How I got into my Genealogy

As A child growing up and being the first grandson I was always told by my grandfather that "I was the most important Sheaffer" as it was up to me to carry the name on, and until I was 16 I was the only grandson. My grandfather always said he had no other Sheaffer cousins or at least those with the name Sheaffer. This stuck with me throughout my childhood often wondering what happened to all these other Sheaffer's. At around 13 I had a school project on family history, this was exciting to me as it gave me a chance to look into my family history for the first time. My mother contacted her aunt who had done some research herself over the years, she gave me a Sheaffer Family History Sheet. This was exciting as for the first time I saw my Ancestors in print in front of me. I learned that my Sheaffer's were here in America since 1775!! This sheet had all my direct ancestors listed with their childrens names and some spouses for each generation down to my grandfathers generation. I received an "A" for the report but more than anything I was now hooked into knowing more about my history. Our Sheaffer's always held a big reunion every year when I was growing up(one which is still run) and I would always ask questions about my ancestors to some of the older relatives and would sit there and try to place myself back in those times in some of these stories, going to the reunion was always a highlight of the year for me. Over the years frequently I would pull out my old Sheaffer family history Sheets and gaze over them always saying to myself that I was going to go and search all these persons myself oneday.
In 2005 I had just bought a new computer and with me now being married with 4 kids and in my 30's, I decided the time was right, and I dove in hard into my genealogy, what I found and have been able to do even amazes me now, with my Sheaffer Tree being much larger than those names on the sheets that I first received at age 13, I realized I was not the only Sheaffer in my generation. I have realized a lifelong dream of doing my genealogy and think of what my grandfather told me repeatedly as a child, in that by uncovering the history of the Sheaffer's for my children to relay on to their children and grandchildren, that I was "the most important Sheaffer" after all, as I will carry the Sheaffer name on through my 3 boys and 1 girl but most importantly a large Sheaffer History Family Tree that will last for generations.

Mike Sheaffer