| Why Do I DO This? |
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| WHAT ARE YOU DOIN' ALL THIS FOR?! This is the usual question I get asked when I tell someone I do genealogy research as a hobby. "It certainly isn't for the money!" is what I normally start out replying. I believe people think I do it to find ancestors of prominence or importance, some lost ultra-rich uncle who had no one to leave his fortune to, or maybe even some infamous criminal element of high profile. And I guess I would be a little less than honest if I didn't say such thoughts have popped up in my mind from time to time as I have conducted my research. SO.....why do I spend all those hours staring at internet sites, squinting at census microfilm, rummaging through dusty old records at probate offices, and writing letters to officials and individuals all over the world? Quite simply, to "know" those I have never known. As a child I grew up in the small town of East Fultonham in Muskingum County, Ohio. One of the things I vividly remember from those days was my not having any Grandfathers. Oh, there was one Great-grandfather (Philip Rhoda STEIN) but he died when I was only 5, so I have very little recollection of him. My father (Keith Donald MOORE) was born and raised in the Roseville & Somerset areas of Perry County, Ohio. Both of his parents (Charles Arthur MOORE & Jennie Katherine STICKEL Moore) died in 1918, just four months apart when he was only 9 years old. I guess this is why he never spoke about his family. Afterwards, he and his two sisters were taken into care by their Grandparents, Charles Frederick STICKEL and Phidelia Jane JONES Stickel. My mother (Marilyn Jane SHAW Moore) was born in 1928 and was raised in East Fultonham. Her father (Charles Clayton SHAW) died in 1931 when she was barely 3 years old. So she wasn't able to help me with that area of my research since she has no remembrance of her father. There were no other Great-grandfathers that I recall, save the one I mentioned earlier. So I guess you could say this is what gives me the drive and determination to continue in my research and find as much information about them as I can. Having only two Grandmothers around in my childhood also adds incentive to that. They were my Mother's mother (Mary Ellen STEIN Shaw) and her Mother (Loretta Jane DICKERSON Stein). I envied the other kids in my neighborhood as most of them had Grandfathers they talked about and could share time with them. As I continue in my research I have come to "know" the Grandfathers that I never knew in my childhood. I have the complete Civil War military records of my Great-grandfather, Charles Frederick STICKEL. It tells me of all the skirmishes and battles he was involved in, his being wounded at Missionary Ridge, and his participation in General Sherman's "March to the Sea." Since the bullet he took at Missionary Ridge was so close to his lung they could not remove it. Hence, he carried that bullet with him the rest of his life. He had to sleep in a sitting-up position lest the bullet cause him a great deal of pain in the prone of sleeping. Via the STICKEL mailing list I made contact with a cousin who shares the same MOORE/STICKEL connection that I have. That person was able to provide me with information and photos of my 2nd Great-grandfather, Charles W. MOORE, that I never knew about. The photos were one of him at his anvil (he was a hard-working blacksmith!) in his smithy shop, and the other was of him shoeing a horse. You have no idea how much I treasure those pictures! There is so much more that I could share with you but I think you have an idea as to why I do this. I just wish I'd have started sooner, while I still had some of those with me who could have filled in so many blanks and shared so many family history stories. If you're even slightly considering doing research on your family's history, I say to you: "Don't put it off any longer!" If you wait I assure you, you will lose some of your most valuable "resources" as family generations pass on. God bless you in all your endeavors and happy hunting! -Charlie |