Who do I think I am?

Monday, March 15, 2010

Have you been watching the new series, "Who do you think you are?" (Fridays, NBC)

Well, I have.
Check that--I've watched ONE and that was enough to give me the bug.

So, I'm tracing my history.
Well, my maternal grandmother's side, to be exact.

I declared my intention to my mother over the weekend by saying, "I'm going to do it! Isn't it EXCITING?!? Haven't you always been CURIOUS?!?"

Her reply?
"Not really. What's Ella doing?"

I can see I'm on my own.

It's really not something that my schedule can permit right now between a toddler and writing, but it is something I can do in those wee hours of the morning when my insomnia usually has me channel surfing infomercials on the 468 cable channels I pay for so they can show, um, stuff they get paid to show.

(I totally almost bought the 6 week body makeover the other day...)

Anyway...

This whole genealogy stuff?
It's really addicting.

You've been forewarned.

In a few short hours over the weekend on Ancestory.com (not a paid endorsement, just where I started), I traced part of my family back to the early 1700s. (*waves at my German ancestors*)

There's something about holding a copy of the handwritten census from 1880 that makes you giddy.
And amused.
For example, the 1880 U.S. Federal Census categories included:

Cannot read
Blind, Deaf
Dumb
Otherwise disabled
Idiotic/Insane

(I won't even comment on the last category in relation to my family. You can probably figure it out own your own...)

I'll blog regularly about my findings. I've already uncovered some juicy stuff--alternate identities, adoptions, intertwining families, possible relation to a Civil War colonial and Senator and more. For now I'll just say, "Oh my darling, Clementine. You are lost and gone forever..."

Wonder where she'll turn up?