The Family Tree

I've been researching my family tree for some time now. The problem is, I don't know when to let go, when to stop researching etc.. so it sometimes just goes on and on.

I've spent countless hours in front of a computer; Scouring census records, making sense of birth and death records, entering and deleting information, and I can safely say I'm addicted.

My husband, and some others think it's a waste of my time and energy. He supports my efforts (meaning he doesn't give me too hard a time for neglecting my family), but he simply doesn't understand what drives me to do it. I'm set on publishing my tree for others, and not just my tree but my husbands as well. It's really important for me to know that my kids will have some sort of legacy, afterall I think it's important to know where you come from.

I think I have this insatiable need because I've lost so many people in my lifetime, their stories left untold. I never really felt/feel like I belonged anywhere, or who I was/am, and so in doing my family tree I feel both a sense of pride and purpose.

I am really stuck on some branches of my tree, they're rather short these branches..some not going past my third great-grandparents; but other branches are long and knotty that 4 hours of research feels like a few minutes.

One of my Great Grandfathers (maybe 26th) is King John... you know the 'weasly' King compared to his brother Richard who is portrayed in all of the Robin Hood movies... and another Great-Grandfather along with his sister were besties with Henry VIII, and were instrumental in the fall of Anne Boleyn.

I've always been fascinated by this era, and have convinced myself that my ancestors have led me to this research. Historians will say that all of us who go back far enough are related to Royalty somewhere, but I beg to differ :). I like that "Wind in my Sails" feeling, whether I'm special or not.

Recently Will and Kate paid our city a visit. My husband sarcastically said to me "Why don't you go and see them. Tell them you're their 485th cousin removed!"... Whatever, he's just jealous he's not from Royalty..but lucky for him, turns out he's married a princess! :)