Starting The Journey

I’m the youngest of six children with a boat load of aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, nephews, and two great grandchildren.  My love for family and friends that have become like family has inspired me to start this blog.  I’m a novice researcher of family history and my research has revealed some jewels of information as well as raised lots of unanswered question.  I hope to share my journey into my family’s past, revealing the joys and frustrations that come with the process.  I will also share my childhood memories of my family and growing up in my beloved hometown of Smithfield, Virginia.  Hopefully this will inspire you to take time to talk with older family members and learn from them what you can about your family.

As children we learn about the “great and famous” people that impacted our world, country, state, etc.  Little is taught about the average, everyday guy, so we don’t give much thought to our ancestors unless there has been someone famous in the family.  We typically go through life not asking questions about our grandparents, great-grandparents, and extended family.  Sure we hear the older people talking about “Uncle Lucian” or “Aunt Susie”, spinning tales that almost seem unbelievable, yet we still don’t really pay attention until one day after almost all of the “old heads” are gone it finally hits us – My grandmother’s grandmother  was born seven years before Thomas Jefferson died.  Then the light comes on and we are filled with questions, only to realize that very few are left living that can answer them.

Fortunately, we have the internet, old county records, and sites like “Ancestry.com” and others that we can research and piece together what their lives must have been like.  Sometimes the information starts flowing like the spigot has been turned all the way opened and other times it’s like a drought and you can’t find a drop of information for days, weeks, and even months.

That’s the purpose of this site, to share not only information that has been found, but also to share insights into the process – the droughts as well as the floods of information.  Along the way I also hope to share memories of my childhood growing up in my beloved hometown, Smithfield, Virginia

I hope you will enjoy this journey!