Knowing where you come from

On one girls-only weekend at the beach, one of my friends spent her time looking up her family ancestry. Occasionally, she would let us know about a branch of her family tree that she had discovered, and from listening to her talk, it sounded like her family was full of rogues and adventurers. (I am sure that there were pleasant, everyday people as well, but she didn't share those tales with us.)

But the pride of having a rogue in the family is to be expected, as a recent survey concludes that most people like the idea of having a skeleton in their closet. (At least in their long lost, well-before-my-time closet.)

My Mother-in-Law once got to thoroughly research her family tree, and her efforts created a binder full of documents and stories to round out her family's history. (And, yes, there were a few colorful characters.)

All of this makes me wonder if the piecemeal stories that I've heard about some of the branches on my family tree are true. Yes, I would love to get the oral history from my older relatives - not just for my own curiosity but to pass along the stories to my son - but I know that I have limited resources. It looks like I will be one of the many people thankful for all those ancestry websites.

Do you know your family history? Share a piece of it with me in the comments.