I was initially hesitant to begin any family research, as there were areas of my family past that I was sure I didn't want to visit. At my son's (Find-a-grave user- DiamondKnight/51207424) prodding to know more, I reluctantly agreed to assist, and we began. There were disturbing events, more than I had suspected, but there were also interesting and exciting finds and contacts. We started with Kennedy & DeVinney family names and have dug more deeply than I ever expected to go, and this project has been mostly fun, with some hard exceptions. It's also rewarding when my finds are able to help someone else in their research. Regarding the photos that I've posted… I want to send a big shout out to Douglas Morgan and his 2005 Livingston County (NY) Cemeteries Photo Survey. He provided his work/photos to the Livingston Co. Historical Society. Holly Watson & Madeline Friedler of that office have been a great help in providing most of the gravestone photos that I've posted on Find-a-Grave, and I can NOT take the credit for taking about 98% of them. My small part was finding the photo id numbers, requesting the photos (more recently have been able to download the photos direct from their access website) and then posting them. Most of my ancestry on this continent is rooted in Livingston County, NY. I grew up near that area but have lived in Delaware since 1980. The work of Douglas Morgan and the assistance I've been given by the Liv. Co. Hist. Soc. have been a huge blessing! I send my thanks out also to the numerous cemetery sextons, town clerk's offices, and historians that have assisted with finding burial, birth & death records that I've not found anywhere else. State Office of Vital Statistics for DE, FL, NJ, MD, MI & MN were also very helpful (which I can not say about NY). When I finally decided to see what my DNA would turn up on Ancestry.com it really accelerated the research! By connecting with cousins I'd never previously known I've been able to gain and share some valuable information. It's very important to me to be extra sensitive, even protective at times, of the "lowest" spots within the family history.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ancestry.com username- atkennedy2000 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

*Additionally, I researched for my stepfather, with his family genealogy- (Gebauer, Michener, Koch, Taylor, Huenniger & more) before his death in 2024. That research was special and we learned interesting things.

*I've also made some efforts to link family memorials on my wife's side of the family (Long, Malloy, Sypolt, Duncan & more) and I'm adding portraits & family photos to them when possible.

[ATKIII = my initials & Roman numeral 3]