Absolutely. Amazed.
Here's a classic example of how it served me well this week.
I decided to do a Google Search of my great grandfather's name,
and Ta-da! It appeared on ancestor.com.
My Great Grandfather is William Fred Mueller, an American Soldier who
served in the Philippines during the War with Spain in 1900-1902.
I found his certificate ONLINE this past week:
Ok... so you're probably wondering.... how do you know if this is REALLY your great grandfather, and not some random guy..? (who just-so-happens to have the exact same name as your great grandpa in the Philippines)?
Coz it lists my GRANDMA as his daughter... that's how I know.
His daughter is My Great Grandma Louisa Mueller Ocampo (passed away in Philippines).
Louisa's daughter is My Grandma Mimi Ocampo Barrera (lives in Vancouver now)
And then comes my Mom, Lia Barrera, (who also lives in BC today)
And then me: Maria Barrera Lopez (here in Barrie!)
If you look closely at the certificate, it says that my Great Grandpa was born in
Quincy Illinois 1897, but passed away in Manila, Philippines in 1955.
(I had no idea my grandpa was American!!!)
My great grandma Louisa was living with him at the time of his death,
and had to send telegrams to his brothers living in Morocco, Virginia, and California. (Really?!)
Pretty interesting stuff... to me anyways.
AMAZED at the family history we can dig up from Google!
As soon as I found this out, I texted my Mom and Grandma in Vancouver and asked if all this stuff was true, and they said YES it was, and immediately after, they told me about the "love story" of how my great great grandpa and great great grandma met, and how they got married...
Maybe YOU should try google'ing your Grandparents names sometime,
and perhaps you too, can find a little bit more about your family's history! :)
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