JudyJB wrote:
Anyone have a suggestion as to where I can get these 200-300 slides transferred to digital? I don't want to mail them away so am trying to find someone local in a city I will be at for a while.
Judy, I don't have any suggestions about your slides. But it sounds like you might have a pretty extended family, and the kind of information you are compiling would be invaluable to those doing genealogy research. Probably people you have never heard of are searching for just this kind of information right this minute.
I joined Ancestry.com for a while because I wanted to do the DNA thing, and ended up doing a bit of genealogy research while I was a member. For various reasons, I had always wanted to find out if I might have a tiny bit of African American ancestry in me. Nope! Surprised to find that I am almost 100% British (England, Scotland, Ireland) with a tiny touch of Norway/Icelandic (which might explain my interest in volcanoes!). So I'm guessing Viking. Those guys really got around, back in the day!
Ancestry.com is pretty expensive on a monthly basis, but their database is extensive and amazing. I was on Ancestry.com for a while, and was absolutely astonished to discover that my late father had a half-brother that I had never known existed. How I found this was that quite by accident. I saw a photo on there of my late grandmother with a younger man I didn't recognize. Wasn't too difficult then to discover that this man was her son.
I had always known my dad as an only child (so no aunts, uncles, cousins, etc.). I have tried to contact some of these relatives that I never knew I had - in one case a half 1st. cousin blocked me after my first attempt at contact. A few others have not responded at all. I do know that my dad had a terrible childhood, growing up in dire Appalachian poverty. I suspect that there are still people living who are my age that know the details, but they (for whatever reason) are unwilling - or afraid - to share. I'm not bothered by this at all - it just make me curious as to what went on all those years ago.
Judy, If you don't want to join Ancestry, maybe you might know someone who is a member, and might be delighted to upload this information for you.
You have a true treasure trove of family history there at your fingertips, that you might not realize the value of - especially to those who are out there searching for it. And, trust me on this: they are!!
Anne