The Sides Family Genealogy

PROUD MEMBER OF SOLDIERS' ANGELS
At present, the owners of this site and their daughters have adopted three soldiers who proudly and bravely serve their country and preserve our freedom.  God bless them and the United States of America!

My Story and What Lead Me To Search for the Roots of My Family's Past

In 2003 I found a picture that my mother had given me of my father as a young boy visiting his cousins in Alabama. Well since we were born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania I found this picture to be so interesting that it piqued my curiosity to no end. I remember my father telling me stories of when he went on that visit at about the age of eight. However, my father died in 1972 at the age of 41 and I was a young girl of 14. All those stories stopped and we all kind of forgot about our "long-lost" southern cousins.

 
The picture that started it all
My dad, William George Sides, is marked with an "X"
Doug Reynolds is marked with a "Z"
Year is approximately 1940

When I saw this picture in 2003 yet again I became very interested this time. That is when I went on a search via the internet, one that led me all over the country and introduced me to many a new-found cousin I never knew I had. With the wealth of information out there now on the internet, it is so much easier to search using aids such as Ancestry.com, Rootsweb.com and many other resources. My first step was to post messages on genealogy sites where ever I could find one.  It took over nine months but I finally got a response.  Wonders never cease, it was a first cousin of my fathers from Alabama and then it just grew and grew from there. My family website can be viewed at www.fromallsides.org/ala_phila/index.htm

I cherish each and every cousin I have found in my research and keep in touch with a handful on a steady basis.  There is nothing more rewarding than searching for your family's roots and finding so many cousins and friends.

Your Webmistress,
Eleanor Sides Weightman

Genealogy - a never ending quest!