I have been researching my ancestors for a while now and I have only two more pieces of information needed before I can apply to Ireland for dual citizenship. A couple of marriage certificates to prove that I am the offspring of the offspring of the offspring… that’s all that’s needed and I shall be full of Blarney before you know it. So I’m off to the Massachusetts archives office this afternoon.
It’s fascinating to find out that there were farmers and blacksmiths, poachers and soldiers in my past… all those mahvelous personal qualities I take for granted… stamped into my genes. Discovering one more layer brings a sense of connection to those who have gone long before and I shall be sharing it all with my siblings this season. Hope they’re not bored.
I’ve been able to go back four generations or so… at least so far. Do you ever dig in your past?
You go dig girl…with any luck you’ll find some interesting characters…from both sides of the track.
I’ve been digging a bit differently – only as far back as my childhhod – to write stories for my grandkids. I’ve written one to tell them on Christmas Eve. It’s about a special Christmas I remember when I was about seven.
Also I’m creating a game for my nieces and nephews. It’s a form of a quiz game with questions about my parents; their childhood years, siblings, early married life, etc. As a family, we(+/- 60 of us) gather each year on the anniversary of Mom’s death. The idea is for the kids, some of whom never knew my parents/their grandparents, to ask anyone at the party for the answers. Whoever gets them all right first, wins. Then we’ll do a slide show of pictures related to the questions. My hope is that it will generate some interest and more questions.