My name is Tina Marie Austin and my relatives call me the family historian. I live in the windy city of Chicago and it has not let us down this winter. I began recording family stories at the early age of 15 and I started researching family history at age 26. The Newberry Library in Chicago was my first stop on the genealogy library circuit. Those were the days when your eyes were glued to the microfilm reader while you scrolled through rolls and rolls of census records searching for your loved one who you couldn't find until you got to the very end of the last roll. I don't know about you, but my research always provides a little comedic relief.
I've been researching my ancestral lines and my ex-husband's lines for almost 40 years now and boy has technology changed the "genealogy toolbox." There are tablets, smartphones, applications, social media, virtual card catalogs, online documents, etc..... and then there is THIS thing called a Blog. Ten years ago there wasn't even a definition in the dictionary for the term Blog. Today, not only can you find the term in the virtual Merriam-Webster dictionary there is a whole culture of Bloggers worldwide.
I am new to this phenomenon called Blogging and that would be 30 days new. You see, my innovative creative self has had a difficult time convincing my "ole skool" nostalgic self that it is time for a change. But with a little coaching from my two daughters, I have arrived in Blogosphere. In December 2013, I challenged myself to start a Blog in 2014 - City Girl's Blog. My goal is to write one story a month about my family. Soon after I posted my Blog, I ran across Julie Goucher's Blog: Worldwide Genealogy ~ A Genealogical Collaboration. What a perfect fit for a girl who loves to write, enjoys telling a good family story, and gets to participate in a worldwide collaboration of genealogy Bloggers.
I am excited about the possibilities that Julie has created for us through this Blog, and feel honored to be in the company of such seasoned Bloggers. I look forward to our words, our stories and our spirit of camaraderie as we collaborate on a subject that is so dear to us. My wise mother always told us, "Do the things you love and love the things you do, and you will find life a joy." Happy Blogging Everyone !!!
