I believe that genealogy is not just researching, fact gathering, compiling names, pictures and dates into some sort of chronological order allowing the connection of all those pieces to be gathered into a family tree. It is making the known and unknown family members live again, bringing them back to life by telling their stories, with the hope that they would know and approve of the efforts being made to reconnect them with lost family, so that they may live anew in our hearts for generations to come. This was my mother Claire's greatest passion, and just one of the many things she taught and passed on to me. I have been involved with family genealogy work all my life.

I am the daughter of Emil Harry "Emil / E.H." Mares and Clarabelle Mae "Claire" (Talbott ) Mares . As an only child, I grew up in a family rich with history and a relentless pursuit of family roots, research, provenance, and documentation of lineage. I walked many cemeteries over the years with my mother, recording graves, cleaning weeds away from stones and learning the tricks needed to read old age-worn tombstones.

Surnames on my maternal side of the family include Talbott, Robinson, Niblack, Holcomb(e), Jewel (l), Darling, Fowler, Stroud, Kocher, Case, Neale, Waite, Bardwell, Jay, Thomas, Katzberg, Walton, Lamb, Hawley, Finke, Grafelman(n), Kruse, Reade, Schultze, Weinberg.

Surnames on my paternal side of the family include Mares, Jiskra, Valenta, Pipal, Sasek, Hynek, Rychecky, Karpisek, Horak, Altman, Rahe, Pulec, Tyser, Bean, Head, Mager, Chmelir, Hojer, Sokryt, Dremsa.

Also the names of Buch, and Bergh from my first marriage, and Porter and Lofland from my present marriage.

My mother was a genealogist for over 50 years. So, growing up, I too learned to share her passion for keeping family history alive and not buried in bureau drawers, cardboard shoe boxes in closets, or shoved under our beds with the "dust kittens!" When people are alive they don't live there and so especially in death, they should not live in these places or their spirit and memories will be lost forever. These cherished treasures and memories are a part of us all, and need to be nurtured and told, so that they never die. They are a part of our "life's blood."

My mother and her sister, who have both passed, and I were/are members of the D.A.R. ( Daughters of the American Revolution), a privilege only granted to us by the service of our brave ancestors. Our Revolutionary War Patriot is Daniel R. Robinson (1735-1820). My mother, Claire, worked tirelessly to trace and document our family lineage, as well as doing research for countless other families. She has many published research books that carry her genealogy research for our family, of which I am now the caretaker, custodian and scribe.

It is my desire to fill in the missing pieces, correct inaccuracies and to provide family tree lineage for both sides of my family. My mother's dying wish was that her work continue to live on for our family. So now, the task of maintaining and furthering the family histories falls to me. I wish to enrich my family histories online so that they may live into the future, for all to enjoy.

If there are any pictures I have posted and you would like to use them in your private trees or postings elsewhere, please feel free to use them. I only ask that you give me credit for their origination as almost all of them are my family members and the photos are taken from our personal family research records and family photo albums.

In 1995, I moved to Henderson, Nevada, with my husband, who is also an Air Force veteran (fighter pilot). I was born in Fairbury, Nebraska, and my parents then moved when I was a year old to Beatrice, Nebraska, and then to Fremont, Nebraska, when I was 3 years old, which is where I grew up and lived almost half my adult life, before moving to Omaha, Nebraska. My roots in Nebraska run deep.

It is my goal to honor my family tree heritage by sharing biographies, pictures, historical documents, and lineage information on both sides of my family.

I will gladly transfer non-family memorials to any family member or descendant who requests a transfer, regardless of the general transfer guidelines which recommend the four-generation rule. I believe that these memorials should be in the care of family or caring friends, when possible. The ultimate goal should be to have meaningful, accurate memorials that honor those who have passed away, regardless of who created the memorial or who maintains it. I thoughtfully care for non-relative memorials as if they were part of my own family, as best I can.

I will accept transfers of all memorials, including fallen gravers, retired gravers, inactive gravers and those who no longer wish to maintain their memorials, whatever the reason. So, if you need someone to be your Steward, in case there ever comes a time that you can no longer take care of your memorials for any reason, feel free to designate me as your Steward. To do this, you email [email protected] to let them know you wish to designate me as the Steward for your memorials. Be sure to include My Member ID Number 50213933, along with my name in the email and they will make a note of this in your account for future reference.

These stewardship's are the main reason that I manage so many memorials, as they have come to me through many different circumstances from many different people.

My father was a veteran and so is my husband, so I have a soft spot in my heart for veterans of all wars. They deserve to be recognized, thanked, honored and respected for their service to our country. We live in the best country in the world, thanks to these veterans service.

For veterans memorials, please be aware, at least in the U.S., that when sending an edit for a veteran, naming conventions are as follows:

You can only use a Military Title if you meet one of the following parameters:

1. Passed away in combat while serving their country
2. Retired after 20 or more years of military service
3. Passed away while active in the military

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"Poor is the Nation that has no Heros... Shameful is the one having them... and Forgets!"

Author Unknown

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Another thought....

It is important to record the past so that fond and precious memories are not lost for future generations. It is an honor and a privilege to care for these memorials. Remember.... a family tree will wither and die if no-one tends to its roots!

We will continue to Live as long as we are Remembered!

"Death leaves a heartache no one can heal, but love leaves a memory that no one can steal." .....from a headstone in Ireland.

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I found this on another FAG contributor's site: The author was listed as 'Catherine (Clemens) Sevenaur'

'A Calling'

What calls us to find our ancestors? It goes beyond a simple curiosity. We are taken over, compelled as if possessed by something bigger than us, begging to be revealed. There is one of us in most every family, called to be the scribe. I am but one of the many in the long line of story tellers of our clan. Like others, I am called to gather and assemble the ancestors - to breathe life back into them as far back as we can reach.

We take what we find and chronicle the facts of their existence; remembering their names, who they were, what they did. They are the sum of who we are, for without them, we would not exist. We greet those who came before us, restoring their place in the familial line. We scribe their stories and their histories. We search for them in public libraries, county records, and weed-filled or well-kept cemeteries. We comb through yellowed newspapers, family archives, bibles and albums. We find them, and in finding them - we find ourselves!