I've always been interested in family history (and history, in general), and not knowing much about my own family history I wanted to learn. My father never talked much about his family, growing up and didn't know about his father's family. My mother's father changed his last name and didn't talk much about his heritage. If I could do anything over, I would have asked more questions and kept track of more relatives.
After a bad fall, fracturing my leg, in April 2014, I had a lot of downtime (after surgery to repair my leg), with my foot propped up, I started researching my family history on my tablet. I found lots of people I never knew about, lots of surprises and lots of famous relatives (President Obama, Chris Pratt, Elvis Presley,Val Kilmer and Jimmy Stewart, to name a few).
I'm in this to find relatives, those who are still with us and those who have gone before us. I'd like to care for the memorials, of those who have passed on, to add to their stories whenever I can. It's sad to think there are people out there without much information on their memorials except for a date they were born and a date they died. I have found some memorials where there was no family listed and have linked the family members. That makes me happy, knowing I have helped add to their page. I want to do more of that.

Your tombstone stands among the rest;
Neglected and alone.
The name and date are chiseled out
On polished, marble stone.
It reaches out to all who care
It is too late to mourn.

You did not know that I exist
You died and I was born.
Yet each of us are cells of you
In flesh, in blood, in bone.
Our heart contracts and beat a pulse
Entirely not our own.

Dear Ancestor, the place you filled
one hundred years ago
spreads out among the ones you left
Who would have loved you so.
I wonder if you lived and loved,
I wonder if you knew that someday
I would find this spot, and come to visit you.

I've always been interested in family history (and history, in general), and not knowing much about my own family history I wanted to learn. My father never talked much about his family, growing up and didn't know about his father's family. My mother's father changed his last name and didn't talk much about his heritage. If I could do anything over, I would have asked more questions and kept track of more relatives.
After a bad fall, fracturing my leg, in April 2014, I had a lot of downtime (after surgery to repair my leg), with my foot propped up, I started researching my family history on my tablet. I found lots of people I never knew about, lots of surprises and lots of famous relatives (President Obama, Chris Pratt, Elvis Presley,Val Kilmer and Jimmy Stewart, to name a few).
I'm in this to find relatives, those who are still with us and those who have gone before us. I'd like to care for the memorials, of those who have passed on, to add to their stories whenever I can. It's sad to think there are people out there without much information on their memorials except for a date they were born and a date they died. I have found some memorials where there was no family listed and have linked the family members. That makes me happy, knowing I have helped add to their page. I want to do more of that.

Your tombstone stands among the rest;
Neglected and alone.
The name and date are chiseled out
On polished, marble stone.
It reaches out to all who care
It is too late to mourn.

You did not know that I exist
You died and I was born.
Yet each of us are cells of you
In flesh, in blood, in bone.
Our heart contracts and beat a pulse
Entirely not our own.

Dear Ancestor, the place you filled
one hundred years ago
spreads out among the ones you left
Who would have loved you so.
I wonder if you lived and loved,
I wonder if you knew that someday
I would find this spot, and come to visit you.