Meeting your ancestors

I enjoyed reading the article “Om in die verlede te grawe” Northern News 10 Jan 2014.
Allow me to share my exciting experience and efforts to trace my
heritage! At first it was a lonely journey into the past – and it seemed impossible.
I did not have information on my
ancestors apart from the present
generation of my parents and the names of my grandparents who I never really knew as all passed on before my birth.
My only option was to start off with Google searches – Dinkelmann and
Wilsnach and Kamffer.
I had a few bits and pieces of
information here and there - same as a jigsaw puzzle… it seemed an impossible task!
Fortunately, I got to know about
websites on genealogy that facilitates the process.I stared my family tree on
www.geni.com. The web site is connected to www.MyHeritage.com.
Most of the South African Stamvaders/Progenitors have already been added to the website.
Once I added the details of my
family and uploaded photos, our family tree linked onto others.
Fortunately there are professional
genealogists on the web sites who are keen to assist and they can be contacted via the web site.
It is a privilege to have a hard copy of the family register – bound in leather and embossed in gold! It is imperative to save the data for future generations.
And this can only be done via modern technology.
- Barbara Dinkelmann