I have long been interested in genealogy and tracing my ancestors. It's thrilling to find old records and photos, and I enjoy playing detective and trying to make sure I put all the pieces of the family puzzle together. It's important to me to account for every member of a family. I hate the idea of omitting any children who may have been born and died in between census takings. Even if a child only lived for one day on this earth, I want him or her to be remembered. So many of us have ancestors who lost many children at a young age. As a parent myself, it's heartbreaking to think of all the sorrows and hardships so many families endured.

Cemeteries have always fascinated me. Each and every memorial stone represents a person's life story. Some are very plain while others are so elaborate and represent the strength of the love these people shared. I always try to link family members when I can. It just gives me a warm feeling to bring everyone together as they were in life. When I see memorials here that have only the dates of birth and death, I feel compelled to fill in the details. I end up researching total strangers on Ancestry and neglecting my own family research. lol To those of you who accept the edits I submit and help to add more detail to a memorial, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. If nothing else, I feel it's important to at least list the parents of the deceased in order to help others who are trying to fill in the gaps of their own family's genealogy. And kudos to everyone who contributes to this wonderful site. It really is a labor of love.
All my best,
Martha

P.S. I hope all of you will leave virtual flowers at every memorial you create. It's sad to see memorials without them.

I have long been interested in genealogy and tracing my ancestors. It's thrilling to find old records and photos, and I enjoy playing detective and trying to make sure I put all the pieces of the family puzzle together. It's important to me to account for every member of a family. I hate the idea of omitting any children who may have been born and died in between census takings. Even if a child only lived for one day on this earth, I want him or her to be remembered. So many of us have ancestors who lost many children at a young age. As a parent myself, it's heartbreaking to think of all the sorrows and hardships so many families endured.

Cemeteries have always fascinated me. Each and every memorial stone represents a person's life story. Some are very plain while others are so elaborate and represent the strength of the love these people shared. I always try to link family members when I can. It just gives me a warm feeling to bring everyone together as they were in life. When I see memorials here that have only the dates of birth and death, I feel compelled to fill in the details. I end up researching total strangers on Ancestry and neglecting my own family research. lol To those of you who accept the edits I submit and help to add more detail to a memorial, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. If nothing else, I feel it's important to at least list the parents of the deceased in order to help others who are trying to fill in the gaps of their own family's genealogy. And kudos to everyone who contributes to this wonderful site. It really is a labor of love.
All my best,
Martha

P.S. I hope all of you will leave virtual flowers at every memorial you create. It's sad to see memorials without them.