While Hot on the Trail

 

It took me a few days to realize that, while hot on the trail of the unnamed daughters of William Ijams, I forgot one significant detail. 

Sure, I've found some indicators to answer my question about the unnamed daughters in William Ijams' 1816 will. For that, I am thankful. It always irks me when I can't complete a research task. And now, I have material to help push me along into another generation of his descendants—most especially that matriline for which I have no clue how to connect with some exact mtDNA matches.

But after twelve years of (mostly) daily posts to A Family Tapestry—with stories of ancestors, in-laws, and even "outlaws"—somehow I forgot that last Monday marked my blogiversary. See how desperate I was to find the answer to my research question?

From that first post on May 8, 2011, when I began sharing stories, we've covered a lot of family history. There have been 4,326 posts. Over a million page views. And 15,460 comments. There have been wonderful collaborations with some readers who have sent helpful information my way, or mentioned that they were working on the same family lines. It's all been a wonderful and worthwhile endeavor.

While things have changed, over the years, both for the world of genealogical research and for me personally, there is still much to be discovered on all the wonderful people who have gone before us—the people we call our ancestors. While still in hot pursuit of their stories, may they help teach us and give us a wider perspective on our own life and times, as well.