Ancestry and geneology

You'll be hooked Rhia.  My mother started researching and now you can't get the woman off the computer.  But then again she likes the games too!  I think the reason she got the computer was to do more research.  You can only get so far with phone calls.

She got pictures of my father's dad.  We had never seen him, my dad included.  We were amazed at how much alike dad and father were.  We always assumed my dad looked like his mom - who we all knew.  Plus by finding my dad's father, we found out that my youngest brother looks like that side of the family.  No one else does.  How's that for eerie.  Lastly, we found that I looked very much like my mother's grandmother.  And that my oldest brother resembles my mother's grandad(her husband).  I love getting that sense of belonging.  When you can look at a picture from the early 1800s and see yourself.  Wow - its very hard to describe.

 Oh I know that I will too!Oh bless your Mom,I can only imagine the thrill and joy she feels in finding out those things,and I agree that is very eerie about your brother,you just never know what you will find.

There are many dead ends and unanswered questions on both my parent's side of the family.My Mother never knew either of her parents they both died when she was young,and her grandmother raised her.No one would tell her much either..sad not to know your roots.

My father never knew his bio Dad either,same suitation as my Mother.

 G. had bought me a cd set that allows you to seach your ancestory,but I couldnt get the bloody thing to work right :-/
Thats why Iam really glad that everyone has posted some links.I hope it can help me as I only have a bit of info,and I dont know where to begin,ect....
 Iam a reserch and history buff as alot of people know about me.I like to be funny and say that Iam a heinz 57 like alot of Americans are because my ancestors are from more then one country.The major part for  me is Irish(Mom)and American Native(Dad) though(some Polish and German thrown in for good measures)
 

 I have a personal theory why Iam drawn to history and reserch both on a public and private level.First of all I believe in Reincarnation,so I believe that we are drawn to the past like we are because the past is always part of us even though we dont remember it.

Second,if you are left with many questions where you family came from ,how they lived etc.... then you naturally want to know more.I sometime envy people who come from one nationality, because of the traditions and rites,at least they have a foundation to build on.

I think that as America is getting older,then we are losing more of the traditions of our forefathers and becoming "generic" in our ways.We must keep the traditions alive for our children so they always remember where "they come from"

 Iam sorry that I got off subject here!You know how a woman's mind can wander

Hi MarsBar sorry I forgot I posted here.  DUH!  Well the pictures of the "past" me and my brother were found in my mother's cousins house.  She had always had these photos but my mom and her hadn't seen each other in years.  Then one day they had a family reunion and voila! like magic there were the photos.

Those of my father's dad were found simply as well.  We didn't know much about him as my grandmother (dad's mom) would never talk of him.  Something like she'd go so far as to turn her head if he was mentioned.  Mom found out Dad's grandfather worked for MBTA and retired from there.  So we got his records first.  Then found out Dad's father was a merchant marine all his life.  That lead to finding those files and of course the photos.  

Always always keep looking.  Since we only had my grandmother for what my dad's father was like, what he looked like and she refused to speak of him that left us with half a history.  So we always thought dad looked like his mom when that was so not the case.  So keep searching.  This information helped to make who you are.  Its important.  Good luck everyone.