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Okay, so who am I? I'm Andrea Long, and I grew up in rural Huntington County, Indiana, on the family farm buffeted by the Salamonie Reservoir. I grew up having both parents shaping me and fighting with my siblings, that is when we weren't building snow forts or building rock dams across the Majenica Creek. I grew up in a tight community with very close friends who looked out for you even when you didn't want it. I spent my time doing chores, swimming at the neighbors, and riding bikes to Joe and Peg's Grocery Store, to get baloney for mom and spending at least 10 minutes looking at all the candy Joe had on display. I spent my time with dad doing, of all things, hunting sponge mushrooms and picking black raspberries (there is a benefit of living in the sticks so close to the river!) and helping out with the animals as they came and went.

When I got older I spent my time helping mom with the genealogy of the family, hers and dad's. Mom could not drive due to a medical condition, so you guessed it; I drove her all over Huntington, Whitley, Jay and Adams counties in her searches. Of course, I was 16 and not all that interested as she was, but I liked looking at the old newspapers even though they made me itch and sneeze and I like reading other stuff while she was busy doing “her thing”. But I did learn to appreciate what she was doing and eventually I got the gene-a-bug as well. Mom died before all this Internet stuff started but she was working on it up until those last few months. She would have loved all this being so much more available to her at her fingertips. Now I can't see her doing it in her p-js like I like to do, but hey no one can see me out there, right?

Dad was interested in his own family genealogy but did not have time to work on it much himself, basically it was just not part of his routine as far as a hobby would go, as it was for mom. You can see his genealogy just by looking at us kids and seeing pictures of him and grandpa when they were young and now his grandkids. Looks like cloning, generation style. Now that he is gone as well, the genealogy is more important than ever, even if it is just for his grandkids to learn more about them later when they ask us.

So I lived, worked, graduated, worked some more there in Huntington. I joined the Jaycees in 1989 and a few months later at a convention in Marion, I met this cute guy and I've been stuck to him like glue ever since. In 91, we married and Randolph County is where he grew up and lived. Soon my roots grew to have Randolph County as my home.

Last summer I got on a site of volunteers called Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness and knowing how much help Mom had over the 15 years or so that she had, I signed up to help others from being right here. That has been a very rewarding experience. I have gotten to know many of you out there who have the gene-a-bug as well. Sorry to say, there is no cure, just maintenance of the addiction. So between that, and my activities within my Jericho Friends Meeting family, being a member of the Randolph County History Society and now this web-site, I stay pretty busy.

Now I also chase, and I do mean chase, a two year old, and now her little sister who was born just this month, during the school year. So I can't do too much of my own research while during that time but I can work on hubby's lines and help others from being here as well. This keeps me interested in my own searches, and sometimes, when I find something for someone else, it gives me new insight into my own searches and I have found so much and have been able to add to Mom's data that I think she would be tickled pink.

This web-site is a sister-site, if you would like to call it something, to the rootsweb site for this county and also a future bridge to the Randolph County History Museum as well. I hope that you can use all three places to enhance your searches and help you discover your own roots. Gina has been doing a great job with the site she has built for us to use and thanks to all of you who have taken the time to add to it yourselves, and Monisa the keeper of all genealogy stuff at the museum has got a wonderful collection due to her own work and help from many, many volunteers and members. Remember, share your genealogy and others will share with you.
May your endeavors be fruitful and you discoveries great. Andrea Long