Modified: Tuesday, 30-Oct-2007 13:33:31 MDT