Sentimental Sunday - Hello to the World - I have arrived.

Here I am with my own family blog. whoopey!!! I have been going to start this for over a couple of years but just didn't know how to start. I thought about going backwards in time and then coming forward but NO- too complicated. I want this to be fun and useful to me and others if anyone reads me. I am just going to start NOW and go backwards and forward when needed. This will be my introductory post and then go from here...........  but it will be a family blog with my experiences.

My name is Sandra Lee Gardner Aberle Benward. Wow what a mouth full! In normal circles I usually go my Sandra/Sandi Benward. In genealogy circles I go by Sandra Gardner-Benward. I would love to include the Aberle name too because that is the last name my two sons have but it seems like it is just too much.

My father, John Patterson GARDNER Jr. had been doing the family research, gathering the information, dates, locations, etc. I would ask question and sometimes get answers. But all in all, with working full time, American River Junior College part time, married life with two children I really didn't have time for searching for dead people. I have heard this from alot of other people so I don't feel bad about not paying attention. BUT NOW I wished I had paid attention and asked more questions and remembered the answers. (and I hear that alot too). In 1999, my husband was being transferred back to Pennsylvania with the workload he had been working on, since McClellan Air Force Base was closing soon. Since I would be right in the middle of my ancestal area (OH, PA, NY, CT) I was excited to know all I could before we left California (5 year committment). Gee Whiz, I guess I asked one too many questions that my dad couldn't answer. I found the whole package  (forms, charts etc all done by hand) waiting for me before we left the state. My dad simply said, he had gotten the family this far, and now it is securely in my hands. Now I am the Family Historian/Researcher. I was a little overwhelmed, but I was excited too. A new exciting adventure while looking for our ancestors. I did find that there were lots of names and dates and some locations but NO SOURCES - he said most of it was word of mouth. So yes I did have my work cut out for me

Along the way I did join Root Cellar Sacramento Genealogical Society, Sacramento German Genealogical Society, National Genealogical Society, Ohio Genealogical Society and a few more. Yes I jumped in with both feet. I take lots of classes and attend seminars and conferences when possible. I am a learning junkie - full blown junkie!! AND I LOVE IT.

First I found a program to put all this information in.......  I choose PAF. I soon outgrew it and went over to Family Tree Maker. I really was enjoying FTM, but at some point, the company said they were not going to continue to support their product so I jumped and switched to Legacy Family Tree. Well it looks like Family Tree Maker did continue to support its product after a while but I was not going to switch back. I like Legacy, it is simple but complex too. You can enter basic information without a problem but then there is the question of sourcing again. I still have not gotten the knack of it yet so everything I have info/source all in the individual notes till I can figure out which way to go. By location, event or surname and be consistent but don't know yet.. 

This year a small group of us have decided that we are going to get together and be a help and support to each other, meeting maybe a couple of times a month. And then there is a main Legacy SIGgroup that meets once a month. This is also a good resource for help, but it looks like they will be concentrating on all the upgrades to Legacy #8 not the basics of Legacy. We all need the basics first, but as the upgrades come into play we will go over them at the same time. Sounds like a plan to me.

Now starting with me: Sandra Lee GARDNER ABERLE BENWARD & basic's

I was born in Alliance, Stark County, Ohio and have lived all over the world - Army brat & Air Force wife....... even though I  barely lived in Alliance I somehow have a strong pull back- don't know why but I am definitely a buckeye baby. What is that pull? Why is it so strong?  I do have some memories but they are very early memories. And other memories as I have visited as an adult.

My father,  John Patterson GARDNER Jr. also born in Alliance, Stark County, Ohio as was his father John Patterson GARDNER (m: Margaret Evelyn BRANFIELD/Coalburg, Trumbull County, Ohio). His father Harry B. GARDNER (m: Elizabeth DIETZ/ Baltimore, Baltimore County, Maryland- beginnings of my German ancestry)was born in Glasglow, Scotland (beginnings of my Scottish ancestry) . Further information tells me that his father George GARDNER was also born in Scotland (perhaps Glasglow)

My mother, Mary Jane LITTLE, was born in  Cuba, Allegany County, New York. Her father Burton Harry LITTLE, born in Dryden, Tompkins County, New York (father: Mounsey LITTLE /Bassenthwaite Cumberland UK m: Mary BROWNRIGG/ Penrith Cumberland UK) and Mary Jane's mother, Emma May BRISTOL born in Cortland, Cortland County, New York (father: John Erwin BRISTOL/ New York m: Anna Sheerar/ New York)

I have actually only been able to document the GARDNER line back through Harry B GARDNER. I have some documentation on George GARDNER but not enough. MORE WORK NEEDED. I am interested in the DIETZ ancestry (German) but can only trace them to Baltimore Maryland where Elizabeth DIETZ was born - according to the census. She was born prior to Maryland keeping records so not sure where to go to find an alternative source. There is a chance Baltimore was where  Elizabeths parents (George A DIETZ/Bavaria & Caroline NOEL/ Hessie-Darmstadt) entered the United States but have not been able to confirm that either.

The LITTLE line goes back to England. It is pretty much documented but does need a little more work. I have done some work on the BROWNRIGG, BRISTOL and SHEERAR lines but need to do so much more. I would like to find out more about the SHEERAR ancestry.

Sorry this was an awful lot for the first posting but ...........