….and we’re back!

Recently, I received a phone call from someone whom I had not heard from in quite some time. It was my aunt, one of them, who had great news: We can now go back another generation in our family tree! She was able to locate the names of my great-grandmother’s grandparents. Additionally, she was able to fill me in on the names of granny’s siblings, and their children.

For some months now, I have halted my searches. Most of that was due to my very tight school and work schedule. It was also due to the fact that I was running into more and more brick walls AND that I was having trouble replacing the work previously posted on my now former .com, which I somehow lost. 

Now, in this final semester, with more breathing room after leaving my previous work situation, and receiving the wonderful news from my aunt, I have again found the motivation to put more efforts into unearthing more of my family history.

Stay tuned.

Back to Near the Beginning

So, I lost most of my blog posts (long story) and will be slowly trying to piece the blog back together. For now, I will be at wordpress.com instead of org.  We shall see what happens a little later. The important thing is that I keep working to fill in my family tree. Please be patient with me as I get this thing together. Much thanks.

Shared Expressions

In speaking with my grandpa tonight, he told me:

I sho’ do love talkin’ to you.

Awww! That made me feel so happy! I love talking to my grandpa too! I’m glad he enjoys our conversations; I’m even gladder that we are able to have them in this life. I’m very thankful for our relationship. Grandpa has an abundance of wisdom and a great sense of humor. We have the most interesting talks. It’s cool to find out that not only do I enjoy our discussions — he does as well. He had never expressed such a thing to me before.

Free Genealogy Resources

Since putting myself through graduate school, money has become very tight (that and the economy being the way that it is). Therefore, I have had to end my paid subscription with ancestry.com, and have yet to purchase the genealogy organizing software of my dreams. 

While I am very sad about having to take such an action, in my bit of free time I have located a list from about.com of free genealogy resources on the web. While I haven’t been able to go through every one, most appear quite promising.

Do you know of any resources to help one conduct genealogy research on a budget?

Shifting Gears

I have reached a point in my research where I am not yielding many results, small or large, through the use of online resources alone. In short, I have come across a number of brick walls. Now that I’m now residing in the state where much of my father’s side of the family is located, I have decided to shift my focus on gathering photos, interviews and the like from those nearby elders.