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From: "Bee/Larry Gatliff" <>
Subject: How I got started
Date: Thu, 2 Jan 2003 01:22:55 -0600


Joyce Ragels said:
"What began as a minor hunt has become a major part of my life...I am a hopeless addict and
will remain gleefully so."
That pretty much explains what happened to me and my attitude toward genealogy. I began searching for information about my mothers family in 1999. She died when I was 12 and I knew little about her background except that she was raised in an orphanage in Oklahoma. Her father was killed in a train accident when she was 5 and her mother died when she was born. Not a pretty picture. I was ecstatic--as some of you may recall-- when I found the orphanage and some of the documents surrounding my grandfathers death. I haven't been able to trace either the MANN or PEASE family back to the next generation But I keep digging I have some pretty strong maybes on the MANN side. I wasn't even going to pursue my fathers side of the family. My parents were divorced when I was young and I didn't think I was really interested in knowing much about the CAREY's, WRONG! One evening out of frustration I entered my father's grandfathers name, PAULLIN, at Ancestry and went back to the Revolutionary!
War. Then I posted a query on the WARFIELD board and someone sent me a picture of my greatgrandmother! That was it -- I was hooked. I became fascinated wanting to know these people and how they lived it has been an amazing adventure that keeps me up way too late at night! Speaking of famous people it's quite a stretch but through the warfield's we can get back to the Duchcess of Windsor!

Throughout my married life my mother-in-law talked about the genealogy research she and her sisters had done and all that she had found. She didn't really show us anything just talked about it, she seemed so interested and excited about it. She died in the fall of 2000 and the task of cleaning out the house fell to my husband and I. Thankfully I had just enough genealogy under my belt that I knew we needed to be watchful and keep everything together. As we cleaned we watched and watched and found nothing until we began in some back closets and then we found grocery bags and boxes stuffed with letters, documents, pictures, etc. What a mess. No organization what-so-ever. As bad as it was it was also wonderful, this lady never threw away any correspondence and I have a whole new respect for what genealogical research was before the computer came along. As we went through things I separated into BROWN, WHITE, and GATLIFF boxes and just this past week have begun the task ordering!
and entering the data. The marvelous thing is that unlike my family I can enter all the dates and go all the way to England with the BROWNS but more importantly there are all the letters and stories between the sisters that puts lives and times in perspective -- I can hardly pull myself away. Sadly many of the pictures are unmarked. I don't know if we'll ever be able to figure it all out, but I am doomed to wander in marvelous old court houses, libraries, archives, and spend late nights traveling cyberspace seeking my elusive kin.

I am so thankful I found this list, I am also glad to know there really are alot of newbies on the list! I was thinking there were mostly very accomplished, experienced genealogists out there. Thankfully all of the very experienced folks are also patient and supportive teachers!

Happy New Year everyone
Bee in Nebraska

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