Why I am doing this...

• Genealogy is a journey of self discovery, at least it has been for me. In many respects, the person that you are is a reflection of the people who came before you. That is why know who came before you is important.
• In school, history sometimes left me feeling disconnected. Studying my own family's experiences has allowed me to see how we fit in the larger historical context.
• When I was younger, I asked my parents where our family was from. My father said "I don't know." So did my aunt and all of their cousins. I was never satisfied with that, and I reliezed that if I wanted better answers, I'd have to find them myself. And I've been trying...
• When my Grandmother, Marian Weil nee Goldner, passed away a few years ago, we found some brittle documents in Romanian. I had them translated, and they turned out to be my great-grandparent's dowry agreement, signed by my great-great-grandparents Leib Faibish and Shmuel Goldner! I regret not talking to my Grandmother about them before she passed away, and I never want to have similar regrets.
• I love detective work, and genealogical research is dectective work. You get clues from interviews and documents, and they lead you in different directions.
• Genealogy is a perfect hobby for a self-absorbed busybody like myself. :)