Although I am a relatively new member to this (great!) website, I have been doing genealogical research since ~1970. My beloved grandfather (#13445521) had given me his copy of "Pioneer Families of Cleveland" when I was about 12. He was a marvelous storyteller, & I loved listening to him tell about how Youngs Ledyard Morgan (#6901729) had decided - in 1811 - that Connecticut had become just too crowded for him. The idea that those folks had essentially *walked* from Connecticut to what was then Newburgh (now Cleveland) with all their most prized possessions in an oxcart, fascinated me.

I grew up in the NE corner of NJ, and once I could drive, I pointed my '68 VW Beetle north, and spent many long weekends in the New London CT area digging around in graveyards & old courthouses, & libraries. I was totally hooked.

I got distracted by life, from time to time, while raising a special needs son, & during my career as an appellate attorney. But my legal work improved my research skills, as did coming under the tutelage of my (2nd) cousin, Barb Baxter, who was a semi-professional genealogist with a fierce commitment to historical accuracy.

I'm not able to travel anymore, so I am thrilled with how much I can find online these days. And I'm delighted by the new friends I've made, and cousins (however distant) I've connected with because of this Magic Box on my desk : - )

As for this site in particular, I consider it both an honor & responsibility to care for these memorials. I'm thankful for the opportunity. I see it as similar to being a museum curator: we don't own these things; we merely do our best to take good care of them until it's time to pass them along to another generation who will do the same. I'm not interested in the slightest with competing to see who can make the biggest pile. I don't want more than I can manage responsibly; I want to contribute as much as I can without it becoming a chore.

Happy Hunting, my friends!
Katharine
: - )