My reason for this Blog

Before I get into my Family tree and such, I wanted to let you know why I started looking for my family to begin with.
I lost my parents when I was in my late 20's...totally unexpected. They died within 14 months of each other. At the time I was trying to find out what it was like being a new wife and a new Mom. My world just exploded. It has taken years to find my way.
About 5 years ago I wanted to start scrapbooking, and decided I needed to start with the only "photo" I had of my paternal greatgrandfather, Jesse O. Burgess. ( The gentleman in the banner on the left)
My Dad was really into history and very proud of his heritage. I had listened to him talk about his grandfather and the Civil War and had seen the letters from Jesse, but that was about it. My Dad has one sister and God Bless her she is still with us. Her name is Rosemary, and we have spent a lot of hours in the last 4 years talking about the family. I would ask questions and it would spark a memory and away we would go!
One my Mom's side, everyone except some of my cousins are gone. There is no one to ask questions....no one. So that side of the family was a real puzzle and finding out about this side has lead me on some great journeys! I have more family than I ever knew!
So, the scrapbooking took a backseat and the genealogy became my passion. As with all of us, I love the hunt! I still haven't done that scrapbook page. :)
So, I will be sharing my stories, and what I learned about genealogy this last 5 years. I hope that what I write might help someone else on their journey too!