We all know that keeping your family tree organized seems simple enough at first.  It started for me on a few pieces of physical paper, then came in some national archives we picked up in D.C., then eventually more, and more. 

Then, just like magic, along came digital records! Now, it’s easier than ever to find sources for the most part. Right? Not always the case. So, in light of that.  I decided I better get organized. As I’m in my upper mid 40’s and at some point I need to pass this information on to my son and his offspring correctly. And I’m sure, many of you want to pass your information on as well.

I started organizing who came to America and when, where from, what boats, why they came here at all. I’ve surprisingly found a ton of information. Not all of it favorable. Some of my ancestors were great people. The other part, well, not so much.

I added below my most recent mtDNA full sequence reports, and whom I’m subclade 0 to,and a 1. Halpogroup exploration begins. Close or distant cousins maybe. Some relics I match to on a couple .

I’m choosing to be picky about which of my ancestors I will be blogging about, and why I’m blogging about them. It would be great to just throw all the information out there like a feather in the wind, but, I am a person of purpose, and caution. If it is going to negatively impact me and my family, no matter how far back it happened, I will choose not to share it. But maybe one day I will. Because I need all my information together in one place.

Some of my ancestors where on the run, and ended up here to escape religious persecution from our own family, some of my ancestors were the ones chasing the ones on the run, and how ironic that I’m decent of the both sides and stuck in the middle. I have found this to happen with most of my ancestors that were murdering each other, I’m offspring of both sides. I just know, I’m grateful to be alive. I’m not either of, nor am I any of my ancestors. I am just me. A woman in this world. Climbing my family tree 🌳 and organizing it along the way.

Here are a few Ancestors I’ve Organized. I will add more to this page, such as interactive links as time goes on.

This is one of the ways I stay organized is these photo cards, you can find them at Relative Finder, (a division of Family Search) and separately putting them in each country slot, along with their records printed off individually. Then, along the way down from the top, I find which one came to America, and source index the crap of of those ancestors and find their immigration records, etc. And add that to their pile.

One thing I plan to do, is pick interesting ancestors that I’m in the middle of as to whom they fought with, so I’m not picking sides and blog about them coming to America, and how we got to where we are today. And attaching their sources to them individually so it’s not scattered.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this blog.

~Dawn Piercy, PhD