Family is becoming more important to me as I grow older.  Unfortunately, I'm also  aware of the fact that I don't know many people in my family or my husband's family.   This is my attempt to learn about my ancestors, my husband's ancestors, and all of  our family that we have, but may not be able to see very often.

For me this family tree is a doorway into a world I was never able to know.  I want  to open the door and find out where my ancestors grew up, what they did for  occupations, and who they knew as their immediate families.  I want to learn about  names that haved flowed down through the generations, and I want to pay respect to my  ancestors by learning about their lives.  I want to know about all the people who  were part of why I'm here in this world doing everything that I'm doing now.

Also, this family tree is a way for me to learn about my family who is still living.   I have never really had much contact with my family and, therefore, my knowledge of  them is limited.  With the exceptions of my Grandpa Wally, Grandma Jane, and Uncle  Dwight, I usually seen other family members on a yearly basis or even less often when  I was young.  However, most of my family I never met.  It may have taken almost  twenty-seven years, but now I'm trying to rectify this by finding out about my family  and maybe even getting the chance to start a relationship with them.

I would also like my husband, Ken, to learn more about his family lineage.  It is my  hope that he will become interested in this project and that he will be inspired to  reconnect with family he hasn't seen in years.  It is also my hope to learn more  about Ken's family because I have recently become part of it, and his family is a  part of who he is.

I don't expect this family tree to come together overnight, but I will enjoy putting  it together.  With everyone's help it will eventually become a work of art that I  will treasure.  I appreciate everyone's imput and patience.  I have many questions  that I've bombarded people with and everyone has been generous enough to help me even  if we don't know each other well.  I thank you all for being part of creating my  masterpiece.