Who do you think you are?

That's the tv show that I've been watching on Fridays on NBC. It's quite interesting. Yes, the actors are dramatic and sometimes over the top when they find out a fact about their family, but that's ok. I've seen 3 episodes now, tracing Lisa Kudrow's family, Brooke Sheild's family, and last night's traced Sarah Jessica Parker's family. I think my favorite of the three is Lisa Kudrow's episode; she was able to trace back to her great grandmother's demise in the Holocaust, and she was able to find a living relative that she didn't know was still living. Joe finds the show over dramatic, but I'm ok with it.

I've always had a relationship with genealogy. My mom and grandparents had traced our family trees back. Some of the tales being mentioned on Sarah Jessica Parker's episode made me wonder if we were long lost relatives. I remember hearing of having family involved in the Salem witch trials. Hopefully I'll be able to find the information as we get our house ready to move. I also wonder if there's relation to Brooke Sheild's family. I don't know that our family had ties to Louis IV, but there are ties to Princess Di, Eleanor Roosevelt and Nancy Reagan. I've read somewhere that Louisa May Alcott was in there too, and it would be really cool if it was true. After all, my name came from Amy in Little Women.

Recently I've been trying to trace back my dad's side. His maternal grandmother's family has stumped us. We know she was Gertrude Garrett and that she was one of 14 children from Joseph and Lucy (Vance) Garrett, but that's about the end of the line. Family legend has that Gertrude was full blood Cherokee, but I haven't found that yet. I've been checking out things at the library when I get a chance. I love that they allow free access to Ancestry.com, even if it is only for an hour or two a day. The last time I was able to find the marriage certificate for Gertrude Garrette and Asia Miller, my great grandparents. I found it interesting the spelling was different. I also found the marriage certificate for her parents, Joseph and L.E. Vance. There are always walls that you'll hit when doing genealogy, and when you're not able to go to the states where the licenses and records are, it is difficult. But, at the same time, it is fun. I do worry a bit about the Vance line though. When I was checking out Joe's line a few years ago, he also has Vance ties. I am hoping that they don't cross! :)

Well, that is all for now. I think I'm going to do a bit of research from home tonight. Here's hoping I find something!