About Me

Displaced from Texas by opportunity and choice, I arrived in central Pennsylvania more than twenty years ago with my young, growing family and desire for new adventures.  Not long after, my curiosity about my ancestors began to grow.  Not knowing what I was doing, I made a few attempts to find out more, but resources and opportunities to do family history travel were very limited.  That was before the Internet, but not long before the Internet became widely available.

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Since then, I've added to my files and knowledge.  I've become less reluctant to contact people and ask questions.  I have amassed a growing collection (by "growing collection" I mean "mess") of original documents, photocopies, photographs and other materials.  I seem to enjoy collecting more than organizing, but my intentions are good - of course!
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Sometimes organizing is a little too much like work - I am a business librarian at Penn State University and organize information for a living.  However not long ago, I began compiling all the information I have about Moritz and Marie Beier, my great-grandparents.  I realized that I have quite a bit of information and background.  Why not put it together as a story?
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So that's how I'm starting.  My plan is to use this blog to share family stories and give life to the pieces of paper, photographs and computer files I have.  I'm no expert at this.  I'm quite sure other relatives have pieces (family traditions, letters, documents, photographs, etc.) that they also cherish as a touch-point with the past.
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As I research the past and share it with others, I find a special connection with the Christian faith of individuals from previous generations.  I cannot imagine a way of life for myself without Jesus Christ, my savior and Lord.  I can only imagine what the gift of faith and the challenges such a commitment might have brought would have meant to each of them.
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I hope you enjoy my blog.
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Grace and peace,
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Kevin