My Family Tree Research

Top photo: My family's home in Ridgewood, Queens, in 1901 (on the corner of Myrtle and Decatur, formerly Smith St.)

Bottom photo: My great-great-grandmother Harriet, my great grandfather Sanford, my great aunt Mildred, my great aunt Harriet, my grandmother Marion, and my great uncle Samuel and their dog, whose name I don't know (1903)

One of my most beloved hobbies is family tree research. I have always been interested in my family's story, especially on my father's mother's side (my paternal grandmother). I have become the family's unofficial historian, and, happily, my cousin's daughter Natalie, who is in her 30s, has also taken genealogy up as a hobby now. While I dabble in it, she documents everything officially. That is no doubt because she is an actual history teacher. Together, we  have been able to trace our family to the 6th century AD in England, Scotland, and France.

Vocabulary

hobby/hobbies (noun) -- what people do in their free time for fun

family tree research (noun) -- study of family history

paternal (adjective) -- belonging to father

official/unofficial (adjective) -- formal/informal

officially (adverb) -- formally

taken up (phrasal verb) -- started to do

genealogy (noun) -- the study and tracing of family history

dabble (verb) -- take part in something in a casual way

trace (verb) -- find or look for along a path

Vocabulary Exercise: Matching

1. taken up                    a. not formally

2.  genealogy                 b. father's

3. trace                          c. began to

4. unofficially                d. look for/find

5.dabble                        e. interests

6. hobbies                     f. research into family history

7. paternal                     g. take part not in a serious way

Grammar Point

The present tense and the present perfect tense are used in the passage. 

The present tense is either the base form of the verb or the base form +-s. Examples are:

I dabble

she documents

The singular pronouns he/she/it are followed by the simple form + -s.

The present perfect tense is the helping verb has/have  is followed by the past participle of the verb.

I have been    I have become

We have been

Grammar Assignment

Write 4-5 sentences about one of your hobbies. Use both the present and the present perfect tenses.

Explore verbs here.