I started out just wanting to learn a little more about our family history, but I quickly fell in love with genealogy. For me, it isn't just a hobby; it's a wonderful way to connect with the people who came before us and preserve their true stories for our families.

I have been researching my personal Stain family line since 2012, focusing heavily on unearthing the history of Andrew and his father, John. Because so little was originally known about this branch of the family, it has been a long but rewarding journey of gathering historical records to build my tree. I always try my best to make sure the details I share here are accurate and backed by sources, but if you ever see something on one of my memorials that needs a correction or an update, please let me know.

One of my favorite puzzles right now remains finding out who the parents of John and Sophia Stain were. I would absolutely love to collaborate, swap tips, or share records with anyone else working on these families!

I am also a big believer that these memorials truly belong to the families. While Find a Grave rules focus strictly on specific generational limits for transfers, simply being family is more than enough for me. I am always happy to freely transfer management of any memorial I have created to a direct descendant or family member who wishes to care for it.

I'm so grateful to the many dedicated Find a Grave contributors who make this community possible.

No branch too small, no life too brief,

No story meant to fade.

I walk these paths so every name

Is honored in the shade.

You may not stand in direct lines,

Or branch from history's crown,

But every soul has left a mark,

Before the sun went down.

To cousins, aunts, and uncles lost,

Who rest in quiet ground:

You are a part of who we are,

And here, you have been found.