My Family History....20 years of resarch and I still have more work to do.

This is my favorite family history picture.  I think I found it in a magazine long ago.  I like to believe that our ancestors are watching over us and helping us in our lives.  I realized that I have been doing family history research for 20 years.   The amazing thing is that I still have more work to do.  You would think that I would be finnished by now, but family history seems to be one never ending puzzle.

In October as I was wondering through the branches of my family tree I found that many of my ancestors lived in Salem Massachusetts.  I thought it was interesting that I would be learning about family members from Salem Massachusetts around Halloween.  My ancestors that I was learning about were not part of the Salem Witch trials, but I do know that some in another family line were.
Many times when I hear people talk about family history they think that the main goal is to find new people to add to their family tree.  While this is fun, I have found that many times what I am doing is cleaning up duplicate entries ( this is in the Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints family history website "Family Search.org.) and adding sources, and making sure all the little details about a person is correct.  I am blessed still to find new ancestor names, but really most of the time I feel I'm making my family tree as correct as it can be.

Something I love about doing family history is that it connects me with history.  When I realize that someone I'm related to was part of a historical event it makes me want to learn more about that event.  I tried to read this book a few years ago, but never got through it.  Maybe it was just a bad time in my life to read this book, perhaps I'll read it some day.  People who are just learning to do family history now are so blessed.  There are so many new websites and so much is on line.  I remember 20 years ago trying to find information and having to send out letters and wait weeks to get information on an ancestor.  Now there are so many documents on the family history website that you don't have to wait weeks to find out about your ancestors.  I love all the sharing that happens and being in contact with distant cousins.

Most of my ancestors come from New England.  I found this old cook book and have been enjoying reading about the food they might have eaten.  I may try to cook something from this.  We will see.

Here is a book I read this summer that has a family history type theme.  It is about a little girl who is dealing with the death of her grandfather and how he talks to her from the spirit world.  It is probably a middle school age book, but I enjoyed it.  I wouldn't mind having the ability to talk with my ancestors.
Do you like doing family history?  Have you read any good family history mystery books?
G.G.
One of my goals in the coming months is to be more consistent with my family history research.  I kind of took a break from a lot of things the past two years and I'm trying to get myself back into this  again.