The Barrens, my Dad's maternal side of the family, have begun to slowly emerge from the fog. It appears my great grandfather, Andrew John Barren, had a brother. Who knew!? I remember Grandma talking about Aunt Suzy (not a clue who she is), but never an Uncle Stephen. Of course, this is the same woman who new nothing about her older sister! (see Happiness is a puzzle piece found!)
I don't have much to go on yet, but we (the newest cousin and I) will be exchanging information. Then I will have to go through a lot of records and a trip to my oldest cousin to pick at his brain.
Which brings me to websites you can use to get information. The best site to get links for what you are looking for would be CyndisList.com. Also, if you have an idea where your loved one died but the travel distance isn't exactly within a couple hours (let's face it, gas prices are killer today) try findagrave.com. This site is not limited to the US. Cemeteries world wide are listed. When ordering a record; birth, death or marriage certificate, I go to the municipality site in which the event took place. Most, I've found, have a link to vitalchek.com. Don't pay for express shipping, you get your document in the same length of time.
Beware of site who are expensive and fairly useless. Most sites will give you a 14 day trial period free. Use the 14 days to the max. Then there is ancestry.com. I pay for membership for this site, including the international information. I pay monthly and have found it worth the dollars I spend. Which brings me full circle...this is where I found out my great grandfather had a brother. They have message boards where you can post the surname, cemetery, military records; what every you are looking for.
Remember, anytime you receive information you are looking for from someone else, be sure to reciprocate as a thank you. Think of it as 'Miracle Grow' for your family tree.
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