genealogy

i've always loved research. in college, my favorite part of writing papers was the research on the subject. it's like detective work and in the end, you have all this new knowledge on a subject you previously knew nothing (or very little) about. sounds incredibly geeky, but i've always loved it. the problem is that i like doing the research but hate then having to assemble it into something that makes sense (a report... a term paper...a proposal).

BUT. i started playing around with genealogy this week and i've found the mother ship. the whole point IS the research. i'm hooked.

by happy coincidence, i found a first cousin once removed (what does that mean, anyway?) on a genealogy board and she has been gracious enough to share her findings from the past two years with me. turns out we have family living in lyon, france which is just so cool. my cousin sent me pictures of this newfound family and they actually resemble some of my family members.

that whole six degrees theory? i'm beginning to think it's true. sounds hokey, but i think if more people got into genealogy, we'd see how small the world is. how can racism and bigotry survive in a world where we're all somehow related?

(this is my great, great grandfather giovanni cocco. he is my dad's grandmother's father)

(this is my great grandmother, amalia cocco. she was married to my great grandfather, vito, shown below)

(the short man standing up on the far left is my great grandfather, vito laciringola)