Tom's Genealogy Page

Genealogy is a passing hobby of mine, when I find the time for it.. I think every person, at some point in his or her life, feels a desire to know where he or she came from. Different people satisfy that desire in different ways, but most satisfy this need through genealogy. The history of a person's own family and how that person came to exist is absolutely fascinating! Think about all of the variables of past lives which had to happen exactly as they did for each of us to exist as we do today. One seemingly insignificant decision or chance meeting 100 or 200 years ago may have determined our own existence today. Unfortunately, I wasn't overly involved with this hobby until after my last grandparent died. She was a living resource that I failed to take advantage of and I regret that very much.

Since we're talking about family here, I've added a few links to my family photo pages. If you came here through my homepage, maybe you have seen these links already...

Tom's Sibling Page shows my sister and I in two photos spanning twenty years.
The Janice and Barnie Show is a page about my sister and her work with the ASPCA.

I could create links to all of my favorite genealogy sites on the web, but there are so many sites out there! Others have already compiled HUGE web pages with thousands of genealogy links, so why should I recreate the wheel? I won't attempt to duplicate the pages below which have a wealth of information for exploration. Here are a just a few you might want to browse:

A Barrel of Genealogy Links
Cyndi's List of Genealogy Sites
Truly Searchable Genealogy Links
Tuffsearch's Genealogy Links
FamilySearch is an excellent place to start!
Genealogy Portal

I don't have any current plans to post my family history online -- maybe at some future date. But if anyone is interested, I am researching the following names and places. (At least I hope to be researching them in the future when I find more free time.) The family names below represent my four grandparents. If anyone out there has any information on any of these families, drop me a line. I already have extensive information on the Somerville family -- some wonderful soul before me has done quite a bit of work on that line!

Lucas

LUCAS/LUKACS from Slovakia (formerly Austria-Hungary and Czechoslovakia) immigrated to Jefferson County, Ohio in late 19th/early 20th century. We are still trying to track this young fella's trip through Ellis Island. No luck yet finding his listing on any vessel rosters. But we'll keep looking for you, Pop -- we're going to find you someday.

Matuska

MATUSKA also from Slovakia (formerly Austria-Hungary and Czechoslovakia) immigrated to Jefferson County, Ohio in late 19th/early 20th century.

The 1999 Lucas/Matuska Family Reunion was a great success! Visit this page for information on the 1999 reunion and watch for updates on future family gatherings! We also had a reunion in 2000, but I have no photos from that event.

Beany

BEANY from Jefferson County, Ohio. I'm not exactly sure where the earlier generations came from. I haven't really looked into this line much to this point. Still trying to tap the living relatives for information.

Somerville

SOMERVILLE from Mason County, Virginia/West Virginia -- earlier generations came from Virginia and Ireland. This branch of the Somerville tree can also trace directly back to Charles Washington, the brother of General and President George Washington.

We had a Somerville family reunion in June of 2003, but I am havng scanner problems and have not been able to prepare any photos from that event. It was a fun day seeing many cousins for the first time in years!

Below are a few additional links which I have used in my personal research. These are limited to my specific family lines and geographic areas. If you happen to have a link to one of my surnames or to their respective geographic areas -- try a few of these sites. (But once again, visit one or more of the links pages noted above for more extensive information, etc.)

I have also subscribed to a few genealogy mailing lists. You might consider doing this yourself if you are searching a particular line. There are many mailing lists out there -- most are geared toward a specific surname or geographic area, but there are also quite a few with a more general subject matter. If you want to find a list tailored to your own needs, try searching either of the site links below:

If you decide to join a list, be sure to carefully read the instructions provided for that list.

Happy Searching!!!

Tom's Genealogy Page was last modified on Wednesday, January 30, 2008
These modifications included: minor editing.