Ok, another genealogy lesson. I always forget the basics because my mother always did genealogy. We would fill out pedigree charts for our Family Home Evening lessons and for Young Women projects. Now that I am married to someone who was not raised in the church I realize how difficult genealogy is and am thankful for my family before me who did the research that I am now simply organizing. Because of their research I can easily name all of my fifth generation. After that, that is when gaps in the family tree occur.

To begin genealogy, itis a good thing to start with your parents and get all of their information. Where they were born, who were their brothers and sisters, who were their parents, where did they go to school, where did they meet, where and when did they get married, who was at the wedding, when did they have children, etc. Then after you get as much information as you can on your parents, you move backwards to your grandparents. You can get the information through interviews, newspapers, yearbooks, and pictures. If your parents are dead or missing you can interview your aunts and uncles, neighbors, and friends. My husband recently did this after his father passed away and found out interesting information about his grandfather that he didn’t know before and even saw his grandfather’s death certificate. (which he didn’t copy!!!)  Now he needs to ask his aunts and uncles about his grandparents and find their graves. He already has pictures and lots of information, includign a picture of the tombstone, of his maternal grandparents. It is his paternal grandparents that he doesn’t know too much about.

You might be like me who was always close to my grandparents and aunts and uncles. My paternal grandparents only very recently passed away. Before they died they wrote down their autobiographies. I am thankful for that. I now know many details of my grandparents. I am waiting for my maternal grandparents to write their autobiographies!

Now the test: Name your great-grandparents. There are 8 of them. That is where many people run into a challenge especially if they come from an immigrant family. Since I grew up pretty much in the same place that my family has been in for the past 150 years, I grew up around a lot of my distant relatives. I knew three great grandparents personally but knew many who knew the great grandparents who had alreay died. The great grandparents I know the least about are my biological great grandfather Julian McLin Keith and my maternal Etheridge great grandparents. I hope to talk to my grandfather to have him tell me more about his parents this summer. I know a little information here and there but would like it more organized. Julian McLin Keith will be more of a challenge. We don’t even know when he died or if he ever remarried.

So that is your homework, name your great grandparents! Here are mine: (if you can’t name your grandparents!)

• Ruth Hester Fowler Born in NC died in Chattanooga, TN “Meemaw” 1901-1992
• Julian McLin Keith Born in Atlanta, GA 1897-?
• Irby Overton Lee Born in SC died in Chattanooga, TN 1901-1984
• Joseph Magruder Tucker Born and died in Ripley,TN 1883-1951
• Ida Pope Majors Born and died in Ripley, TN1885-1925
• James Ollie Etheridge Born in Kentucky, died in West Tennessee 1908-1968
• Lena Irene Burns Born and died in West Tennessee 1907-1968
• Vilous Wayne Johnson Born and died in West Tennessee 1912-1974
• Nannie Mildred Warren Born and died in West Tennessee 1914-2007