How I Started . . .

Back in the Spring of 2002, my oldest son was assigned an Ethnic Festival Project. Each student had to research one of the lands that their ancestors had come from.

Now I had always been interested in my family history. I always asked questions of my parents and grandparents - but never thought to write anything down. As kids we never think about losing the ones we love. We never think that they won't be there to ask questions of. But it happens - and all of a sudden there is no one left to ask.

This Blog is about my mother's family. I am going to start with my mom's generation and her siblings - but out of respect for my siblings and cousins - who are all living - I do not plan to get into those relationships.

I lost my mom's parents in 1978 (her dad) and 1993 (her mom). I lost my mother in 2001. But there was a trail that was left - one that I could follow. My mom loved family photos - and so do I. She became the caretaker of her mothers photos - and then I became the caretaker of those as well as my moms.

In searching through my parents lives - in the things that were left behind (my dad died in 1995) my siblings and I found clues to help us in our search. With the internet and some ancestry websites I began the search.

It has been long and slow - and is a continuous project of patience and love. Initially writing things down for my son to use for his project - I stopped after getting most of what I could get from free websites. A couple years later my next son had the same project (different teacher) and so the search started again - only this time I started with some paid subscriptions and found more.

This blog is to share the information that I have found on the ancestors of my mom pictured here 

Lois Marilyn Hastings 

1928-2001

Perhaps  somewhere down the road this info will be helpful for future generations wanting to dig back in their roots.