My intent with this website is to document my research journey and to share what I find with my family members. I hope that some of my kin will have some interest in their family history and maybe join in with the research,

My interest in my family history and genealogy began in 1999, after the death on my uncle, Douglas Earl Brown. I spent quite a bit of time researching both of my family lines (Wacenske and Brown) and Dawn's (Weyer and Gulyas).

Since I am a scientist and I made my living as a researcher, genealogy has an appeal to me. Genealogy requires you to think logically and to follow your leads to try to discover new information. It also requires you to document and substantiate your findings.

But I ended my research after a few years as I ran into the eventual Brick Walls or dead ends. Typically, that when the line reached back to Europe and there was not an easy way to access records there. So, I gave up.

Fast forward to 2022. In preparing for my mother's 80th birthday and Brown family reunion, I went through my notebooks of documents and my computer files. Since my computer files were 20 years old, I had to try to find a way to view those old files. I was able to rebuild some of my old stuff, but I found a whole new world online compared to 20 years ago.

The first big difference is the Internet. Twenty years ago, you needed to look at microfilm at the library or use CD-ROMs to view records. Now many of those films are digitized and posted online.

The other big change is that many of the genealogical web sites are now very collaborative. Everyone shares information. There is no need for you to redo what someone else has already researched and posted. A great example of that is the website FamilySearch.org which is owned by the Church of Latter-Day Saints (LDS, aka the Mormons). Unlike many other genealogy sites, it is free. Go to my General Topics page for more information on Family Search.

I shared a few interesting stories at the Family Reunion, and I have found a few other interesting facts recently. But unfortunately, I have been getting too deep into the weeds in my research. lately I have been spending more time on technical details than on finding new stuff (which is really fun!) and maybe more importantly, sharing what I have found.

So join me in this adventure. Look around at the information and let me know what you think. I suggest that you start on the General Topics page and read my post there titled, Genealogy Website Kickoff.

Dwayne Wacenske

August 1, 2022