genchap1

Introduction
While there are only three people in the world, myself and my two sisters, directly related to all the ancestors mentioned in this work, there are many more people linked/connected in some way to these families. Our family's story is one shared by many other families in America--immigration as early as the 1600s and as recent as 1994. Our ancestors came from all over the globe--England, Germany, Poland, Russia, France. They have migrated from coast to coast. They came to America for a wide variety of reasons: religious and political persecutions, a hope for a better life, adventure, etc. What they all had in common, they were pursing their "American dream". Our family tree has veterans from almost every war and every branch of the military. They are members and leaders from the full spectrum of churches. There are the famous and the infamous. But more commonly, they are people working to raise their children and make the best life for their family.
Looking back at our family history teaches us not only about where we came from, but who we are today. Our diverse family tree should remind us of what it means to be part of the great melting pot that is America.

How this project got started:
People have often asked how I started researching my family history. It wasn't a gradual process. I can easily blame it on one person, my eighth-grade American History teacher, Sr. Anne Brigid Schlegel, at Incarnate Word Academy in Corpus Christi, Texas. The first week of school, she warned our class that later in the year, we would have to prepare a report on our family history. A friend, Gerardo Garza, and I thought we'd get a head start on the project. We visited the genealogy section at the local public library, and there the search began. The school year came and went without Sr. Anne Brigid ever giving us that assignment. But I have continued researching ever since. Thank you, Sr. Anne Brigid!
I feel that I am extremely lucky to have started tracing my family history at such an early age. I will forever cherish the time I had with my great-grandmother, Beulah Slaughter Tucker, and her sister, my great-great aunt Fern Slaughter Covington. I spent many hours listening to their childhood stories of life before cars and electricity, and when they had to wring the chicken's neck themselves.
Family history has been a great way to get to know many other relatives, particularly both my grandmothers, Frances Ruth Tucker Davis and Helen Woroniecki Paruzynski. Without these people, I could have never have made it this far.
That was 16 years ago. I recently returned to this project and have moved into the cyber age. I'm working to create this as a dual-medium work, (1) a printed book that will last, and (2) an internet site that is continually being updated.

Request for Your Help:
This work is only as complete and correct as the information that I have. If you have corrections and/or additional information, please send them to me. A family tree is like a real tree, it is constantly growing and changing. There are deaths, marriages and births, all of which make our family what it is.

Request for Stories:
A family tree is also not just names, dates and places. It is about the lives and times of real people. I am included here many of the stories I have been told over the years. Our family history will be even more interesting with
your contributions. I am happy to include any stories and remembrances you would like to contribute. They don't have to be long or "profound". If a story means something to you, many other people will also enjoy it. Please share your stories.

Email:
Please send an email for any questions to [email protected]

About the Author:
Joseph E. Zadrozny, Jr. has been an amateur genealogist since 1984. He is a Diplomat and Foreign Service Officer with the State Department. He was born in Germany, the son of a US Air Force officer, and grew up in Texas. He received his B.A. in International Relations and French from the University of Notre Dame.
He and his wife Daniela have lived in Mongolia, the Solomon Islands and Uzbekistan. They are currently preparing to go the China in September 2001.
--December 2000