To best describe my reasons for writing this book and why I hope many will read it, I chose the journalists' old standbys, 'Who, What, When, Where and Why:
WHO -- YOU, of course! And, yes, ME. Because of my amazing success, which I owe, first of all, to my Grandmother Alda for keeping obituaries, which included Keziah Antrim's that you'll read more about in this Opening segment. YOU because I want more people to study their ancestry and become aware of their own unique history, of which 'story' is an important ingredient--one it takes dedication and persistence to discover as many individual stories as possible.
WHAT -- 'What' can refer to your goal, i.e., how much do you want to include? 'What' may mean 'What do I do to get started, ' or "What can I expect to learn? --both initially and as time goes by. Of course, the main reason to study genealogy is to document data concerning your ancestors. However, I am amazed at how much I am learning about history, and along with local and world history, the discovery of interesting and scenic places is an added blessing. Something I didn't expect is awareness of connections among surnames and residents, many even moving long distances together is both fascinating and helpful to the story you are able to create.
WHEN -- Once you have established your first family tree, the question of when ancestors came to our great country, when descendants were born and died, etc. will become your concern; and as you add earlier ancestors, you will discover how many people of a certain surname share similar names. The comparison of birth and death dates then becomes critical.
WHERE -- You might ask where a certain surname was first recorded; or where you can find profiles of particular family units--My Heritage helped greatly by sending matches of other clients' profiles that help us learn something one of us has discovered that is news to the other!
WHY -- The most common answer to 'why?' is probably so you can pass family history on to your children or other family members. Since I've accumulated more than I ever thought possible, a thought came to me just this week. I'll share it with you, hoping if you are blessed with a great deal to share, you'll remember this advice--WRITE WHAT IT WOULD TAKE TOO LONG TO TELL! However, many more answers are equally important. One I wouldn't have expected to be so important to me is how much I'm learning about history! A simple one is that you may plan to travel somewhere in the world, and now you know which areas could mean most to you. A deeper result is being inspired by what your ancestors were able to accomplish even though life was much harder in earlier times than ours are today.
HOW --Like most people, I would imagine, I started my family tree on paper only. Just by asking family members for their input, I was able to create a Family Tree with around 75 individuals. When my Grandma Alda died, however, I discovered she had obituaries of not only her own ancestors but those of my Grandpa Walter. You'll read more about his ancestors in the vignette entitled "About Those Antrims,"after the "How-To "section. It will give you a preview of what's in store for you in the vignettes that follow this "Opening" to "Dare to Discover". I do hope you'll be inspired to leave a legacy to your descendants that they can leave for future generations.
Judy Dimmick
