Genealogy 101...the SGGEE website!

Each day I wake up with the thought:

"What will I discover online today?"

At first I felt overwhelmed by the complete sadness and darkness of this part of the world; the world of Ukraine in Eastern Europe, where my ancestors on my Mom's side once lived.

When I was a young teenager, I was told my Mom's grandparents had immigrated from Russia, but were not Russians. I couldn't understand that! I was told they spoke German and had moved to Volhynia from Germany, and also Poland. It wasn't until 1991 when my Aunt Patricia Brutka put together a huge binder, with the help of many relatives, that I began to understand better.

For a while I put the binder on a closet shelf and forgot about it.

In 2000 I took a children's writing course by correspondence, and in 2002 I passed with a good mark.

In that time I decided to write about my maternal Grandma, Helen Gusa Brutke.

But every time I began to research the area of Ukraine and its dark history, I was overcome with sorrow and I couldn't continue. I became overwhelmed with the pure stupidity of historical events.

Recently I had success with tracing one of my Dad's family members online, so this past month of July I have once again renewed my interest in Gusa/Brutke history, and maybe this time I will taste completion! 

Today I signed up for membership in the SGGEE, which stands for
"The Society for German Genealogy in Eastern Europe".

For one month I've looked around their many fascinating pages, and participated online.

Jerry Frank is the webmaster; his ancestors also came from Anielowka, and it might be that we are related somehow. The website is purely fascinating. 

My sister, Leona, doesn't know where I get the stamina to search all the pages, but if you become a member for $40 per year, you can access even more!

I am so excited to see what I can discover regarding my ancestral past.

Hopefully a light is dawning for me, and the darkness of history will for my case be overcome by this light; the light of freedom that I live here in beautiful Canada, and my ancestors did not die in Siberia!