Meeting distant cousins

Well, here it is, my first post for the new genealogy label.

I've been searching genealogy for years now and I must say that it is very rewarding. What is so rewarding about a bunch of names in a list? Nothing.

What is rewarding is when I meet distant cousins and relatives online who know about my family line and can give me stories to bring life to those ancestors in my family tree.

I have met several through the Rootsweb mailing lists. I am subscribed to those with the surnames I am researching and also the counties I am researching. This is by far the best way to begin researching.

I have also made contact with distant cousins through the websites I have created for each surname. Rootsweb mail lists and websites have been my most successful methods of meeting people.

My second most recent contact was actually all the way from Ireland! She was so wonderful. She even went out that day and took photos of the homestead and the roads and the lane my great-grandfather would have traveled down as he left Ireland. I so want to go there and meet her in person. What a great lady, friend, and relative.

Last week I was contacted by someone else related who found one of my websites.

I have been subscribed to these lists for a long time and I do get behind in reading the e-mails; however, I eventually take the time to read them all for some clue or connection. I have my Outlook configured to sort them into folders so they are not mixed up with other e-mails.

I have other stories I can share as I babble on the blog!