what I have discovered so far :

since I am so limited for time, and trying to learn as much as possible- I have been searching other genealogical blogs and checking out websights to see what is new and available and am discovering a wonderful world of locations that I have not known about. Blogging is quickly becoming one of the most informative tools I have experienced! I very highly recommend them. Although I am extremely discriminating with online information , especially posted family trees, there is usually a good deal of clues to lead me to true documentation.

One of the things I find to be so FRUSTRATING is that all of these available FREE trials, you must input credit card information and since I do not own one (or rather it own me) I am ineligble to try them out to see if any are worth me subscribing to!
Thankfully Sims does have a basic version of Ancestry online which I am able to use, it doesnt allow me to check very many trees to see if someone else is also searching my families in depth or to contact someone who is. If I am wrong please do contact me and educate me. I sincerely want accurate information, and I want to learn!

this is just one of the few I looked at- and it is just for designing a blog like this one!
http://amberskyline.com/treasuremaps/create-genealogy-blog-1.html
she has great information on things like tombstone rubbings which I LOVE ! : )

oh the graveyard rabbit !! I LOVE CEMETERIES !!!! I like to search for them online, but far too often get carried away by looking at the beautiful and unique monuments! LOL!

the one I like best and use as a starting place is www. findagrave.com then I tried these
www.cemeterysuverysinc.org
http://www.thegraveyardrabbit.com/

I began my seach with the 10 best websights to see dead people !! Ooo.. like the Sixth Sence! not really- lol , but lots of abandoned and discovered photographs of someone's loved ones.

I went through the 10 best virtual libraries also through familytree magazine too and found some pretty interesting . I guess this may be the most underutilized method for many, but almost always gives me a positive result- my best and favorite are :
Illinois:
www.cyberdriveillinois.com?departments?archives/databases.html
www.ilsos.gov/GenealogyMWeb/MiarrageSearchServlet
where I found my great grandmother wedding date William A. Freeman and Mrs. Neliie McCloughry 1895/7/10
also her death date and certificate information

another area I am searching is Jackson, Missouri
http:jacksongov.org/localization/menu.asp

this is where I found numerous records for the Ketchum/Holloway families-
marriage and death records , death certs are often available to print online!
david f ketchum married his first wife lucinda holloway on 04/5/1856.

I have been rabidly seaching online digital records.. I must say that some of these do have many wonderful photographs, usually military or blacks- which I think is oddly interesting how many black records are archived digitally. I would hope that this would make it wonderful to those who think that there is limited information out there. My advice would be to google the location you desire and search online digital records. I know personally Kentuckty, West VA, and Missouri have many black photographs and other valid information online. Such a wonderful resource tool that many overlook.

speaking of cemeteries- before my significant other left - I had begun walking out city cemetery, drawing locations and noting the condition, or lack of, monuments with the intention of photographing and making a book for Sims Library, a place near and dear to my heart. In 1955 the genealogy society went out and listed the known stones. Since then many markers have disappeared, been damaged by irresponsible mowers and uncaring citizens- or have not accurately been registered, soooo.. a fellow lover of cemeteries and I have made a pledge to go through this orignal registry and walk the park and re-record and photograph the stones for future genealogists and families of the area. It is a fair sized cemetery but it is something we both feel are of vital importance. Pat also does a lot of photograph and lots of extra research for people through the findagrave.com websight. PAT is an amazingly gifted genealogist and has done a lot of seraching for families simply because she loves the hunt and has an incredibly generous spirit. I admire and respect people like her because she gives so freely. Also Sam, who does the same yet gets such limited acknowledgement for all her efforts. My love and hat is off to you both. God Bless you for who and what you do!

some of the names and places I personally am searching for are:

Ketchum, Kellam - Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, Missouri, Kentucky, and Tennessee. There are many Holloway, Hickman, Browns tied to both of these families. along with Martin, Cook, Hickman, Christianson. these are some of my mothers family. lol anywhere named Benton! the other side are from Cook County , Chicago illinois and one of the hardest for me - Cury/currie from Ireland, McCloury/McClaughry, Freeman, Rohr, Voss, Driscoll/Driskoll. PLEASE help me here! my gr-grand mother Nellie (Ellen Jane Curry) was supposed to be one of the first involved in the Salvation Army in Chicago.

Riggs, Patterson, Douglas, Stanley, Kidd, Hearn- from Okla, Texas, Alabama, Kty, Tenn, Ga, Ark
s and n carolinas, Virginia. these are my daddy's lines. so many of these have the same old name! Gotta love the family heritage- it is what makes it sooo hard to document, four abrahams in series honestly! gotta love it-

as for my ex and my childrens side and YES I am still researching them just as I was:
Ham, Collier, Fields, Park, Kelley, Andrews, Wood, Morgan, Berry, VanDiver, Cheek, Beach/basbeech/beech - these are whom my children descend and therefore part of their history. Their father could care less about where he came from but I feel it is their right and privelge to know. These are all southern states as well Giles tn, williamson tn, wilson, maury tn
cherokee, fayette lauderdale alabama, so far.

I think one of the things I am saddest about is all the lost valuables- bibles and pictures that fall into the hands of those who dont care about them or are selfish and wont share the incredibly helpful information with in them. I have an aunt who owns a dress that belonged to my great grandmother . I dont want it, but she does bring it out to show us. I love that dress! and Marlene is the bomb! I just love her.. There are lots of relatives who own pictures that I can identify and want copies of, but just wont allow it.. If families would just take their pictures down to Kinkos or Office Depot and make clear paper copies I would be OVERJOYED !!! better yet, scan them and post them somewhere like Dead fred, or find a grave, lost and found old photographs.. my daughter and I sometimes go through flea markets, and antique shops- whenever I see these old photos, I want to take them home and make them mine.. How said it is to me that these people lived, laughed, cried, and died, and no one cared about them enought to pass the photos on to others to remember them.