I have worked on my family genealogy for over 10 years off and on. I am sure most researchers have the same story. We would all like to spend our days in a genealogy library with our heads stuck in books looking for that one clue that will open up the block you have had for months on that one person. But life does tend to get in the way.

My research tends to go in spurts based on time and luck of finding just the right clue to open the door. It is much easier to stay motivated if you are finding one clue after another and before you know it you have more relatives than you have paper to write the information down on.

My maiden name is Whitson, my Mother was a Dickens, I married a Swigart, his mother is a Keller and then of course we have all the directions that our grandparents lead us as well. At this point I have Whitson back to 1640 here in America, Dickens back to 1700s, and Swigarts back to Germany in the early 1600s. Keller has already been done by other family members which reduces my work load but there is still plenty of work left.

Currently I am working on all of the details - checking in newspapers, town records, court filings, wills, etc. to fill in and add to what I have. This can be tedious but still enjoyable when you find that your relative might have been involved in a major part of history.

In addition, to my family I have also taken on another family - Harrison. Across the road from our farm is this little family cemetery.....well I can't let that go without researching it.

I hope that my input into this blog will assist someone else in opening some of their doors. Until my next post happy hunting!