About Memories by Karen
Please sign in to see more. The measure of a womans character is not what she gets from her ancestors but what she leaves for her descendents... Its like planting a tree that you will never get to sit under but you hope that your family will enjoy the shade of the tree you planted one day. When I first started doing Genealogy I had a conversation with John Polk Campbell, a descendent of the founder of Springfield, Missouri, in Bolivar. He had studied his family's history for many years. His question to me was "Are you really sure you want to do this? You will sometimes find out things that you really don't want to know." I have always been curious, so..... This is my Family's History. It is in no way even close to being completed, a work in progress. There is a lot to be filled in, changes to be made and photographs to find. And, WOW what a thrill! It has been an Honor filled with Love as I was never told about my ancestry, and it has been a fun and fascinating adventure for me to discover who was related to whom, when and where they were born, how and where they lived and when and where they moved to. Health problems, personal descriptions,careers and accomplishments, the ages they lived to be and when and where they died, and finding where they are buried. The more that I have discovered,the more I have grown to love my ancestors. Genealogy makes you feel like you have a personal relationship with each person and their family. You feel their happiness and heartbreaks. It helps It helps you to understand where you come from and the reasons you are like you are and even who you look like. I've even been able to see photographs of some of them and pictures of their headstones and to visit some of their graves! Because of this knowledge, I have been able to speak to a few elderly living relatives and to introduce myself and ask them questions. I've met many relatives that I never knew existed, and found out that some of the people I have known for years are actually my distant and not so distant relatives! And the stories, (some of them are great!) I was never told or that I remember hearing when I was young and had forgotten about long ago. My parents had no idea about any of this. What a wonderful gift to leave for my children and for theirs. It is my dream that my journey will be continued because of curiosity and passion like mine, and with the coming of new members as our family grows.......
With My Love, Karen Higman-Austin |