Intense curiosity about my heritage began before turning 21 years of age.

It started when my brother uncovered, in our uncles attic, a newspaper published on the day of Abraham LINCOLN's death.

I began by writing letters, and was encouraged by some elderly kin that responded quickly and precisely with information that today could never be found, anywhere!

Over the years, I have seen family history research change in every area you can image because of the internet which can be both good and bad when it comes to accuracy along with your time, effort and expenses.

I live in Southern California, about 10 miles from the international border at Tijuana. Just recently, I joined Find A Grave as a member-sponsor.

The last few months have found me walking Glen Abbey Memorial Park in Bonita plus La Vista Memorial Park in National City, California, taking pictures of tombstones, as well as the surrounding area of said tombstones, in order to give someone an idea of where the grave is located within the park.

So, if you have anyone's grave, in either of these two cemeteries that you would like a picture of their stone and surroundings, I would be happy to do that for you.

I have spent a number of years studying the Shenandoah Valley area of Virginia where I have many direct lines to the original settlers; my grandparents, Jost and Anna Maria (MERKLE) HITE, with my direct linage through their daughter, Magdalena who married Jacob CHRISMAN and from their there are too many to mention such as GOCHENOUR, RITTER.

In my historical adventures I found that both my mother and father have multiple LOOMIS lines.

Both my mother's RUSSELLs and my father's CARLTONs were straight out of County Kent, England coming in the 1800s.

Full circle my father's mother, truly German, as per the above HITEs, her grandfather, Adam DILLER came, in the late 1840s, from Germany to live beside the old Shenandoah Valley German-Swiss families moved to Otter Creek, Illinois and this is where I started my research many years ago.

So, with the stubbornness of a German and the tenacity of an Englishwoman I continue a 45 plus years search and rescue of family members reuniting them through time and space with the links, notes and photos.

Pathfinder

Intense curiosity about my heritage began before turning 21 years of age.

It started when my brother uncovered, in our uncles attic, a newspaper published on the day of Abraham LINCOLN's death.

I began by writing letters, and was encouraged by some elderly kin that responded quickly and precisely with information that today could never be found, anywhere!

Over the years, I have seen family history research change in every area you can image because of the internet which can be both good and bad when it comes to accuracy along with your time, effort and expenses.

I live in Southern California, about 10 miles from the international border at Tijuana. Just recently, I joined Find A Grave as a member-sponsor.

The last few months have found me walking Glen Abbey Memorial Park in Bonita plus La Vista Memorial Park in National City, California, taking pictures of tombstones, as well as the surrounding area of said tombstones, in order to give someone an idea of where the grave is located within the park.

So, if you have anyone's grave, in either of these two cemeteries that you would like a picture of their stone and surroundings, I would be happy to do that for you.

I have spent a number of years studying the Shenandoah Valley area of Virginia where I have many direct lines to the original settlers; my grandparents, Jost and Anna Maria (MERKLE) HITE, with my direct linage through their daughter, Magdalena who married Jacob CHRISMAN and from their there are too many to mention such as GOCHENOUR, RITTER.

In my historical adventures I found that both my mother and father have multiple LOOMIS lines.

Both my mother's RUSSELLs and my father's CARLTONs were straight out of County Kent, England coming in the 1800s.

Full circle my father's mother, truly German, as per the above HITEs, her grandfather, Adam DILLER came, in the late 1840s, from Germany to live beside the old Shenandoah Valley German-Swiss families moved to Otter Creek, Illinois and this is where I started my research many years ago.

So, with the stubbornness of a German and the tenacity of an Englishwoman I continue a 45 plus years search and rescue of family members reuniting them through time and space with the links, notes and photos.

Pathfinder