Shoebox Blues...

No matter if it's cleaning up the closets or cleaning up your online research, the shoeboxes are always a source of anxiety.  Half the time i'm afraid of opening them up, hoping i don't find an unpaid bill, or the insurance card that should be in the car.  Same goes with my Ancestry shoebox.  I've recently started going throught the items i've saved, seeing if they're still applicable to the people on my tree or if they've been proven false and I can discard them. 

My God!  How much stuff did I put in here?!  But i plow through and lo and behold find some verifying information on an ancestor i've been researching.  On an old census record, i found that my maternal grandfather and grandmother had his sister Lizzie living with them for a short time when she first came over.  This verifies that i have the correct family for him on my other research.  I've had the document all this time and never bothered to look back over everything.
Well now i've added it to my monthly calendar.  I'm hoping to find more suprises.  Take the time to go back through all your notes and review them.  Something that may have not seemed important at the time may just be critical now.  Enjoy!

Switching over...

It's been a great few weeks finding out more about my grandfather's family.  But dead ends can be a bit frustrating, so it's time to switch gears.  Still on the family history, but on a different branch.  I've still got a bit of a mystery on my paternal grandmother's family, so that's my next target.  It's always a good idea when you get frustrated in your research to take a step back and try something related, but different.  Start checking out the coats of arms, or the history of the area your ancestors lived.  Plan that trip to Ireland (if i could just follow my own advice - but my wallet says no currently).  Once you get involved in a side area, your mind will open up and you'll be open to new possibilities in your main research.  Give it a try. 

Pardon Our Appearance....

Sorry for any technical difficulties folks.  I've been playing around with the templates for the page.  Want to get just the right look.  Hope you are all enjoying your research.  Summer's coming finally, so that always seems to help.  Have fun.

Step By Step...

What a great week!  With some of the information i found on my grandfather's family, i was able to narrow it down even more.  I have the right ancestors now, it seems.  The dates work out on the children's birth years,  the location works as well (the next village over - one letter difference in the village name) .  My work is almost done (considering my original scope was to get back to my great grandparents - now I've gone back even further).  I just have to confirm a few more facts to ensure all is correct in my research.  One fact i have may be the lynchpin i need - one of my grandfather's sister was a nun.  I haven't found where she was stationed or which sister it was unfortunately.  I've got to keep digging.   Hope all is going well with your research.  Let me know how you're making out and if there's any good sites you've found yourself.  Would love to hear from you.