This is a scrapbook page I did for my ABC Book of Me. I am definitely an Ancestor Detective. Doing genealogy is like solving a mystery. You start with just a few facts, you search for clues, then you evaluate the evidence you find.
Ancestry.com is my hero and I am not getting paid to say so. My parents had both passed away before I was ten years old, so I didn’t know much about my family. I started my family tree with only my Mom and Dad, my Dad’s parents and siblings, and my four cousins. I didn’t know much about my Mom’s side of the family at all, and nothing beyond my paternal grandparents. But it can be done. As of today, I now have over 4300 people in my tree and have even met some of my long lost relatives.
So far, I haven’t found any criminals, pirates, or other scoundrels. But I have found a lot of pioneers and patriots. I have tracked several of my lines going back to Revolutionary War veterans and some of my Pruyne ancestors were early settlers in the colony of New Amsterdam, which later became New York state.
As a veteran myself, I was very happy to find my family has a long history of military service. I served in the Navy during Operation Desert Storm, my parents were both in the Air Force during the Vietnam War. I have ancestors who served in WWI, and WWII, fought for the Union during the Civil War and several ancestors who fought in the Revolution. And the tradition continues as my nephew is currently serving in the Army.
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