Jeff Kirwan

Let me say first, that I am in no way an "expert" genealogist. I opened an Ancestry.com account in 2013 because it sounded interesting, and I've always been curious about my family's past. I've watched a handful of free webinars, and read some blogs, but that is the full extent of my education in this field. In other words, DO NOT TAKE MY ADVICE. I barely know what I'm doing. But, I do think that with a little curiosity, a critical eye, and the application of basic logic, even us neophytes can make some really interesting discoveries. Background When I first started my family tree, I leaned fairly heavily on the knowledge and experience of my cousin, Nancy. (She's my father's 1st cousin, so she's my 1st cousin, 1x removed? Like I said, I'm no expert.) Nancy had already done an enormous amount of research on the Kirwan tree, and we all sort of consider her the family historian. With her help, I had my paternal line documented all the way back to