How I Got Hooked On Genealogy

I have a class at Edgecombe Community College to blame for my getting totally hooked on doing genealogy. It was 2004 and I signed up for a local history/genealogy class with Monika Fleming, author of Edgecombe County: Along the Tar River. Part of the class was spent talking about Edgecombe County historyand the other part of the class was doing a genealogy project.

I signed up for the class because I love history and it seemed interesting. I had heard that the professor, Monika Fleming, was a good professor to take history classes with, especially this class because she knew a lot about Edgecombe county and the town of Tarboro.

When people think of genealogy sometimes they think about searching for old census records or newspaper articles. They think to look through cemeteries to find their ancestors, which are good ways to find information. However, genealogy starts with the living. Your living relatives are great sources of information about your family past. Just remember that there may be some things that they do not want to share because they bring up painful memories. Respect their wishes and continue to work on your other leads that they give you.

I have been hooked now for five years and I have no intention of stopping now that I have started delving into my families past. I have found many interesting things in my search. It has also led me to get a better understanding of what the people who have come before me have experienced. It has given me a small glimpse into what their lives were like and how they lived.

Further postings to this blog will give more detailed analysis of my search for my family's legacy.

(This passion for genealogy has continued. I had forgotten how to log into this page for many years and just found an old notebook that gave me what I needed to be able to log back in. So I am updating all these pages and will start posting new blogs shortly. )