Deep Thinking and Apologies

Joe and Judy Paulson

It's been nearly a year since I began my Daugherty/Carrington Prairie Roots blogsite. It has been a very positive experience for me. I've been going through old materials put aside in folders that I've viewed in the past. I'm finding more answers as well as more questions. I've been italizing phrases that need to be researched. I'm realizing more and more that I'll never know in depth the background of my ancestors and I CAN'T get into their heads and find out what thoughts they had and what personalities were involved. It reminds me of times that I've wanted to have someone as a best friend, but find it an impossibility.

I CAN find out more about the historical setting of their lives and find connective people that share my desire to learn about family. I've gotten to know a few more contacts because of this blogsite. When I began, this was not a goal...I wasn't really confident that there would be many readers. And actually it's hard to tell just how many "hits" there have been.

I just finished sending out 120 mailings of Prairie Roots, an 8-page newsletter. March will be the fourth anniversary of this quarterly newsletter. The newsletter serves the purpose of keeping current with family news as well as sharing obituaries, writing and interesting clippings and pictures. This blogsite often goes into more depth on subject matter that might have a limited readership. The newsletter is sent by postal mail, as so many of mother's family doesn't have access to a computer. It's an expensive endeavor...one that I'm willing to do while Mom (Helen Irene Daugherty Hostvet) & her siblings, Ken Daugherty & Dave Daugherty are still alive. The listing of first cousins of this generation get's less and less and they are also some of my most enthusiastic readers.

About the time I get discouraged from lack of feedback from readers, I get wonderful verbal comments on Prairie Roots. Many recipients share their copies and can't wait for the next one to be sent. So I'll keep "Roots" going, with great pleasure.

It's really a LOT of fun putting the newsletter together. I wish I could do one for Dad's small family, but doing a second one is far too time consuming. I'm hoping that my cousin Kay will get one started when she's ready. I've told her that I will will give her a great deal of help.

I'm going to run out of family pictures within the year and hope that someone will dig deeply for some that I don't have. Entire branches are void of photos...they must be out there. I'm constantly finding more writers in the family, both in history and currently. Creative thinking is another art that I find binding our family. A desire for learning is another.

I started this post as an apology for my lack of material for the month of December. I've been letting too many things effect my desire to sit and write. I guess when I look at other blogsites this is a common factor.

I hope to continue meeting new readers as I begin my 2nd year with this blog. Like everything else, there are ups and downs, times of excitement and times of downright boring facts that need to be shared.