Last winter, my aunt, Barbara Carling passed away. She was the self-appointed family historian, and loved to tell us, and anyone else who would listen, stories about our family history. She was proud of where we came from, and these stories went far beyond what you read on a typical genealogical pedigree chart. That makes sense to me, because if you think about it, our progenitors are more than just names on paper. They were human beings, who lived lives just as we are, who had their strengths and their weaknesses, who had their struggles and their triumphs. Many of these stories may seem boring and common place in their telling, while others could make the basis for a good movie. My point is, these people were no different than we are. Unfortunately, as the years pass, these stories tend to fade into some distant chapter of our family story, soon to be forgotten. The thing is, these people's life stories helped determine who we are today.
I've set a goal for 2013. In honor Barbara, I hope to feature different ancestors on the month of their birth. I invite anyone with family stories about these people to submit their stories, either as comments on this page or as website links. If it is any easier, you are also welcome to email them to me and I will transcribe them if necessary. If you have .jpg photos associated with these people (including their birth, marriage and death certificates, or their homes), you are welcome to submit those as well. Also, if you have them, please include a link or reference to your sources. If all goes well, next year I would like to compile these stories and share them on this site around each of their birthdays.
I hope you will play along.
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