I can't explain why I am so interested in my family tree, but it has always been of great importance to me to know where I came from. It has been an exercise for me to realize how fluid my heritage is. I fully expected to be able to identify with a long established group of people, once I reached back far enough. What I got, on my father's side, were Anglo-Normans living in both Scotland and Ireland, and, if you know your history, you know that Normans hadn't been Anglo or French for very long at this point. My mother's Mennonite family is even trickier. They stayed Dutch even though they were living in Prussia (now parts of Germany and Poland) and Russia. I guess my family doesn't stay in one place for too long . . .*wry grin*

I'd like to take a moment to memorialize my grandmother, Frances Leona (Houston) Bradley who died this summer. Grandma lived through some of the toughest circumstances one could imagine, and yet she had an inner strength that I will always admire. She always seemed so tiny to me, bird-like even, but I saw a picture of her taken at my parents' wedding; she is straight, tall, and (in my eyes) beautiful - along the lines of Kathryn Hepburn. She managed to raise 3 ornery kids (Yes, you guys are ornery!) and yet she never developed a hard shell; for all that she was tough, she was deeply concerned, about all of us. I can't express how much we all miss her.

I honor all of my ancestors. Allow me a brief rant. I include all the grandmothers whose families I will never know because recording their names was not considered important. I value the names I have, and I miss those I cannot locate. I realize, now that I know some of the history of my family, what hardships they endured with the interests of future generations in mind. Rant ends . . .

Although this tree only includes direct ancestors, no siblings, I will be amending that as time allows.

Something else to bear in mind - this information is from a number of sources, and some of the links are tenuous at best. I continue to look for both new additions to my tree, and for further evidence supporting assumed relationships.

If you see an error in the tree, or if you have something you would like to add, please e-mail me.