52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Week 1 -- Start

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I got my start in genealogy before I even knew there was a word that described "chasing dead ancestors." One summer, Dad, Mom and I took Grandma (my mom's mom) on a two-week trip through the Deep South trying to find cousins that Grandma had lost contact with over the decades or had only ever known via letters. (Remember snail mail?) I was only about seven years old, so I was absolutely no help with this process, but I was acutely aware of our mission and thought it was the grandest adventure.

I'm certain that my memories and the reality of that trip are worlds apart, but I still remember some things vividly:

  • A distant cousin's huge old house filled with dozens of grandfather clocks that all chimed on the hour, but none of them in unison.
  • Driving hours through the countryside to find the old family homestead. (I'm sure the reality was more like a 10-mile drive.)
  • Finding a relative in Atlanta who had written and published a history on our Johnson family, a resource I find myself using more and more these days.

The Atlanta home of Ezra Johnson, family historian


"It doesn't matter if we never meet again / What we have said will always remain / If we get through for two minutes only / It will be a start!" -- The Jam, "Start!"

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