About

Welcome to my Family History Blog where I am tracing;

The Manley/Munnelly family from County Mayo, Ireland to Thorold, Ontario, Canada and The Vine family from Norfolk, England to Alden, Erie Co, New York

My search began with a scrap of paper, where I had written down a few names and places that an Aunt had provided to me. It wasn't a lot to go on but it was the seed that grew into a family tree that I had no idea about. I have already acquired more knowledge than I could have ever imagined and my tiny family has grown to thousands of people. The most rewarding aspect so far is the familiarity I now feel with these people. I went far beyond just looking for names and dates to enter into a database. I wanted to know as much as I could about each individual and what their lives were like. Turns out I have some really amazing ancestors.

When you do this kind of research you see how close-knit families can begin to unravel over the years. People move away, pass on and spouses re-marry. While all of this is going on, little pieces of your family history can be lost. The stories, photos and treasures can be lost completely after only a few generations. Knowing this, I tell everyone to talk to their living relatives and gather as much history as they can. My family has had a rich and interesting history but even the generation before me didn't have this information to pass on. I'm hoping to change that for our future generations.

I'm so grateful for the resources now available to me and I plan to continue my research for many years to come. With this blog I hope to share the extraordinary journey I've had up to this point and continue to document all of the new discoveries that will undoubtedly come my way. The descendants of my immigrant ancestors are now scattered throughout Canada and the United States. Hopefully, I will meet a few of them and learn more as I document their travels.


© 2009 Kindred Footprints