| If you are looking online to create your family | | | | surprise you. You'll be amazed what you will |
| tree you will have noticed that creating your | | | | discover once you start seriously working in the |
| family tree can be fun and easy. | | | | field of genealogy. You'll kick yourself for not |
| That's right! Thanks to the Internet, it doesn't | | | | checking out your family tree sooner! |
| matter if your ancestors were born in | | | | I have a friend who boasts that he's related to |
| Czechoslovakia . . . Nova Scotia . . . or Australia . . . | | | | President William McKinley. It appears that |
| you can discover some of the most basic facts | | | | McKinley was some type of great uncle to him. |
| about them. We'll show you where to start | | | | Cool, isn't it? |
| searching online for your family tree. | | | | There's famous lineage in our family tree, too, |
| Once you get your foot in the "cyber-door", so to | | | | though. My father was always asked about the |
| speak, you'll be off and running on the Internet, | | | | origin of his last name, which was very |
| discovering just how small this world really is. No | | | | German-sounding - even though his parents came |
| relative - no matter how distant through time or | | | | from Czechoslovakia. |
| geographical location - is beyond your reach! | | | | So lacking any kind of real genealogy of his family, |
| Before you know it, you'll be the "resident family | | | | he created one to amuse people. He liked to |
| history expert." Grandma Maple and Uncle Taylor | | | | explain to people that we were related to a gang |
| will be coming to you to discover if what they | | | | of horse thieves thrown out of Germany at |
| remember about their parents or great | | | | some point in our ancestry (he never did |
| grandparents is really accurate. And you'll proudly | | | | elaborate just when) and fled to Czechoslovakia |
| be able to answer just about all of their questions. | | | | for refuge. From there, his parents then migrated |
| Of course, if there are questions you can't | | | | to America. |
| answer, you'll scurry off to the net or to another | | | | Even though these two tales - one very true and |
| location, determined to unearth the answer. | | | | very serious, the other created to make people |
| Once you begin "climbing" your family tree, you'll | | | | laugh - appear to have nothing in common, they |
| be pleasantly surprised at the bits of information | | | | have one aspect they share. All in all, both |
| you discover about your distant relatives - your | | | | accounts deal with the field of genealogy. |
| link to history. | | | | Are you one of the people who hold a few |
| Not only that, but in the process you'll learn more | | | | misconceptions about genealogy? Do you know |
| than you ever thought possible about the times in | | | | the difference between genealogy and family |
| which these people lived. You'll slowly immerse | | | | history? |
| yourself in their lives, their social structure, and | | | | For many individuals, genealogy sounds like it's a |
| their times. Imagine that; and you'll probably even | | | | dull study, but millions of individuals every year |
| learn some American history, and possibly even | | | | discover just how fascinating and exciting it can |
| world history in the process! | | | | be when history - and specifically their family |
| That's not the only aspect of this hobby that will | | | | history - comes to life for them. |