An avid genealogist, I have been researching my direct and collateral lines for over 30 years, and I am STILL finding new material.

A Canadian living in Texas; I am a former military officer, former lawyer, and former software engineer. I am also a recovering perfectionist. :)

I love solving puzzles, be they tactical, legal, architectural, crosswords, sudoku, etc. My absolute favorite, though, is the n-dimensional, open-ended puzzle we call family history. Its infinite possibilities keep me excited and motivated. I have been very blessed with several people who gave me tremendous globs of information when I was getting started on this addiction.

It seems that everyone who does any amount of family history, and sometimes even those who have no interest in it, has or wants to have, a favourite ancestor. My fave, perversely, is Tostig Godwinson [Tosti Guďnason to the Icelanders], who was the brother of King Harold Godwinson of England. You know, the guy who lost the Battle of Hastings in 1066. Turns out that Tostig hated his brother so much that he orchestrated or assisted a Norwegian invasion of England. The invasion was initially successful, but soured when King Harold Godwinson caught the invaders at Stamford Bridge. In the battle that ensued, both Tostig and King Harold Hardrada were killed and their army decisively defeated. Tostig and the Norwegians arrived with 30 ships; seven left to go home.

So, my ancestor was killed while invadnig his brother's kingdom. What a guy!