I love puzzles of all kinds. Sudoku, crossword, jigsaw — you name the puzzle and I’ll work it. My new favorite puzzle challenge is ancestor hunting.

A few months ago I started researching my family tree on the paternal side of my family where we really don’t have any info about where we came from or how we got here. I have to confess, I’ve even wondered sometimes if our last name was real or adopted in the 1940s as a tribute of some kind to a certain “God Bless America” composer. Using FamilySearch.org and Ancestry.com, I’ve already learned so much about my family — a piece here and a little nugget of info there. I’m excited to uncover even more puzzle pieces in the next few months.

How about you? Do you know the story of your family’s history in America? Have you ever wondered where your family lived before they journeyed to this country?