Saturday Night Genealogy Fun

I know this is a few days late, but I had a busy weekend I read the "Saturday Night Genealogy Fun" on Genea-Musings, and am posting my "Heritage Pie" chart.  Like others, I am choosing to do mine by state, rather than country.  Here is my genealogical pie:

1. Alston Dunn SPROTT - b. 31 Aug 1847 in Alabama, d. 7 Sep 1910 in Reagan, Falls, Texas, m. 31 Jan 1883 Hempstead, Arkansas to:

2. Sarah Elizabeth MAY - b. 16 Apr 1868 in Ozan, Hempstead, Arkansas, d. 16 Jan 1958 in Falls, Texas

3. Charles Newton DICKENS - b. 5 Dec 1850 in Lowndes, Alabama, d. 2 Feb 1918 in Marlin, Falls, Texas, m. 3 Feb 1889 in Lowndes, Alabama to:

4. Aurelia Salome BARGANIER - b. 19 Jan 1868 in Ft. Deposit, Lowndes, Alabama, d. 21 Oct 1957 in Marlin, Falls, Texas

5. Sidney F FLYNN - b. 11 Oct 1859 in Fairbank, Buchanan, Iowa, d. 1930 in Bent, Colorado, m. 10 Jun 1889 to:

6. Caroline G THOMPSON - b. 21 May 1858 in Richland, Belmont, Ohio, d. 1910 in Colorado

7. James Alexander DEAN - b. 5 Apr 1874 in Lexington, Lafayette, Missouri, d. 28 Feb 1942 in Goodman, McDonald, Missouri, m. 31 Jan 1894 in Arapahoe, Colorado to:

8. Mary Allison DOUGHTY - b. 27 Feb 1874 in Illinois, d. 27 Jan 1952 in Las Animas, Bent, Colorado

9. James Madison MAGGARD - b. 10 Mar 1863 in Elliott Co, Kentucky, d. 8 Jul 1945 in Greenup, Kentucky, m. unknown date to:

10. Margaret HICKS - b. Feb 1861 in Carter, Kentucky, d. unknown date and place

11. Shelton Lum OXLEY - b. 13 Dec 1880 in Union City, Lincoln, West Virginia, d. 4 Dec 1956 in Yawkey, Lincoln, West Virginia, m. 9 Apr 1903 to:

12. Ollie Jane McCORMICK - b. Jul 1875 in West Virginia, d. 28 Feb 1944 in Sumerco, Lincoln, West Virigina

13. Winfield Scott WERNTZ - b. Dec 1852 in Pennsylvania, d. 1916 in Pennsylvania, m. unknown date and place to:

14. ?Catherine M? - b. Apr 1860 in Pennsylvania, d. unknown

15. James Henry AURAND - b. 4 Mar 1867 in Lanesborough, Berkshire, Massachusetts, d. 2 Dec 1938 in Steubenville, Jefferson, Ohio, m. 14 Jul 1897 in Steubenville, Jefferson, Ohio to:

16. Mary Ann FINNERTY - b. May 1870 in Ohio, d. 16 Mar 1952 in Steubenville, Jefferson, Ohio

Starting Over - Sort Of

I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed...I've been "collecting names" for the past few months, since I started my journey in genealogy.  I've subscribed to Ancestry.com, Footnote.com and several other subscription sites, but I feel I'm all over the place with my searches and my "discoveries" (or lack thereof).

So, I've decided to go back to the beginning and am "starting over".  I didn't really document the way I should have the first time, so I know I'm going to be going over a lot of the same ground.  Hence, I WILL be documenting my searches and sources much better the second time around.  I'm also creating Timelines for each family member.  I find this has really helped me to determine if an ancestor is really an ancestor.  I have determined that two lines of Great-Great Grandparents are somewhat iffy by using this method, so in my restart, I am going to pay a lot more attention to ALL of the details.

I know, I know...I should have been doing this from the start, but I think I made all of the typical beginner mistakes.

As I stated in my original post, I hope that this is going to be the repository of all my finds/data, so I will post soon with what I've confirmed.

Temptation!

I'm trying to resist the temptation to add lots and lots of people to my family tree on Ancestry.com.  Those little waving leaves are calling to me like Sirens, but I know I need to resist.  I made the mistake of adding tons of Maggard folks to my tree, only to realize that there were many discrepancies in birth/marriage/death dates early on, which naturally had made me add many generations that weren't actually "mine".

So, I deleted dozens of names willy-nilly, and now regret doing so, because I think I am actually adding back some of those that I deleted.

As a researcher that is fairly new to the process, I am making many of the mistakes that newbies make.  I am now going back generation by generation, looking for first-hand documentation.  This is, of course, frustrating, as many of the documents I want/need, are far, far away (and cost money to obtain!).

So, I will continue to plug away on what I CAN find, and continue to read articles, and take classes, and read other helpful blogs.  And I will remember the enjoyment I receive from my finds, and not focus on the disappointments.  They too shall pass.  Oh yeah, and I will do my best to resist temptations!

Happy Searching!

Day 1: It's a Start!

So...I've been tracing my family history recently, and have run across many wonderful blogs that people have set up for themselves.  I thought this would be a good way for me to organize my research and thoughts, while also providing a place that family members and friends could come to find what's already been discovered.

I'm not an avid writer, so I can't say how often I'll post, but my goal is to eventually have all of my research centered on this website.  We'll see how it goes!  :-)