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I started my Research in Nov 2000. It started when my Dad gave me a book On the Lovan Family. It peaked my curiousity and I wanted to know more about my family. I bought The Family Tree Maker and I have been at it ever since. Now I have over 4000 names to date 1/7/02 and going strong. I am now in the process of researching my Husbands family I have quite a few names already. and am looking for more.This past summer my husband and I took a trip to Kentucky to where alot of my ancestors are known to be buried. We tramped and traveled all day from one graveyeard to another in search of headstones I ended up with about 10 rolls of film. After I got them developed I had a "treasure trove "of information. I found names of husbands and wives where there was no information before (that is I would have a wife with no husband's name or visa-versa), dates, sometimes children's names. At Thanksgiving we went to Ohio where my parents live, and we took a lot of pictures of cemeteries there that had his parents, cousins etc. We left Ohio and went to West Virginia and we searched graveyard after grave yard looking for his Great- Grand Parents, Grandparents and other relatives. We took so many pictures, again we hit "pay dirt" with a vast amount of information.We came across a man in his late 80's that knew my Husband's Grandfather which we knew little about other than his name. I "grilled" that poor man until I was ashamed of myself, but I got the information I needed to proceed with my reaserch. with names of brothers, sisters etc. The old Gentleman was so full of information, even with his advanced age he never missed a lick, when it came to remembering names and places and events.
My advice to anyone who has hit the "Brick Wall" in their research go to a cemetery where you know family is buried you can get all kinds of information. For those that have "phobias" about graveyards, Just remember what my Aunt Jenny told me once when I was a girl"Dont be afraid of the Dead, Its the Living you need to worry about".!
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