Editor Corner

by Jackie Damrau, Managing Editor

Technology is wonderful. My parents moved to Dallas about six months ago, which is the first time in over 30 years that they’ve lived this close to me, or is that I’ve lived close to them. Anyway! Visiting with my parents each weekend, I take the opportunity to explore my family history.

You see, I’m an only child, while my parents are both from large families. My mother’s parents were Cherokee and Choctaw, while my father’s parents were English and Welsh. Why am I sharing this with you! Because of technology.

My mother got me curious about researching my grandfather’s background. You see, all my mother knew about him is that he was born somewhere on the Cherokee Strip. He didn’t have a birth certificate or social security card until he was 83. At that time, the family had to find someone that could attest that my grandfather was born and roughly when. One Indian elder was found in Oklahoma that could attest to my grandfather’s existence.

Genealogy, technology; what will Googling provide you. I began researching my grandfather’s heritage and was able to find information not only about him and his brothers, but also on his parents. The first U.S. census was in 1910, which is the farthest back that I can trace in my grandfather’s Indian history. The information that I was able to find, print out, and take to my mother helped her to confirm the stories she heard throughout her life from her half-siblings, siblings, and other relatives. The smile alone on my mother’s face was pleasing to see.

My father’s parents and the great-great-grandparents were English or Welsh, emigrated to the U.S., and followed Brigham Young and Joe Smith (the Mormon leaders) to the state of Utah. We know much about the paternal side of the family, because one great-great-grandparent wrote an autobiography that has passed down through the family.

Technology, genealogy; Googling does it again! In searching my father’s family, I came across my great-great-grandmother’s autobiography. It gives the other side of the story to the family. This autobiography, to the family’s knowledge, was not known to have existed. So, technology has helped me find my family roots.

Every day we use technology! The vast world of knowledge is at our fingertips. We just have to be persistent and go through numerous hyperlinks to find the “golden nuggets” of information. I view technology by this quote from Henry Ford:

“Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success!"

Letters to the Editor

Finally, I want to end this column by sharing the e-mails I received this past month. You all make this newsletter a joy to produce. Thank you!

I also like the new look. Too often, community newsletters suffer when the editor passes the baton. To pass it on to, not merely competent, but superlative leadership is a treat.
– Doug Dow, former Managing Editor of Technically Write