When I was growing up, I knew very little about my ancestors. People of my culture and generation rarely talked about those who had passed away. My son along with a few of my nieces have worked diligently over the past many years to develop our family trees and reveal relationships and connections. It's gratifying after all these years to verify information I've been told or to reveal secrets that were kept. For example, I never knew that my mother had two sisters who died in their 20s, or that the young, Native American woman who lived with us during the summers while living the rest of the year at a Native American boarding school was my cousin, or that I had a aunt on a nearby farm who was the result of an affair my grandfather had. We are imperfect beings but keeping secrets doesn't allow healing, grieving, and developing empathy for those affected by these traumas.

Through genealogy research by my son and others, I've been fortunate to see photos of my family and ancestors I've never seen before, to read some of their journals, and to learn more about my ancestors' journeys from around this wonderful world.

I've joined Find-A-Grave to help others with their research and to make sure accurate and respectful information is maintained on the memorials of my ancestors and others. These memorials are tributes to the lives of those who lived before us, and care must be taken when creating and managing them.

When I was growing up, I knew very little about my ancestors. People of my culture and generation rarely talked about those who had passed away. My son along with a few of my nieces have worked diligently over the past many years to develop our family trees and reveal relationships and connections. It's gratifying after all these years to verify information I've been told or to reveal secrets that were kept. For example, I never knew that my mother had two sisters who died in their 20s, or that the young, Native American woman who lived with us during the summers while living the rest of the year at a Native American boarding school was my cousin, or that I had a aunt on a nearby farm who was the result of an affair my grandfather had. We are imperfect beings but keeping secrets doesn't allow healing, grieving, and developing empathy for those affected by these traumas.

Through genealogy research by my son and others, I've been fortunate to see photos of my family and ancestors I've never seen before, to read some of their journals, and to learn more about my ancestors' journeys from around this wonderful world.

I've joined Find-A-Grave to help others with their research and to make sure accurate and respectful information is maintained on the memorials of my ancestors and others. These memorials are tributes to the lives of those who lived before us, and care must be taken when creating and managing them.