During the 34 years I have been doing genealogy, I have come across many roots from many lands. They range from the hinterlands of Germany to the American continent. Some go as far back as four centuries. I feel that through the years I have come to know my ancestors much better and that we are all one large family.
I gathered information on my first family line when I was sixteen. My maternal grandfather told me stories about his service in the Italian army in World War I and how after the war he came over through Ellis Island in 1920 for a job offer in Greensburg, Pennsylvania. My grandmother and their two children, my uncle age 6 and aunt age 2, came over on another ship the following year, also through Ellis Island. My grandfather from memory wrote down his and my grandmother's ancestors back three generations from them. When he gave me this hand written paper, I had my first genealogical record. I have pursued the quest with occasional breaks ever since, even through my 20 year military career and subsequently.
There are many ways to approach finding one's ancestors. The first and most important step for any approach is to talk to those who are living. Let you parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins tell you what they know about their heritage. You can go back five generations to begin with by just doing this step. True, some or many family lines may not be traceable this way. For example, no one living in my immediate family knows who my great-grandfather William Bostwick's parents are. On the other hand, my mother's father was able to recall back to his grandfather, which gave me five generations back on his family line. Regardless, gather all the information you can from those who are still living, for once they are gone, they take what may be an important link to your ancestors.
Genealogy over the years has become more than just finding names and dates. It is finding relationships, discovering the lives of those who came before me, and a heritage to pass on to my descendants. I feel over the years I have come to know my roots much better, and also have been able to help others find theirs. In this regard, I have gotten much information from many sources ranging from people to microfilm records to the Internet. For myself, genealogy is a life time quest, and I am very grateful for having learned so much about my heritage.
