In Search Of

I have friends who can tell your their lineage down to the most minute detail. “I’m a quarter German,” they say. Or “My 10-time great grandma can over on the Mayflower.”

Me? I never really knew. “There must be some German,” I’d say, “since my mom’s family name is Bumgardaner.” Somewhere along the line, I’d read that the Crows probably had ancestors in Ireland. But there was still so much I didn’t know about my family heritage.

I’ve always loved genealogy and family stories. Even as a child, it interested me. I’m that person who DVRs shows like “Who Do You Think You Are?” and Henry Gates’ “Find Your Roots.” A big part of that interest stems from a love of stories and history, but also just not knowing much about one side of my family.

My dad descended from a large family that holds large reunions every other year and that line is well traced by several family historians. But my mom’s side of the family is still shrouded in a bit of mystery, at least for me. My grandfather was a man of few words, and he passed away when I was 13, before I had much time to ask any questions. His sister, my great aunt, researched the family line, but she has also passed away. So has her daughter, and now it’s a bit unclear where her genealogical research is.

So, when I was thinking about projects I wanted to tackle on the blog this year, taking you along as I attempt to delve into that family history was one of the big ones that came to mind. I’m hoping to write a post each month updating you as I delve into my family history and attempt to trace my Bumgardaner line.

I can’t wait to get started and see where history takes us!