Jean Sensel
- Member for
- 13 years 11 months 8 days
- Find a Grave ID
Bio
FindAGrave.com has been very helpful in completing a family genealogy begun by my dad - and separately by a distant cousin.
Taking photographs of gravestones to put up on findagrave.com is my way of giving back. Please feel free to copy the gravestone photographs I have put up, or to contact me via e-mail for a high-resolution copy suitable for printing.
I found my dad's research buried in dust and cobwebs in the basement of the family home after my mom died in 2010. Dad had been gone 20 years. I was amazed at the information he had been able to gather during a time when the internet was not a consumer tool. He had a library on genealogical research, magazines that listed names of researchers in various counties and states, and sent letters and payment to have these contacts look up birth, death, civil war enlistment, civil war pension, court cases, wills and similar documents. Included were dozens of letters and photographs from far distant family connections that he had found. I had no interest in genealogy, but could not let dad's hard work go into the garbage, so put it up on an internet site for easy update.
Then my elderly cousin, dying of cancer, mailed me all his genealogical research as I was the only one in the family who was (politely) interested in it. His and my dad's family tree did not match up, including misspelled names and errors like my mother's uncle being listed as her grandfather. So began my search to pin down accurate information. This has taken me on trips to Kentucky and Scotland and connected me with relatives in nearly every state and a dozen different countries (excuse for more places to visit.) Once I found in Scotland an ancient map showing the family estate, and buried in a tiny obscure bookstore a book on Scottish history that showed the family's tartan - after being repeatedly told by "experts" that none existed - I was hooked on the mystery and the search, and more so on the amazing stories that turned up.
Gravestones are a helpful tool - but a cautionary note. The information is provided by relatives of the deceased, and the spelling of names is often inaccurate. Locating a grave is merely the first step in searching in that area for confirming documents.
Taking photographs of gravestones to put up on findagrave.com is my way of giving back. Please feel free to copy the gravestone photographs I have put up, or to contact me via e-mail for a high-resolution copy suitable for printing.
I found my dad's research buried in dust and cobwebs in the basement of the family home after my mom died in 2010. Dad had been gone 20 years. I was amazed at the information he had been able to gather during a time when the internet was not a consumer tool. He had a library on genealogical research, magazines that listed names of researchers in various counties and states, and sent letters and payment to have these contacts look up birth, death, civil war enlistment, civil war pension, court cases, wills and similar documents. Included were dozens of letters and photographs from far distant family connections that he had found. I had no interest in genealogy, but could not let dad's hard work go into the garbage, so put it up on an internet site for easy update.
Then my elderly cousin, dying of cancer, mailed me all his genealogical research as I was the only one in the family who was (politely) interested in it. His and my dad's family tree did not match up, including misspelled names and errors like my mother's uncle being listed as her grandfather. So began my search to pin down accurate information. This has taken me on trips to Kentucky and Scotland and connected me with relatives in nearly every state and a dozen different countries (excuse for more places to visit.) Once I found in Scotland an ancient map showing the family estate, and buried in a tiny obscure bookstore a book on Scottish history that showed the family's tartan - after being repeatedly told by "experts" that none existed - I was hooked on the mystery and the search, and more so on the amazing stories that turned up.
Gravestones are a helpful tool - but a cautionary note. The information is provided by relatives of the deceased, and the spelling of names is often inaccurate. Locating a grave is merely the first step in searching in that area for confirming documents.
FindAGrave.com has been very helpful in completing a family genealogy begun by my dad - and separately by a distant cousin.
Taking photographs of gravestones to put up on findagrave.com is my way of giving back. Please feel free to copy the gravestone photographs I have put up, or to contact me via e-mail for a high-resolution copy suitable for printing.
I found my dad's research buried in dust and cobwebs in the basement of the family home after my mom died in 2010. Dad had been gone 20 years. I was amazed at the information he had been able to gather during a time when the internet was not a consumer tool. He had a library on genealogical research, magazines that listed names of researchers in various counties and states, and sent letters and payment to have these contacts look up birth, death, civil war enlistment, civil war pension, court cases, wills and similar documents. Included were dozens of letters and photographs from far distant family connections that he had found. I had no interest in genealogy, but could not let dad's hard work go into the garbage, so put it up on an internet site for easy update.
Then my elderly cousin, dying of cancer, mailed me all his genealogical research as I was the only one in the family who was (politely) interested in it. His and my dad's family tree did not match up, including misspelled names and errors like my mother's uncle being listed as her grandfather. So began my search to pin down accurate information. This has taken me on trips to Kentucky and Scotland and connected me with relatives in nearly every state and a dozen different countries (excuse for more places to visit.) Once I found in Scotland an ancient map showing the family estate, and buried in a tiny obscure bookstore a book on Scottish history that showed the family's tartan - after being repeatedly told by "experts" that none existed - I was hooked on the mystery and the search, and more so on the amazing stories that turned up.
Gravestones are a helpful tool - but a cautionary note. The information is provided by relatives of the deceased, and the spelling of names is often inaccurate. Locating a grave is merely the first step in searching in that area for confirming documents.
Taking photographs of gravestones to put up on findagrave.com is my way of giving back. Please feel free to copy the gravestone photographs I have put up, or to contact me via e-mail for a high-resolution copy suitable for printing.
I found my dad's research buried in dust and cobwebs in the basement of the family home after my mom died in 2010. Dad had been gone 20 years. I was amazed at the information he had been able to gather during a time when the internet was not a consumer tool. He had a library on genealogical research, magazines that listed names of researchers in various counties and states, and sent letters and payment to have these contacts look up birth, death, civil war enlistment, civil war pension, court cases, wills and similar documents. Included were dozens of letters and photographs from far distant family connections that he had found. I had no interest in genealogy, but could not let dad's hard work go into the garbage, so put it up on an internet site for easy update.
Then my elderly cousin, dying of cancer, mailed me all his genealogical research as I was the only one in the family who was (politely) interested in it. His and my dad's family tree did not match up, including misspelled names and errors like my mother's uncle being listed as her grandfather. So began my search to pin down accurate information. This has taken me on trips to Kentucky and Scotland and connected me with relatives in nearly every state and a dozen different countries (excuse for more places to visit.) Once I found in Scotland an ancient map showing the family estate, and buried in a tiny obscure bookstore a book on Scottish history that showed the family's tartan - after being repeatedly told by "experts" that none existed - I was hooked on the mystery and the search, and more so on the amazing stories that turned up.
Gravestones are a helpful tool - but a cautionary note. The information is provided by relatives of the deceased, and the spelling of names is often inaccurate. Locating a grave is merely the first step in searching in that area for confirming documents.
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