A few things I've learned doing Family Research

A Few Things I’ve Learned!

My dad and I work on our Hager Family Genealogy. It is amazing to me how many twists and turns that we have encountered along the way. It seems as though each time we unravel one branch we encounter a new twists. This is the very thing that makes this journey so intriguing and FUN to me!

Along the way I have learned a few things about researching genealogy:

1. Don’t assume what you have heard or been told is the truth.
2. Expect the unexpected.
3. Only document what you can prove.
4. Have a buddy who helps and is equally interested.
5. Have a great family deeply rooted and interesting enough to research.

Sure, our family may not have intriguing stories of individuals traveling across the country in search of gold, but we do have some outlaws (my Father’s great great grandmother was the sister of Ol Ran’l McCoy of the Hatfield & McCoy feud), farmers, coal miners, and family members who as children hid in pickle crates to avoid an Indian raid. That is quite an array of individuals!

Anyways, my Dad and I have unraveled many fun facts. We have found women who had different names than we originally thought, men who seemed to have disappeared, possible name changes, murders, mysteries, family feuds, tragic life altering events, stories of our family members distant relatives have shared, civil war veterans, and so much more!  I am always amazed each time we uncover some piece of history – my history!

What interesting facts have you found in researching your Family History?