Hitting Road Blocks

I have been working on my family tree for years, just plodding away happily as I recorded each name and date and relation. Recently, I have found myself working feverishly trying to thaw some cold cases.


There are some great-grandparents who are escaping my finding them: Cora Burnette Cook, William and Susie (Susan) Greenwood Ward, Taylor and Julia Ownbey Searcy. Sure, I have bits of information here and there, like census and death records of children they're mentioned on. I have no idea of their real heritage (yet). I have no idea who their parents are, their lineage, marriage or death dates. This is about to be a very daunting task. My elderly aunts and uncles who are up in their years either forget the dates or get stories mixed up with the wrong people. The ones who really knew the dirt are long gone, of course.
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The 1890 census reports were nearly all destroyed in a fire. Only bits remain. This is one of the difficult things we family tree researchers must deal with.


When, and or if I ever do finally find the records I need, I will report back. Maybe that can help someone with their own personal road block.

Until next time...


~Shasta

Genealogy Consumes My Life!

Ever since I was a kid, I was exposed to genealogy and was told how important it was to keep track of one's family. My grandfather (whom I called PawPaw) always made it a point to tell me stories of his family, the Cooks. He was the one who took it upon himself to research his family tree. He was utterly fascinated with the bits of information he was able to find. I often chuckle now imagining his reaction of me being able to find generations of his paternal side. His maternal side is still a mystery to all of us. With this blog, I hope to help others in my family who are researching and finding themselves hitting roadblocks. In return, I hope that someone out there will be able to help me when I hit my own walls. In the future, I would like to spotlight my ancestors and tell their stories. I will be providing information on deceased family members as they become available and perhaps will be able to include a photo or other media. Of course, this blog will always be a work in progress. No one's tree is every really completely done, is it? ~Shasta