I have the great pleasure of introducing you to Angie Rodesky and her blog, Sweet Tea Tart Lemons and Memories, described as, “. . . I guess you could say my blog is a hodgepodge of genealogy research on my family, and research I do on other families from the treasures that I’ve collected throughout the years.”
How Angie Got Stated in Genealogy
Angie has been doing genealogy for close to eight years now.
“It’s not the typical way that most genealogists get started. I use to write stories, children’s stories, mostly for my kids enjoyment. It was during one of my husband’s deployments while we were stationed in Germany, that I started to search for new story ideas and found myself searching eBay. I would go on eBay and search for handwritten letters, diaries and even family albums. Once they arrived in the mail I started composing small stories about the photos or even some of the information in the letters.
Then it dawned on me that these belonged to real people and the things mentioned in these letters and diaries are what really happened in their lives. So it was then that I decided to search and find out more about those who wrote the letters and diaries and even the people mentioned. I guess you could say that it then kind of snowballed after that, I found myself buying more off of eBay, going to garage sales and even second hand stores. Funny thing that I realized though I was researching all of these strangers and their families but I hadn’t even searched my own family’s history. But don’t worry if your following my blog you can see that, I’m also piecing together my families genealogical history. So see I kind of went backwards, not the typical way most genealogists get started.”
Angie’s Thoughts on Blogging
“I had thought about it but never really knew how to start and even if I should. Thanks to a dear friend of mine, Kathleen Brandt, I decided to give it a try. So I put my fears aside and dove in after I attended the September 2012 FGS conference in Alabama. It was during that conference that I met some wonderful bloggers like, Amy Coffin, Lisa Alzo, Kathy Chastain, Jenny Lanctot, Thomas MacEntee and Linda McCauley just to name a few, that also encouraged me to take the leap and give it a go.”
Angie’s Favorite Blog Posts
“I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed the Advent Calendar blog prompts that were provided by Thomas MacEntee with GeneaBloggers. But that being said I would have to say the blog post where I stepped up on my soap box was one of my favorites, ‘Quick Thought’ –Excuse me but aren’t you ashamed of your family.
That particular post was followed up with another post, ‘Descendant Story Continues.’”
Angie’s Tips for New Bloggers
“It’s understandable that you might not be completely sure about your first blog post, but don’t let that hold you back. Just jump in with both feet, so to speak and give it a shot. You never know what will happen unless you give it a try. Don’t worry about what other genealogy bloggers will say, this is a great blogging community and we are all here to support and help each other.”
How Genealogy Has Improved Angie’s Life
“I feel as though I’ve learned more about our history through the research I’ve done on my own family and others that I’ve research for, more than what was taught in school. I’ve turned what started out to be interest, into a hobby, and now a hobby that helps others and also brings in some income for my family. I don’t look at it as a job, because a job is something you have to do, a hobby is something you enjoy doing. An added bonus with all of the research I’ve been doing is seeing the new interest that my kids have in history.”
Angie’s Favorite Ancestor
“That’s not an easy question. I have many favorite ancestors for many different reasons. But if I had to pick one I guess I would go with my great grand aunt Izella (CLINTON) Edwards she was the daughter of, my 2x great grandparents Samuel and Arnetta (CHESTNUT) Clinton, she was born in Daviess county Indiana on, 17 October 1876.
She married Henry EDWARDS, son of Joseph and Ava (BYER) Edwards, on 22 May 1894. She had eleven children, nine girls and two boys, and was a devoted wife and mother with her main focus being the rearing of her children. Zella was famous for her home baked breads, which were baked in wood fired ranges.
She lived during one of the most difficult times in history during the depression. But during that time she was able to do her part in helping with the barnyard chores, feeding and pumping water for the livestock gardening and preparing meals. Sometimes she would have to prepare enough food for not just her immediate family but enough food to feed as many as thirty to forty extra people who helped on the farm. During this entire time she saw to it that her children were number one on her list and they all, except one, received a high school education. The, except one, didn’t receive the education due to an illness. She was a strong willed lady that saw to it that her children were taken care of, loved and reared by her, not someone else, while helping Henry with the farm during that difficult time in history.”
What Angie Loves Most About Genealogy
“There are many things that I love about doing my genealogy research. One of them would have to be when I find something out that I wasn’t aware of or something that a client wasn’t aware of, even solving that family mystery.”
Angie’s Time Capsule Message
“Enjoy what you’re doing, don’t think of it as a job that you dread having to do. The more you enjoy it the more information you can collect.”
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Please take a moment to head on over to Angie’s blog. Leave her a comment letting her know you stopped by. Welcome Angie, it’s great to have you here!
© 2013, copyright Gini Webb
Gini Webb lives in San Diego, California and manages her own blog, Ginisology, while also researching her own German heritage, recently retired, enjoying life with wonderful husband Steve and visiting with her now seven grandchildren!
Are you a genealogy blogger who would like to be interviewed for the “May I Introduce To You . . .” series? If so, contact Gini Webb via e-mail.
