Sunday, March 6, 2011

In The Beginning....

In the Beginning there was family, and after that many generations of family.

Somewhere the individuals get lost and fade with time.

Our lives are like meandering lace, entwined, twisted together, yet turning and wandering down different paths.

Some attempt to find those who have faded with time, and reconstruct the family that was and is for generations to come.

I am one of those people who have been exploring my family history. 

I have fallen in love with the family and enjoy the hunt. 

I hope that those who visit my blog also enjoy what I have to share.

 To some this is a disaster, 
to me it is a treasure.
Hidden gems and clues to our past.
And here is the beginning of organization.
Endless scanning of photos and placing into archival boxes.
Then sleeves? do I need to put them in sleeves?
How many?  
And names....almost no names written on the back of the photos.
Almost 600 photos are scanned, yet the mountain of boxes remain.
I get to spend time with my parents, identifying and writing down stories for many of the photos.
What a privilege and blessing this whole process is.

Today I am thankful that my father was somewhat of a packrat, a casual family historian.

I am new to family history and genealogy. I learn more every day. I have made 3 family connections through Ancestry.com that I didn't know existed.
I have made contact to a couple family members through my parents. Everyone has been so wonderful and helpful.

Thank you all for your help, I hope you enjoy the journey with me.

Sincerely, 

Kathy, the current generation Hall family historian.

4 comments:

  1. Kathy your desk looks like mine and I've been at this since the mid-70's!. My stepfather was a packrat. We laughed at him all the time because he never threw anything away. How glad I was when I found a box of his full of graduation announcements, funeral programs, wedding invitations, etc. There is a wonderful machine that digitizes slides and negatives and puts them on your computer. A very good investment if you have any slides or negatives (He had over 800 slides)

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  2. Thank you Toni for your comment.

    I see you understand exactly how I feel. I am thrilled to be working on this, but have to take it one piece of paper at a time.

    Wow that's a lot of slides. I don't think I have too many slides. Our scanner is suppose to scan them, I will find out eventually.
    -Kathy

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  3. Wow Kathy! I have some "stuff" but not that much! Sure wish I did! I went to an organizational chat on A'Ville and someone posted a link that I am using. However, I am still working out of a tote box right now. Other wise I am totally un-organized in my pursuit for Organization!

    http://www.familysearch.org/Eng/Search/rg/frameset_rg.asp?Dest=G1&Guide=ALL_REF_DOC_-_Organizing_Paper_Files.asp

    Then this link for spread sheets. I have made my own, but I will probably need to change it some.
    Link:
    http://genedocs2.wetpaint.com/page/Member+Exclusive+Forms

    These are toward the bottom of the page. You can open them without being a member. My goal is to see exactly what I have.
    I really like the layout of your page!

    Mary

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  4. Thanks for the great comment Mary.
    I'm glad you like the page layout.

    I checked out the links, there is some great stuff there that I will definitely use.
    Thank you for sharing them. And thank you for checking out my blog.

    Kathy

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