I've mentioned several times (my husband would say ad infinitum) about my work on Ancestry.com. Just as I hit enough walls to discourage me from continuing my work, I'll have a breakthrough that will get me all excited again. It's like the history course I always wished I could take.
Two weeks ago, I found relatives from Plymouth, MA; who were most likely Puritan. Then I hit a dry spell. Just last night I found a relative of my husband's who was on the Second Supply ship to Jamestown. Naturally this ignited the fire again!
But there is also a lot of frustration! Everyday I'll follow a lead (or in the case of Ancestry.com, a leaf) that has ridiculous info. For example the father is born in 1640 the mother in 1645 and the son in 1650. Are you kidding me? The interesting part is that no less than 10 family trees have duplicated this info. Does no one do math anymore? Your average 5 year old, no matter how precocious is not likely to be birthing children! Just last night, I found a listing where the son is 28 years older than his parents!
Which is actually a good life lesson. It's important to pay attention and not accept things at face value. It pays to read a document before you sign it. Most importantly, it pays to compare what you know to be true to what someone tells you is true.
Oh, and even though I love Ancestry.com--don't drive through life looking in the rear view mirror, cuz you miss all the good stuff. God didn't design us to live in the past, but to learn from it!
Feeling blessed, how about you?
I liked your post! And, how cool is that if those relatives were really on a supply ship to Jamestown. Did he survive the hardships? Oh, this would be intriguing to me to pursue. Good luck!
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