Family Tree

Everyone knows the best place to go for looking up family tree info is Ancestry.com.  However there are some other pages that are a little less known that are just as good.  I have long been obsessed with history.  My own and others.  A recent visit to my fiance's family found that his mother was very much into the same thing.  I have been deemed the one to help continue that process.  Which is fine with me I can't wait to dive into new history!  I lucked out with my own family tree.  Through a series of lucky finds I traced my dad's direct father's line (Bixler) to Switzerland in 1649.  Of course in 1649 it was actually spelled Bichsel, Bicksler, or Bickler.  In addition I found another line of family that was German, which traced the Kemper line into Germany in 1435.  This made me crave finding out more.  In researching more of my father's line I found the English connection.  My furthest on that line would be Henry Webb, Warwickshire, England, born May 15, 1350.  While looking at the English line I found a name and a location that kind of surprised me.  Robert Arden Married Mary Webb.  They had a daughter Mary Arden.  Mary Arden married John Shakespeare.   Their son was William Shakespeare.  He was my 1st cousin 15x removed!  The point of all of this is to show that with a little luck and determination you can find out some fun facts about your family history!  So, in addition to Ancestry.com here are some helpful links to find out info.  Also try googling known names of family members.  Plus important dates that you may know.  To start I googled James Arthur Bixler.  This was my grandfather.  I knew he died in Dec. of 1978.  A google search started the greatest adventure I have ever gone on!  When you hit a brick wall (I had one with a family member who had been adopted), just take a break and search a different branch of family.  It's amazing what you can find out!  Now go forth and enjoy the hunting!

Ellis Island - This page you can look up family you know came through Ellis Island.  Search by name, approx. date of birth and gender. 

Surname Genealogy Search - This page you can look up a last name you know, it gives other sites to look at.

 Roots Web - An Ancestry.com page.  Another place to look.

US Gen Web Archives - This site is broken down by state.  Within that it has a few different ways to look up info. 

Ancestry.com - Of course the premiere site for looking up info.  They do require payment for some things, the starting monthly fee is $19.99 for the U.S. info. 

Some good starts so go forth and learn where you come from!

Home Again!

Sam and I had a great time at Gulf, and Richard had a lot of fun with grandma; but I think we're all happy to be home.

At Gulf, Sam did fighting and wood-working.  I took a bunch of classes, mostly sewing related.  I think my final total for the week was 18.  I missed a couple, and a bunch more were cancelled.  I may be a bit crazy.

Richard got to go swimming, and to the park.  He also got to go to the Family Museum, where he fell in love with a fire truck!  He was mostly happy, with only a couple of rough patches.

We all enjoyed our vacation, but it's nice to be getting back to our routines.

Tomorrow

Richard gets to go spend some time with his grandparents tomorrow.  So tonight, when he saw a picture of a truck that reminded him of his grandpa, I asked him if he wanted to go see grandpa tomorrow.  He got very excited and wanted to leave right away.

I explained to him that tomorrow means after bedtime, when it's light outside again.  He thought about it for a moment, then said, "nigh-night!" and laid his head down on my chest.  After a minute he sat up, looked outside, and said, "light!"

I think he's looking forward to seeing grandpa.