I love the way findagrave.com combines geography with history. The places our ancestors lived are as important as their names and dates. It's hard to pass up a cemetery. Whether you know someone buried there or not, you know the people there were treasured by someone, and all of them had a story.

When I run into a brick wall on my Blanset, Naylor, Williams, Ecker, or Rosa ancestors, I am happy to chase somebody else's. It's always fascinating to unravel a mystery, and fun to share with someone who wants to know.

The Internet is a fabulous tool for researching family history, but it doesn't match the thrill of discovery in a musty courthouse vault or a shady cemetery. I'm glad that we share our finds, but I hope everyone interested in family history gets the chance to walk the ground their ancestors walked.