Follow Friday - My Inspiration

Some have asked me how I find enough to write about. Well, one thing I have just started using is the writing prompts on the geneabloggers web site. Every day they post a few ideas for topics and if you write on one of them and include it in the title of your blog, it goes on their site and increases your chances of being read by a wider audience. One of today's writing prompts at www.geneabloggers.com is Follow Friday. Bloggers are asked to highlight a blog they follow or a particular post they read recently.

I feel compelled to share the blog that gave me the inspiration for my own. West in New England is written by Bill West, my 3rd cousin, once removed. I connected with Bill on the Maine Genealogy Network when he commented on a post I made. Then we connected on Facebook and he let me know about the annual reunion for our mutual ancestors and the fact that the family has a Facebook Ellingwood reunion group. I had attended the reunion as a child but didn't know it was still being held every year. I attended the reunion and got to meet Bill and a bunch of other cousins I didn't know I had. I found out this family line adds to the existing research on the family each year with updates and a family newsletter. The Facebook page has drawn in many scattered Ellingwoods and it has been fun for them to see where they connect with those in Maine.

Sharing information & updates at the 2009 Ellingwood reunion

Through Bill's blog, I've connected with other distant cousins and fellow geneabloggers who have helped me in my research so many ways. If you're interested in learning how to research, finding new clues on your ancestors, or connecting with others who are researching the same lines, I cannot tell you how helpful it is to start blogging about your family. Then share your blog on geneabloggers, Facebook, Twitter and Google+. I get inspiration for posts from other blogs I read and they motivate me to keep digging for stories that tell not only who my ancestors are but what their lives were like. The internet and social media have been invaluable to my research. So get inspired and get blogging!!