My Genealogy Addiction

I am an addict.  I can admit I am an addict.  I got the addiction back in 2013, but I weaned myself away when my membership ran out.  And then they had an offer I could not refuse.  And so, I am back on Ancestry.com searching for my ancestors.  And once I sit here at my computer, I have a hard time leaving.

I am trying to put together the history for my sons.  I have found 261 people on both my side and their father's side of the family.  I have found ancestors back to 1806 on my mother's side of the family.  If there was a DeBenedet or Mariuz in northern Italy, they are probably related to her.  It seems daunting and never-ending.  And lots of decisions have to be made.  I have 18 pages of hints on Ancestry.  That's about 330 documents to read.  Many of them are from Canadian or European sources which means I need to purchase an international membership.  But I will try to go through all the American documents first.

I have talked to folks that I haven't spoken to in many years and even spoke to someone I have never met.  Two phone calls have been made to my father's sister with whom I only ever exchange Christmas cards.  She is 90, but still pretty sharp.  She could not fill me in on our New York relatives except to say that the family all went to a wedding there in the 50's, but she couldn't remember who got married.  But she did remember whose wedding my father took me to when I was two in 1948 and I was able to find the marriage docs online.

As for those New York relatives - My sister inherited everything when my mother died.  She copied a few things out of my mother's address book, including the addresses of two relatives in New York.  I googled the address in Hempstead and saw that the house was still there.  Then I Googled the owners and lo and behold they all had my maiden name.  So I checked for a phone number and WOW - there it was.  So I picked up the phone and dialed.

A woman answered and I asked if this was the D---- residence.  She said it was and I explained that my name was Denise D---.  I said I was looking for a Katherine D---- and she said it was her mother-in-law, now deceased.  I got goosebumps.  During our rather lengthy chat I told her that I found her name on ancestry and was she born in 1935?  She was.  But ancestry was now showing her married name of D--- which was what confused me.  She told me her husband's name and the names of her in-laws.  Unfortunately, she had no idea how we were related and her husband had died several years ago.  We continued chatting and then I asked her if she had any idea who a Stella K--- was in New York.  She said it was her husband's sister.  Eureka!  Our chat ended with a promise to share whatever I could discover.  I am sure her four sons would like to know, too, as one has a tree on Ancestry.

I set about trying to discover the Michigan-New York relationship.  I found her in-laws online and when I found the documents for her father-in-law, I found that his father was not the same name as my great-grandfather.  So, in order for these New York relatives to be cousins of the Michigan family, was it possible that the fathers of these children were born of brothers in Poland?  So, that is what I am supposing. 

I called my aunt and asked her if it was possible she went to Stella's wedding in New York and she said I was right and what happened to Stella?  She said she had not heard from her in many years and I told her that Stella had passed away.  She also remembered the brother whose wife I talked to.  She said that her father, my grandfather, never talked much about his family.  It was my grandmother who kept in touch.  All of those folks who had all the history are long gone.  My mother sent Christmas cards to Katherine and Stella which is why we had those addresses.

And more questions arise.  I still do not understand how one uncle was born in Poland in 1899 when his parents settled in America in 1888?  Did they go back for a visit?  While pregnant?  Brave souls on an ocean crossing.

I found divorces I never knew about.  Dishonorable discharges.  And lots of old addresses which proved quite interesting.  And wonderful photos.  Once I have all the names entered, I will start digitizing old photos so that I can put them online with the family tree.

And then there is my ex's family.  My ex-husband was married and divorced when I met him.  While I have saved documents about that, I have not added those children to the tree.  I have had to limit info on spouses and all of the ancestors if there is no blood line connection.  It is overwhelming.  On his father's side there is some connection to President Harding, but while I have found the Harding child who married into the family, I cannot find any other connection.  And my ex's mother is a cousin of Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy, but I would need to access Irish docs to discover that. 

I have a six-month membership.  I am sure I will wear myself out before the six months are even close to being over.  It is daunting. 

So, that is why I have not been posting.  And also getting behind in reading others' posts and commenting.  Talk about time flies when you are having fun.  Just try searching for your ancestors!