Ancestor Approved Award

 I was proud to learn earlier this week that I had been awarded the "Ancestor Approved" award by Linda McCauley at Documenting the Details.  (Thank you, Linda!!)

As a recipient of this award, I am to list 10 things I have learned about my ancestors that have surprised, humbled or enlightened me and then pass the award on to 10 other genealogy bloggers who I feel are doing their ancestors proud.

1. I have been enlightened by the realization that my ancestors' lives and the lives of others in their community were so intertwined.  Over and over, I find that a member of my family was married to a member of that family... in more than one generation.  They were not just neighbors; in most cases, they were also family.  
2. I have been humbled to find that I have no famous people in my ancestry.  My ancestors were hard-working, simple folks - farmers mostly - and that makes me proud.
3. I have been both surprised and enlightened to learn how many traits in me and my family were also shared by our ancestors.
4. I have been surprised to find in my research how many people actually die right around their birthday.  Is it the stress of turning a year older?  A coincidence?  
5. I have been humbled and enlightened when visiting an ancestors' home.  Even though nothing looks the same, I still get an excitement from walking where they walked, seeing the land they saw, touching an item they touched.  Even just seeing a family member's signature is exciting to me.  And if I find a picture of an ancestor I've never seen before, I'm just over the moon!
6. I have been surprised, humbled, and enlightened, not to mention blessed, to find a cousin who is very knowledgeable about our family, their history, and the area where they lived.  I have learned so much from him.  
7. I was surprised, humbled, and enlightened to learn the story of my paternal grandfather's marriage to his first wife (and cousin), Jane Page.  It was a favor to save her from an arranged marriage to a much older man.  My grandfather's sweetheart, Mattie, seems to have understood and married him several years later after Jane passed away.  
8. I was surprised to learn that my husband's ancestors and my ancestors seem to have lived near each other in North Carolina in the 1700's and followed the same migratory path down to Georgia.  I wonder if any of them knew each other?
9. I was surprised to learn that my paternal grandmother's father was accidentally shot and killed by his son.  This happened just two months after another of my grandmother's brothers had been shot and killed in an altercation.
10. I have been surprised, humbled, and enlightened by everything I have learned about all of my families during this process.  Each new tidbit of information is just as exciting to me as the first.  My families, just like all others, are unique and interesting people with their own unique and interesting stories. 

There are so many genealogy blogs out there; choosing 10 was almost impossible.  Here's my list, which is not all-inclusive and no one was left out on purpose:

1.  Lisa at Genealojournal
2. Stephanie at Your Peachy Past 
3. Sara at My Mouse is Broken 
4. Vickie at BeNotForgot
5. The Scrappy Genealogist
6. Shall Not Be Forgot
7. Missy at Fables & Endless Genealogies
8. Gravestoned
9. Forgotten Old Photos 
10. Jennifer at Rainy Day Genealogy Readings

 This award was originated by Leslie Ann Ballou at Ancestors Live Here.