Journaling for my Kids: Family Trees

Since Chase was born on August 16, 2011, almost a year ago, I have this urge to make family trees.  I've started a few times.  My grandson Josh suggested I join ancestry.com, which he finds interesting.  That warmed my heart! I'm also making photo collages.

The one above is a Curro Family Tree. It starts with my dad's parents, Francesca (shopkeepers in or near Messina/olive grove farming/something about a perfumery or pharmacy) and Leo Curro (French ancestry/possibly Hugeonot/possibly royal or Count de Curreaux by family lore).

Then there's my Dad (businessman/Baptist church deacon/biblical scholar of sorts) and Mom (teacher/opera singer/artist); then me, wedding and family with daughters Elissa and Michelle; then their kids; and then their kids's kids.  Well for now its Elissa to Julia to great-grandson Philip.

There's my sister Andy and brother Loren, included in the collage.  My sister's kids and their kids need to be added.  There's my cousins Kathy and Leo Curro and Linda and Kermit too, and their families, children and offspring of my Dad's brother Sam.  Like many other families we also have "lost" cousins, ours from my Dad's brother Don, who kind of disappeared off the family tree.  Old family stuff which I don't and never will fully understand.

So I've some memories of 6 generations.  Not bad.  I think I might be able to go further back, one generation, to my dad's parents' parents, but I have to keep looking, like Josh suggested.

I'm also looking for photos of my mom's parents, Loreto (from Rome/studied for priesthood/gave it up/shoemaker in US/great cook) and Julia Cornetti Luchetti (German and Italian/Waldensian ancestry/pentacostal in US/dressmaker and embroiderer extraordinaire ).  I want to do another collage. There's probably a way to organize the "tree" part better, but I can't figure it out yet.

Basically, I'm journaling for my kids and their kids, journaling for a legacy: some family history for future generations when I'm gone. Subjective, bits and pieces.  Perhaps it's on my mind because my mother's 94-year-old sister, my Aunt Loretta, is dying.  I'm visiting her next week in Charlotte,  NC; I am praying she makes it 'til then, before her spirit departs to be with my mom and all our loved ones in another realm (if there is one).  I hope I get to ask Aunt Loretta some questions, and that she'll be able to give me her last bits of information from that generation.  She and mom's first cousin Bill Form (also 94) is all that's left from that "grand" generation.

As for my generation, well we are the next in line. I'll leave what memories I can, and hope that my kids and grandkids will pick up the pieces of the large generational puzzle called the Curro and Luchetti Family trees.