Begin now and explore the rich heritage that shaped your family's evolution

About a year ago my mother read an old newspaper clipping to me on the phone from San Diego. It had been found in a box of faded, crumbled and brittle mementos saved years ago from my great-grandmother's attic in Maryland. It was an obituary from Washington D.C., dated June of 1903, and what it said both shocked and delighted me.

My great-grandmother's father died at just 43 years old of dysentery, an intestinal disease, while waiting in Colón, Colombia, now Panama, for his passage home from his post as U.S. Consul in Cartagena, Colombia. His death occurred just five months before the revolution of Panama from Colombian rule, and the signing of the treaty that gave the U.S. sovereignty over the Panama Canal Zone.

("Wait a minute," you say? "Research?" Trust me, it's not like researching a term paper. Keep reading, it gets more interesting. . .)

One of these clues led me to the discovery that my great-great-great-grandfather was a member of the House of Representatives that voted to impeach President Andrew Johnson in the late 1800's. The other clue served to clarify a family legend of our relation to an "infamous" 19th century orator and agnostic, who turned out to be my great-great-great-great-uncle.

Using these clues I was able to find a wealth of information about my great-grandmother's family in the library and on the Internet, including several Web sites dedicated to my g-g-g-g-uncle. One being a museum in the home where my g-g-g-grandfather and g-g-g-g-uncle were born, and another tracing my great-grandmother's family history.

Two of these Web sites are especially interesting. One is a short biography of my g-g-g-grandfather on the U.S. Congress website. The other is a Web site article that details the growth of a pharmaceutical company founded in 1880 by one of my g-g-g-g-grandfathers. That company today is an international, multibillion dollar conglomerate that markets such familiar items as Arrid antiperspirant and Trojan condoms. Do you suppose I could get stock in the company?

Within your parents, grandparents and other relatives is a hidden wealth of stories, legends and information that can lead you on an exploration of your own personal family history. What you find may surprise and fascinate you and maybe teach you a little more about yourself and your world. You may even find a few lost cousins.

Now is the time to start discovering those stories, events, people and places that ultimately led to where you are. And with all the information being made available on the Internet, your family history research can span the world without leaving your neighborhood.

Spend a few minutes exploring the following pages and links. They will help get you started on your journey to discovering your family's past. And perhaps you will gain a new perspective on your life today, and what it can be in the future.