Happy St. Patty's day!

If you click on the links to the left, you will see my two genealogy blogs. One is based on Irish family history and will cover a variety of surnames and topics. It is called Potato Roots (pun intended). The other blog is focused on the Needham & Waterhouse family in England and will cover topics about various branches of that family and also historical points of interest in the London area. I am also planning a similar blog to the Needham one, but about the Howe side of the family in America and their connections. I am hoping to post at least monthly to each of them, and more often when time and kids allow. :)

As an early birthday present to myself, Jacob and I ordered Ancestry DNA kits from 23andme.com through the Faces of America discounted offer good through the end of March. This is the same test as shown on the PBS series Faces of America, and the episodes are available to watch online. The kit arrived today and once we send our samples back, it will take 2-4 weeks for our results. I have been fascinated about the DNA aspect of genealogical research ever since the National Geographic Genographic project began several years ago, and am excited about seeing our results and being able to share them with our boys as they get older.

With the popularity of TV shows like Faces of America and NBC's Who Do You Think You Are? based on the BBC series, it is encouraging that more people are taking an interest in their roots. Ancestry.com is a great resource, but it is important to remember that fact checking and sources are very important to back up your research.

The following quote pretty much sums up why I love genealogy.

"Human beings look separate because you see them walking about separately. But then we are so made that we can see only the present moment. If we could see the past, then of course it would look different. For there was a time when every man was part of his mother, and (earlier still) part of his father as well, and when they were part of his grandparents. If you could see humanity spread out in time, as God sees it, it would look like one single growing thing--rather like a very complicated tree. Every individual would appear connected with every other." - C. S. Lewis