I didn’t grow up knowing my biological father, though I was lucky to have a wonderful stepfather and a strong sense of family on my mother’s side. I always knew there were half-sisters out there somewhere, which left me with a quiet curiosity—about where I came from, and who I came from.
That curiosity grew into something deeper over time. I come from a long line of young mothers, and I was fortunate enough to grow up surrounded by generations of women. I knew both of my great-grandmothers and even briefly my great-great grandmother. Much of my childhood was spent in the small town where my grandparents lived, which gave me a strong sense of place and connection to the past.
Maybe that’s why I’ve always been fascinated by the pioneer era. Growing up in Iowa, it was part of the landscape—cornfields and covered wagons, history and heartache woven into the land. My interest in genealogy started there, but it grew when I met my husband. He was already knee-deep in research, proudly tracing his Irish roots. Back then, before the internet took over, we spent nights on message boards and weekends in archives, squinting at microfiche and combing through historical records. It was tedious at times, but incredibly rewarding.
Over the years, my research has expanded. My tree now stretches back many generations, supported by DNA, documentation, and the occasional well-founded hunch. I research carefully—always looking for proof, rarely trusting others’ trees without strong sources—but I also rely on pattern recognition and intuition to form hypotheses I work to confirm. That drive comes from the same place as my interest in science and even web development: I love the process of learning, testing, and connecting the dots.
On my maternal side, I’ve traced lines back to the Mayflower and to around 1000 AD in England. On my biological father’s side, I’ve uncovered deep southern roots tracing back to early Virginia settlers. Combined with a lifelong love of history, it’s a fascinating journey—and far from finished.
I’m not entirely sure what this section will become, but I suspect it will include family stories, research tips, and a few stubborn brick walls. It’s a space to share both the progress and the puzzle—because sometimes, finding one new leaf on the tree is all it takes to keep going.
Photo by Katerina Shkribey on Unsplash