Hey there - thanks for checking this out. I’m so excited to share these stories with you. I started Generation Co. as a way to organize and share the truly remarkable stories of the ancestral lineage I’ve researched in the past, because this is truly my passion. What is Generation Co.? A website, a blog, a way to reach out to me for ancestry guidance. Generation Co. is an everything spot for stories. I couldn't imagine a better way to begin this first post than with an edited refresh of the first story I ever wrote: John Jacobs, a Revolutionary War Patriot.
When I began my own ancestry search, I was looking for one specific point: a signer of the Declaration of Independence. During my childhood, Grandpa would tell me stories about our family descending from signers of the Declaration, which sparked my interest in genealogy. Years later, friends and I were chatting with our high school history teacher. When I mentioned the story Grandpa shared with me, my teacher motivated me to research and determine the facts behind the family myth.
That night, I raced home and began pulling together all the notes I had made since beginning my ancestry research a few years prior. I dug deeper and began to understand ancestry as more than listed names and dates - it’s about the lives lived, and the connections made. It’s about walking through the past as a detective - determining falsities and linking trails to form a general case.
My early ancestral research led me down the Jacobs path. I had been searching for that Declaration of Independence signer when I found the Jacobs line - stemming from Grandpa's mom. I spent much of my free time in high school years researching the Jacobs family. I didn’t know what I was searching for, but I knew there was a story worth telling. Back, back, back; I fell in time, landing in the late 18th century. I remember it was the name that stood out first - John Jacobs. As I began to uncover his life’s story, I was hooked.
This story is a revision of the first biographical narrative I ever wrote, at age 18. And so with the story of John Jacobs, Generation Co. begins as well.
Generation Co. could never have come to fruition without all the fantastic people that have taught & supported me along my continuing ancestry journey:
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My high school history teacher, Ms. Gal, who challenged me to prove my colonial American lineage.
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My college history professor, Dr. Dzurec, who worked on this specific story with me back in 2016, contributing his own research to help me paint the story.
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My Grandma for being my favorite history research buddy and the most fantastic conversationalist. She kept Grandpa’s memory alive until I was old enough to understand his research. These days, we sit side by side- analyzing photographs from the 1920s and digging through dusty files boxes, searching for clues.
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My parents: Mom and Dad answered every question I had about our recent family history when I began to make family tree diagrams at age 12. And once they no longer knew the answers to the questions I asked, Mom and Dad were there: motivating, appreciating, and driving me. One of my earliest memories is my Dad telling me, “you will be a writer;” because parents always know somehow.
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All the friends & cousins who reviewed drafts, logos, creative ideas, taglines, and eagerly contributed to thoughtful brainstorms for the past few months: Chef, Grace, Caro, Kai, Martese, Hailey, Ash, and so many more that I just can’t even begin to name.
The future is bright. Let’s tell some stories.
P.S. I still haven't found that signer of the Declaration of Independence, so there's work to do.