FAQs

How did you get started researching your family history?
Marina Garrison remember how fascinated whe was with the family tree that hung on the wall of her childhood home, with branches that reached back to the 1400s. So when she was 19 and her aunt started dabbling in genealogy, she decided to join her. With Nancy Drew-like gusto, she dug right into researching her father’s ancestors. Marina is still at it, spending an average of four hours a week on her passion. These days, though, it’s less about solving mysteries than helping her feel closer to her far-flung family. She has moved from her native England to Canada and her sister lives in Hong Kong.

“My own grandparents were all dead by the time I was 11,” she says, “and genealogy gives me the sense that I am connected to something so much larger than myself and my immediate family. Now, I’m not just one person. I’m a link in a chain.” And now that she’s started her own family – she has 2 daughters and 1 son – it’s taken on a new meaning and intensity.

“My kids have only seen my parents a few times, but I can simplify the genealogy down to their level, with photographs and a story and make them little books,” she says. “I get to say, ‘These are your grandparents and great-grandparents, and this what their lives were like when they were little.’ I want them to know that some of our ancestors were chimney sweeps, and that the reason my hair and eyes are so dark is because some of our family moved to England from Italy,” she says. “I want my children to know where they come from, and what they belong to.”

What camera, computer, scanner, printer, software + other equipment do you use?
Camera: Nikon D90 (previously Nikon D50, Fuji S7000)
Lens: Tamron 28-75 2.8, Tamron 90 2.8 macro, Nikon 50 1.8, Nikon 80-200 2.8
Computer: Dell 1525 laptop + Wacom Intuos 3 Tablet
Scanner: Epson Perfection 2480 Photo
Printer: Epson Stylus Photo 1400 and Epson Stylus R340
Software: Photoshop CS4, Photoshop Elements 7,  ACDSee Pro 3, Rootsmagic 4, Gensmarts 2

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