Ancestor Approved Award

Sunday I was notified by Susan at Long Lost Relatives.net that my blog was being recognized with the Ancestor Approved award.

The award comes with the following requests:

1. List ten (10) that you have learned about your ancestors that surprised, humbled or enlightened you.

2. Pass the award to ten (10) other genealogy bloggers.

What things I have learned about my ancestors:

1. Some ancestors created volumes of newspaper accounts, court records and other vital records, while others seemed to disappear into thin air.

2. There is a fair amount of inter-connectedness among my family lines.  It seems the farther back I trace, I see the different family lines ending up in the same locales.

3. Almost anything can be found in the paper, especially stories of divorces and other scandals.  Back then, apparently libel laws weren't as stringent - but the accounts make for more colorful reading.

4. Faith in God was vital to my ancestors. I've discovered fair number of ministers, elders and Sunday School teachers from a variety of Protestant denominations in my family.


5. The economic, political and social conditions that cause people to switch careers or move across the country today are some of the same ones that caused my ancestors to do the same.  Understanding what was happening in historical perspective can explain some of the decisions they made.


6. Many of my ancestors were willing to fight for what they believed in, whether it be in the military or in politics.  


7. Most of my ancestors were here before the American Revolution, but documenting their journeys after they arrived has proven to be the most interesting.


8. The stories that the present generation remembers about the past generation are important and need to be preserved, even if they are biased or colored by their perspective.


9. Not all of my ancestors were saints, and the sinners weren't as bad as I'd imagined.


10. My ancestors didn't always get along with the other members of their family, but neither do I, so I needn't be so quick to judge.


I am going to pass the award on to the following bloggers :


Donna's Genealogy Blog - Donna Moughty


Renee's Genealogy Blog - Renee Zamora


Roots and Rambles - Marian Pierre-Louis


A Geek Girl Does Genealogy - The Geek Girl


John Brown Kin - Alice Mecoy


Leaf, Stem, Branch and Root - Kevin Thompson


Penny's Genes - Penny


Reflections from the Fence - Carol 


She Finds Graves - Kellie Walton


The Canty Quest - Debbie Golding


These blogs are ones that I follow daily through my Google Reader.  If you're not already following them, I would strongly urge you to check them out.