Melanie shares her official and unofficial stories of how she became interested in researching her family tree.  Over the years she has connected with cousins by using multiple platforms like FamilySearch and Facebook, adding more dimension to what she knew about her family.  Melanie encourages us to record stories, even if they seem untrue, because you never know what kernel of truth they hold.

In this episode Melanie shares:

• The cryptic message that led to uncovering family on her paternal side [6:30]
• How her family’s reaction to her family history research has changed over time [16:45]
• She was able to tell her grandmother the names of her paternal grandparents [17:53]
• How you can appreciate your ancestors even when their lives were not perfect [20:15]

About Melanie:

Melanie, a staff genealogist at American Ancestors & New England Historic Genealogical Society, assists library visitors, both on-site and online, with their family history research. She also provides lectures on a variety of genealogical topics. Melanie holds a bachelor of science degree from the State University of New York at Oswego. Her areas of research interests include Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, Kansas, Prince Edward Island, Ireland, and she is experienced in DNA, genealogical technology and social media, Jewish genealogy, and military records. Melanie is also a blogger known as The Shamrock Genealogist (theshamrockgenealogist.com). 

Also Mentioned:

American Ancestors and New England Historic Genealogical Society

Ancestry.com

FamilySearch.com

Archive.org

Episode Sponsor:

Episode sponsored by Heather Murphy's signature 1:1 service, Stories in Your Roots.

Get a free guide, "7 Ways You (Unintentionally) Sabotage Your Family Tree" and have more success as you research your family history. 

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