About This Site.

When I first launched this website in 1998, I was pretty heavy not only into my genealogy research, but in writing technical tools to help me publish my data here on the web. The most significant such tool was a program called GEDCOM Browser, which allowed me to upload my GEDCOM file and browse through the tree. The best part was that it also allowed distant relatives to find me as they did their own research. I also hosted the family tree of a few friends.

But I completely changed the focus of this site when I decided to write a book about my family history. And in launching that effort, I decided to write the book in the form of this website. Instead of publishing a printed book, which would be simply a snapshot in time of my research, I decided that I can provide much more information and interactivity here.

You'll notice that I'm still writing this book in chapters, with the table of contents on the home page. And like any good book, there is an introduction and an appendix which contains much more info than what you find in the chapters.

You'll also see things like blue and pink names which indicate the gender of my ancestor. You'll also see those names linked, which provides a popup containing more details about that person. And of course I can update this data and my stories as I learn more.

As you learn more about your own family, I hope you'll share any missing information with me and I especially hope you'll correct me if you've got a better source of data than I do.

About Me.

Based on the origins of my 8 great grandparents, this is my heritage:

Region		%
	French (Canadian)	50%
	Belgian	38%
	Norwegian	12%
Total		100%

Genealogists use various methods to determine one's heritage. Many people submit their DNA to a company who then provides their origins (I've done this). If you compare those methods to what I described in the chart above, you'd be comparing apples and oranges. Additionally, the results of their methods are always changing. For example, I'm thinking of one set of my 3rd great grandparents who were both born in Belgium in the 1800s. Therefore, I consider them Belgian. But, research can reveal that perhaps their parents or grandparents moved to Belgium from another country. So, where do you stop?

The bottom line for me is that since I was born in America, I'm 100% American. But, the above chart is an accurate reflection of the heritage of my ancestors.