Hi all you Roots diggers!!

This is my first time commenting on this site, but I have enjoyed reading and learning from all of you from time to time.

I have been 'digging'  Genealogy, on and off since 1984.  Then you had to travel to major history centers, like Chicago Historical, the Newberry Library and local remote libraries to put anything together.  and you wrote letter.  I wrote LOTS of letters. sometimes I got great responses and information, sometime, nothing!!!     Today the postage alone would exceed the costs I incured back in the 1980's.  That information and verbal family history  have been what has built the base that I can use to varify the on line information I find today. 

The internet has opened many doors and increased my finds very rapidly in recent years.   Some great, till recently, unknown cousins have found me, and I them... Now we are now sharing new lines, new news and common interests.   I felt, several years ago that Ancestery.com was over priced, and over rated, but not any more!!    They are getting so many wonderful old documents digitalized for our ready use that the horizon expands every week.  As simple as finally  learning what the middle initial in a Granddad's name stood for.... it is on his WWI draft card.!!  No one ever could tell me what that middle name was.  All you need do is 'crank' your way through a few reels of Census records at a history or library center and you will willingly pay the fees.  I missed lots of detail when I was searching that way.  The cross reference and ability to see all the detail is priceless. 

I have now expanded my searching to land grant and survey records that are now appearing at several sites on line, mostly free.    Start with the BLM site:   http://www.glorecords.blm.gov/  and then see what your state has to offer.   Here in Wisconsin many of the hand written,  original land surveyor notes have been digitalized and posted............. some very valuable information establishing home farms, how obtained and so much more.  Most of the land grants are signed by the then sitting president, or his representative .... a nice tie to the time line you may be working in.  I have just begun this avenue and it seems to be as endless as this great land of ours.

Needless to say, I renew, each year, now with Ancestory.   And, the free times they offer just opens the information highway wider as more and more folks have the oppurtunity to add more information from their files.

Dig.......... and Enjoy

BABonthBay

I found the WWI draft registrations for both of my grandfathers, as well as some of Grandpa Sanger's brothers and uncles.  Grandpa Thompson's male relatives never left Canada, so there weren't any others from his family.

I also found a list of men lost in the Pacific during WWII that included my uncle who went down with the Triton.  It wasn't new information for me, but it was interesting.  I have also been on the website for the Triton and saw a picture of him that I had never seen before.  I know my dad registered with the draft for WWII, but I haven't found his name on any records yet.  He was working for Defoe's in Bay City, Michigan building destroyers and landing craft by the time he was 18, and they wouldn't take him because of that, and the fact that his eyesight was bad. 

  Thanks for the info.  I received FTW vs 16 last week.  This genealogy is fun.  I may publish it to a website.

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How when and where did you post your Indians along the river?  I have a lot of problems with AARP accepting my videos.

.http://www.aarp.org/community/puzzlednana/video/Drums_Along_The_River_200/243372?cn=STREAM_puzzlednana_video_large_PAGE1