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Fifteen years ago, I started researching my family with only my birth certificate. It showed my mother's name, place of birth, and age at my birth. It also showed the same information about my father, whom I had not seen since I was 5 years old. It took me about 10 years to find out where he was, and that I have a sister and brother I did not know about. My father was John Lawrence FOLSOM, a radio and tv announcer. I actually saw him on tv once covering one of the first human space flights. I did not know it was him because by then he was using the name Jock Lawrence. He legally changed his name. I now have information on my FOLSOM line going all the way back to Maine in the early 1800's. There is a Folsom Family Association which holds a yearly reunion in a different place each year. I cannot tell you how excited I was the first time I was able to go to one. I met so many cousins, and had a wonderful time. If you have the chance to go to a reunion of your root name, go by all means, even if you know noone. You will meet many family members, just as I did.
My mother's maiden name was HARTMAN. It was a lot easier to find information here, as I have living aunts and my grandfather, Captain Howard Milton Hartman, wrote a book about the first 25 years of his life on the sea. The book is titled " The Seas Were Mine". When he was 16 he ran away to the sea. He started out as a mess boy peeling potatoes, and ended up the Captain of the very same ship. Here I was very lucky because his brother, William Lincoln HARTMAN was an editor on the Daily City Item and Morning Call in Allentown, Lehigh Co., PA. I wrote to the editor of the Morning Call and received back the obituaries of several family members with all sorts of information about them.
I hope you all come back very often, as I will be updating this site just as soon as I get any new information.
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