It's unclear what prompts family historians to seek out their ancestors. But once a search begins, it builds momentum, moving from the fruits to the roots of a family tree, discovering family branches with different surnames, and embracing namesakes. Despite frustrating dead ends, the search for family history builds bonds between descendants and their ancestors. It was like somebody was directing me.
Curiosity provokes many family historians to recreate the lives and stories of their ancestors.
She remembers looking at an early 1900s picture of her aunt and her cousins in Gallup, New Mexico. Struck by such a peculiarity, she innocently asked her mother about it. Her great-aunt had clothed Melquiades in a dress to avoid abduction by Apaches. She discovered her ancestors had lived in New Mexico, Mexico, Spain, Portugal, the Canary Islands, Greece, and Belgium. Among the many jewels found within her genealogy, she treasures her Zuni, Isleta, and Apache lines.