Column: How far have you climbed your family tree?

How far have you climbed up your own family tree?

How many branches do you really know about? Do you know more about your paternal side or your maternal side? You begin with yourself, then your own parents, your siblings, their siblings and their parents and keep going. Ask questions about how deep your roots go.

As you find out information, write it down to pass it to the next generations. Maybe you don't know as much now as you can in the future, but begin somewhere.

Do you remember my two favorite quotes? "When an old person dies, you lose a library" and "You don't get the answers if you've never asked the questions."

One man told me he began to discover his family tree history but discovered it was covered with too many nuts.