My grandfather A.B. Dunning was very interested in tracking his genealogy and I can remember watching and consider myself assisting him in his searches. This was before the Internet and was done with letters, photos, and thin onionskin papers that had been typed with blue ink. I can remember sitting at his desk crouched over each document reading about land titles, family letters, and old wills. It was lovely to spend time with him and learn about history, one member of the family at a time.
Arthur Benjamin Dunning, I always thought that name spoke highly of his intelligence and curiosity. There was no collection that he was unwilling to grow, bottles, rocks, antiques, coins, stamps, and all things Civil and Revolutionary war. As a side note, I wish he had lived long enough to see the freedom and volume of information available with the touch of a key. He would have been the biggest information addict on the planet. Oh, the times we would have had together.
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| http://www.lapidaryclub.com/index.htm |
My grandfather's family can be traced back generation by generation all through New England. From Connecticut, Pennsylvania, New York and back across the Atlantic Ocean to Europe. There were relatives with the surname of Dunning, Wedge, Nicholson, Heermans and last but not least is the 35th great-grandfather, Charlemagne.
Yes, yes, all you naysayers, I know most people from Europe heritage are connected to Charlemagne, but is pretty exciting to come along and find he is actually on there. With grandmothers and grandfathers galore, I can at least say I found him. 😃
I must admit, the King of the Franken world, and the Emporer of the Holy Roman Empire as an ancestor is a nice little cherry on top.
Who knew?
So I encourage you to get out and find your ancestors. On Geni.com it is free and it is a great way to spend the evening. You might find a Viking, a servant, a farmer, or a school teacher, but you for sure will find something that you did not expect.
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