PAT:
Our genealogy research started after my parents and aunts and uncles had passed away. They didn't talk much about their family anyway. My Dad's parents were only referred to as "Mom" and "Pop". I found through research that many people that I thought of as friends of the family were actually relatives.

So ... my wife and I started with an old address book, a box of UN-marked photos, and names of some of my aunts, uncles and cousins. By plugging those names into a census search, we found the actual names of my grandparents. We sent a letter to one of the cousins listed in the address book and had another success.

Our list of relatives grew rapidly after that and we have even had several family reunions.

PAT:
Our genealogy research started after my parents and aunts and uncles had passed away. They didn't talk much about their family anyway. My Dad's parents were only referred to as "Mom" and "Pop". I found through research that many people that I thought of as friends of the family were actually relatives.

So ... my wife and I started with an old address book, a box of UN-marked photos, and names of some of my aunts, uncles and cousins. By plugging those names into a census search, we found the actual names of my grandparents. We sent a letter to one of the cousins listed in the address book and had another success.

Our list of relatives grew rapidly after that and we have even had several family reunions.