Genealogy

The recent deaths of my grandparents have sparked a sudden interest in tracing my family roots. Since I don't know much about my great-grandparents, it concerns me how quickly generations can fade away from memory. I want to be able to pass down information about the people that played a part in our existence today. One website that has been useful is www.familysearch.org. I was able to trace my grandpa's lineage back to the 1700's in England. However, I also found many dead ends as I searched for other family lines. I found out that our daughter's middle name Elizabeth is a family name many times over as one great, great grandmother and her mother and mother-in-law all three shared that name. I've discovered dates of births and deaths and sometimes locations of burial. I have imagined along the way what the daily life of these long gone relatives must have been like. I thought about trying to care for Nate if it were 1900. I wouldn't be able to devote so much time to him since the cooking, cleaning, and other work would have been so consuming. Changing diapers and clothes wouldn't be such a snap. Just like me, each of their lives must have been filled with joys and disappointments, health and illness. What did they worry about, and what goals did they have? What were their lowest moments and brightest accomplishments? What would they think of us- the present day members of their family- if they could have met us? Will Ava and Nate be great great great grandparents one day? Will someone in the distant future be looking them up and wondering what their lives were like...born in Dallas, Texas in the early 2000's?