Welcome...
I'm hoping to fill this page with the things I've learned while researching our family tree. It's been a tough but exciting journey, and though it's really just begun I've already had the pleasure of meeting a relative I didn't know I had, and getting in touch with a few relatives that I hadn't seen in years.
My mother and I went to visit my Aunt Ruth (Beiswenger) on my birthday in January 2005. I had just begun my research and we had such a wonderful visit. Aunt Ruth went through all of my grandmother's old family albums and she told me the stories of these people only she remembered. While writing her a thank you note the next day, it suddenly occured to me that these people she loved, were still alive in some way. They lived in her. I became overwhelmed with the need to keep them, and as many other ancesters that I could find alive perhaps through me.
Special Thanks..
Certainly I could not have done this alone;
My husband Paul bought me the Family Tree Maker program one weekend when we were expecting a blizzard and spent the time we were stuck in the house scanning old photos of my mother's and typing in what family members I knew.
While searching through the Ancestry.com message boards, I saw a post from my cousin John P. Beiswenger from years ago. I replied to his post not really expecting him to even see it. But a few days later he emailed me, gave me a link to his website, and the family tree information I had got a lot bigger! Most of the Beiswenger photos on the home webpage are from him. Thanks John!
Shortly after contacting John, I was searching the message boards again to see if I could find more information on Bernard Bittman and Philomena Bastian and I came accross a person named Tom Bittman also researching the Bastian name. I was intruiged and replied to his post. Shortly after he too emailed me, and it turns out he is also a relative! The ancesters he had were so much more substantial than mine, but he didn't have any of the decendants of Theresia Bittman. So I shared the small amount of information I had.. and he blew me away with what he had. The Bittman/Bastian line on our tree is what it is because of my friend and family member Tom Bittman. Thanks Tom!
Additional Thanks..
I'd like to thank the family members who responded to the letter I sent them with forms to fill out that helped greatly with adding information for the family tree.
Vickie (Bliesner) Smith
Bernice (Pantle) Sjobeg
Patricia (Olson) Pantle
Thanks to you all for your invaluable contribution to our family tree!
bravenet.com
