Genealogy: Discovering the Stories That Bind Us

More Than Names and Dates

 

My journey into genealogy began in the seventh grade during a Texas History class. One of our assignments was to research our family history. At the time, I discovered that my grandmother had already spent years preserving our family's story.

Long before genealogy was available online, she traveled to cemeteries, libraries, courthouses, churches, and archives, carefully piecing together our family's story one document at a time. 

 

Her dedication gave me more than a family tree. She gave me a way of seeing genealogy—as a process of discovery, connection, and storytelling. That foundation eventually sparked a lifelong passion of my own.

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As technology transformed genealogy, I embraced the new tools available while continuing the detective work that first captured my imagination. Today I have spent years researching my family's history, uncovering stories that connect generations and reveal how ordinary people helped shape extraordinary events.

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What Genealogy Has Taught Me

 

Genealogy is about far more than building a family tree.

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It teaches us to:

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Ask questions about the people who came before us.

 

Follow the evidence wherever it leads.

 

Discover connections between our families and the larger history around them.

 

See our ancestors as people, not simply names and dates.

 

Understand how history shaped our families—and how our families were part of history.

 

Preserve those stories so they can be discovered by future generations.

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Every document, photograph, military record, cemetery marker, and family story helps preserve a legacy for future generations.  It explains where we came from, the sacrifices our ancestors made, even how history shaped our families and how our family's stories became part of history.

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My Journey Continues

 

Through years of research, I have traced multiple family lines and continue discovering new connections.

 

Among those discoveries are:

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Sons of the American Revolution

 

Research into one branch of my family led to qualifying for membership in the Sons of the American Revolution. Knowing that one of my ancestors helped establish our nation's independence transformed the American Revolution from something I read about in books into something connected to my own family. Suddenly, a historical event had a personal story—and that story gave the history another dimension.

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Descendants of the Schwenckfelders

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Another branch of my family connects me to the Descendants of the Schwenckfelders, preserving the story of a remarkable group who sought religious freedom and eventually settled in Pennsylvania. Their perseverance reminds us that the freedoms we enjoy today often came at tremendous personal sacrifice.

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My Family History Research

 

My genealogy research has followed many branches of my family, including the Jackson, Mack, Sassaman, Blair, Cook, Rowe, Robertson, and Marshall families. Some of these lines have taken me through Ohio, while others have led across the Atlantic to Scotland and into the stories of the people who came before me.

 

My research has also led me to the Descendants of the Schwenckfelders, a genealogical society through which I've explored family connections involving Rosina Meschter and the Weigner family.

 

Each family line has its own questions, challenges, and discoveries. Some can be followed through traditional records such as census records, military documents, cemetery records, and other historical sources. Others have required following unexpected clues—including DNA matches that opened doors I hadn't been able to find through records alone.

 

Read how a DNA match helped me uncover one branch of my Scottish family history: The Key Was in His Middle Name →

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Genealogy Speaking Topics

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Stories I Can Explore With Your Audience:

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• Beginning Your Family History Journey

• Beyond Names and Dates: Discovering the Stories That Bind Us

• Using Technology to Research Your Family Tree

• How Family History Connects to American History

• From Cemeteries to Computers: The Evolution of Genealogical Research

• Lessons Our Ancestors Still Teach Us Today