Where Do I Start?

The first thoughts I have as I write my "debut” post, is where I start?  What do I say?  Will I have enough to write as time passes?  Should I write something profound, funny, and serious or should I do a brief introduction?  All questions that I should have probably asked before I started writing.   Writing a blog was never my intention but after some encouragement (AAGSAR Facebook), I wanted to be the “voice” of my ancestors.  

This probably sounds crazy but for the last few months, I have been dreaming about my ancestors.  My grandmothers have appeared in my dreams and when I woke up; I wanted to learn more about their lives.  Now I wonder if my dreams were their way of giving me a gentle nudge in the "blog" direction to tell their story.  I don't know but it did push me to get started.  My dreams are the reason why the title of this blog is "Voices Inside My Head".   

I have been tracing my family history off and on for a while but I never really dedicated myself until recently.  I am almost embarrassed to say how long it took me to buckle down and do the research.  My first attempts were successful.  Words cannot describe how exciting it was not hitting any road blocks.  Every little find, I wanted to share with my family (more on that later).  My mom, dad and son listened ever so patiently to my almost daily ramblings.   I thought my passion for genealogy would spill over to everyone.  Then I realized that you cannot force your passion onto others.  That is why I feel so blessed to come from such a wonderful, loving and supportive family.  After all in my head, how they could not be as excited as I was to discover new "facts" about our ancestors?   I think they were, just not three to four times a day.  

My parents were my first call to gather as much information as I could about my ancestors.  They sent me pictures, obituaries, death certificates, family reunion charts and notes of their family.  I asked and continue to ask them about our family.  I love hearing their stories; I could listen to them for hours.   I feel like a kid in a candy store every time I pour over the photos.  I feel as each and every one of them speaks to me.  I am proud of my family and my ancestors who came before all of us.  I plan on documenting their story and stories from my family.  I also share this blog with my family so they can add their thoughts and stories.   This blog isn't about me or for me.  It is about my family, my ancestors and the family we will leave behind.  

     

My maternal grandmother Nona, grandfather Leroy aka "Daddy Roy", my aunt Rosalind aka"Sister" and the baby is my aunt Gloria.  This picture was taken in 1942.