Afterword

Plant It, It’s Your Family Tree

Part of what makes genealogy so much fun is that it keeps growing and changing before your very eyes. Everything you learn about your family adds to it. Your family is a vibrant and living thing, and what better way to symbolize it than as a living and growing tree?

Go to a local nursery and ask someone there to help you select a tiny sapling that will grow well for you. Get planting and growing instructions to take with you. When you get home, plant the tree right away. You may have a nice place selected in front of your house or in your backyard. A very large pot on a porch or patio might do for a while, but a tree belongs in the ground. Its roots need room and nourishment in order to grow tall, and the branches and leaves of most trees will want to spread out. Care for your family tree and watch it grow from year to year. Every time you look at it, you’ll be reminded of the wonderful living, growing thing each and everyone’s family truly is.