52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks

Our challenge this week is to write about a favorite photo. Of course my first thought was of all the photos I have that are still in boxes, untagged and not digitized. I added it to my genealogy to-do list.

Then, I got sucked into the rabbit hole of looking at photos in albums, sorting the photos in boxes, trying to find my favorite. It was a very pleasant rabbit hole. I finally picked a favorite.

This is a photo of four generations. My grandmother, Helen Riggs Greiner, is holding my father, Robert Greiner. He appears to be around a year old. So I am guessing the photo was taken around 1930. Next to her is is my great-grandmother, Lydia Heininger Seeger. My great-grandmother, Cora Seeger Riggs, is seated next to her. The gentleman in the photo is my grandmother's brother, Vernard Riggs. He is holding his daughter, Marjorie.

I love multi-generational photos like this one. It's fun to see who resembles whom. It looks like I got my frizzy, curly hair from Cora.

52 Weeks 52 Ancestors

When I was about 10 years old, my grandmother showed me an old coverlet. She said that it had belonged to one of her great-grandmothers. It had been handed down to the oldest daughters and one day it would be mine.

 That's when I got hooked on genealogy. Over the years my research has been rather hit or miss (boxes of photos and piles of paper on the floor.)

I just completed Boston University's Genealogical Research Certification program. It was intense! I felt totally out of my league, compared to some of my brilliant classmates. I had so many bad habits and gaps in my knowledge. But I made it!

One of my resolutions for 2018 is to put what I learned into action. Some of the photos are in an album and the papers are in binders. I'm ready to begin 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks!.