Learning our Family History with Genealogy Revelations {review}
I’ve always been intrigued by family history and like to include a personalized look at historical events in our homeschool studies whenever possible, but I’ll admit I didn’t really know where to start with any kind of research. I have anecdotal information that has been passed along in our family stories, which I want to record for future generations. Unfortunately my time and money resources are limited to do much at this point. That is why I was so happy to be a part of the review team for Genealogy Revelations.
About Genealogy Revelations
Genealogy Revelations was founded by Anna Rae Manges, retired schoolteacher and mom of 5, who has a passion for helping people learn more about their family history. I mention that she has a passion for genealogy research because it’s so obvious she enjoys her work. I have talked with her via email and she has always been quick to respond and share her delight in the information she has found for me. It is always fun to meet someone with that kind of dedication who really goes the extra mile to do a thorough job.
About the Report
We received the Basic Research Package, which entails about 5-6 hours of research and preparation time. The report is printed on white high-quality, acid-free watermark bond paper. It is bound in a durable plastic three-prong folder. It is about 50 pages long.
The report outlines the following information:
Pedigree Chart ~ This includes all direct descendants, beginning with myself. It is the “family tree” type of chart that is most familiar when you think about genealogy. It looks like this:
Ahnentafel Report ~ This is divided by generation and includes everyone found in my ancestry, beginning with me as Generation 1. My report goes back to Generation 19 in the year 1428 in Scotland.
Descendant Report ~ This starts with the oldest generation in a particular line and includes children in each generation.
Family Group Sheet ~ These are on individual pages that include wife, husband, and children, along with any notes or stories that may have been found. My report didn’t have any special facts or stories, but I’ve heard from others who have found immigration documents or citizenship papers and things of that sort.
Mrs. Manges was able to compile all of this from the information I gave her (going back to great-grandparent generation on all four sides), census records, and other ancestry records.
What We Learned about Our Family
I knew that our family roots were Irish predominantly, as well as Scottish, but I didn’t know when our family came to America. I discovered family history going all the way back to the 1400s and as it appears from these charts, it is all traced back to Ireland with some family from Scotland. So, that much I knew, but not the “when” part of it. It looks like my family made the trip across the pond in the late 1600s, so not all that long after the Pilgrims. That is some really neat information to have and pass along to my daughters.
As a writer, I like seeing all the names in the family because it gives me an opportunity to name some of the characters in my books and stories after actual family members. In that way I’ll be honoring the memory of family I never had the chance to know in person.
In some ways this report has raised more questions than answers for me because it has caused me to wonder about my ancestors and what motivated them to move around so much. How did they come to America? How did they move from Pennsylvania to Maine to South Dakota to Ohio before there were even roads or cars? What were their lives like? Were they farmers or fishermen? I can see from the chart that my great-great-great grandparents lost twins at birth, a boy and a girl, but the chart doesn’t tell me how they dealt with the grief or if they turned to their faith in God to carry on. Those kind of details can’t be found in a chart.
This report from Genealogy Revelations has told me a lot about my family that I never knew. It has also inspired me to learn more. I never would’ve had a starting place or anything to go on without this report. If you have ever wondered about your family history but don’t know where to begin, I highly recommend Genealogy Revelations.
The photos above are my family members (left to right, clockwise): My grandparents’ wedding photo in 1944, my great-grandparents’ wedding photo in 1911, my grandpa’s Army photo in 1944, my great-grandfather in 1907, my dad’s Army photo 1966.
Mrs. Manges of Genealogy Revelations is offering a generous giveaway, which you can enter here:
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I’ve been looking at where I came from. Fascinating and like you, I’m a writer and lipove using some of the names I’ve discovered. I’d like to find out more about my family,,
Thanks for stopping by! I hope you’ll enter to win so you can learn more about your family, too. It really is fascinating!