Finding Family History 
Part 2

Too Much Information

Finding family history, part 2 continues: 

Joyce ("Genealogy Grandma") writes:

Too Much Information

Like all aspiring genealogists, I wish I had talked to my mother and father more.  I wish I had listened more--asked more questions--but when I was younger, I knew nothing about genealogy.

I became interested in my family’s story when I chaired our first family reunion in 1986.  In fact, 1986 was the first time I ever saw a picture of my paternal great-grandfather, Miles Love.  It was the first time I ever heard his name.  

Patriarch Miles S. Love, pictured, probably sometime in the 1860s

It was also the first time I ever heard my paternal great grandmother’s name, Eliza Jones Love.

I wondered why this information had not been shared before, why did it take a pending family reunion to bring out these old treasures? However, I decided it is better to not ask too many questions, but I should listen, and let it all unfold.

Aunt Dorothy in the 1940s

Dorothy V. Barnes (AKA "Doll")

My father’s sister, Dorothy V. Barnes, was the family historian until her death in 1999. Her knowledge of the oral family story and her collection of many old family photographs started my quest to learn about who I am and from where I come.

I built on her foundation.  After many years of documented research, I can state without any doubt, that what she told to me is factual.  There's only thing she told me that I can't yet verify:  it's that my great-grandfather was never a slave. I have neither proved nor disproved his status during slavery.

Piecing the family story together is always going to be an ongoing journey.  However, I welcome the challenge to pass on to my children and grandchildren, of what I now know.