My favorite source of ancestral research material is my computer, a program called Family Tree Maker, and the Internet itself. And, we have opened channels of communication in England and Wales that otherwise would have been impossible for us to find. Of course, since you are reading this, you have discovered the WWW's resources yourself, and this is superfluous. You may have memorized cold dates and facts in your high school history classes because you had to. Now you may find that you want to know what was happening when your three-times great grandfather emigrated from Europe.
History takes on a new dimension when ancestors are connected to it.
As I prepare to write a narrative of the families who are united in my background, I realize how important it is that I know the history of the lands from whence they came. And, I need to include something of the milieu into which they arrived. These must be in the story if it is to make any sense now and in the future. I also plan to write of the events that shaped my life and moments that my children probably do not remember from their early childhood. My husband and I watched on television the wondrous New Zealand and Australian welcoming ceremonies, the magical songs of the native peoples as they lifted their voices to greet the rising sun.