#2 Family History

Today while the girls napped (because, yes, they BOTH slept! Crankies...),

I worked on my family history.

I find this very exciting, totally addictive, and most of the time soooo frustrating, and yet sweetly rewarding.

So many times I am exhausted and know I need to call it quits... but I just think

'what if the next image has the marriage I'm looking for? Just one more...'....

I could do that to myself EVERY time. I have to set clear quotas and then put it off til next designated research time. Because I can't wait for those

thrilling, exciting, goose-bump-inducing moments

when you realize that you are staring at a screen providing

deeper insight into the life of an ancestor,

information you desperately needed to verify vitals like birth/death/marriage/parents,

and, of course, details providing a tantalizing lead for another piece of the puzzle.

It is never ending!

Last week I discovered that my maternal great grandmother was an illegitimate child, and that my great-great-grandfather showed up to acknowledge her as his own when she was 4 years old. I already knew that my great-great-grandmother was married before, but this explained why I just couldn't find a marriage for her and my g-g-gpa. Man, I'd like to read a journal or something. What kind of story did they have? That's what I'm talking about... lil details that are just so tantalizing...

Did you know that FamilySearch.org has updated their website and includes browsable image libraries now? So you don't have to order microfilms, pay money, wait wait wait, try and fannagle a time in your schedule to drive up to a family history library 20 minutes away, and then try to juggle kids while sitting in a dark room to examine the films on a reader... and then there was always the frustration if you ordered a film with no helpful info and then had to order another and wait some more... no no, my friends, the exciting news is that you can do it at home and online. Free. Convenient. Beautiful.

I am in love!

WHO IS THIS GUY!?!

Blows my mind... I found a marriage record, completely unexpected... and discovered that

my great-great grandma was married to someone NOT my great-great grandfather!

their marriage is 3 years prior to her marriage to my gg-grandfather... so what happened? Did her first husband die? Did they get divorced? Did they have kids? What a mystery!

WHO IS THIS GUY?

anybody else ever find out something unexpected about a member of your family?

Really, this surprise has gotten me thinking about marriage and how much I value mine. What would it be like to lose a husband after only 2 years? Sometime between their marriage and her marriage to my GGG-Father, she moved to Guatemala City. Was that a move made together with her first husband? Did his death/divorce/or whatever leave her stranded in a strange city to work out her sorrow and frustration so far away from her family support? Or was it a choice of hers to leave El Progreso, a fresh start, a chance to get away from the memories when she married the second time so far away from home? my heart goes out to my GGGmother who had some unknown struggle. She is suddenly more real because of this discovery. I am so grateful for my husband, for the fulfillment and joy I have every day because I know we are sealed together for eternity. Eric is a wonderful husband and father, my best friend in all the world. I hope Arcadia found joy like I have. I hope she--and all my own descendants--know what it is like to be sublimely happy in marriage.

I found a relative! Guatemalan President!

Folks, I'm SOOOOOO excited about family history right now! Gotta tell ya, I have been scouring baptism and marriage records from Guastatoya, El Progreso, Guatemala (a lil parroquia where I have at least 3 generations of ancestors) and found the evidence that links my Grandmother's grandmother as a cousin to a very famous Guatemalan President: Jose Maria Orellana Pinto! He took over the presidency in a coup, then got elected officially, and is especially famous for his work on the economy. His face is actually on the Quetzal, Guatemala's equivalent to the dollar! It has been a popular rumor in my family that we were related to him, but unfortunately, pretty much EVERYONE with the last name of Orellana claims relation to him, and we didn't have proof. Well, NOW WE DO!!!! His father was the brother of my great-great-great grandmother. Pretty exciting stuff, folks!