My story is probably a little different than other genealogist as it was not born out of an interest in my own ancestral lines.   My interest instead came from a desire to present Lois, my mother-in-law with a meaningful and memorable gift for her 80th birthday. 

My mother-in-law had the distinct honor of being a descendent of one of the first families of Martha’s Vineyard or “the Island” as it was lovingly referred to by those native born to it.  She would often share with me grand stories of her childhood and growing up on the Island.  For all that she could remember about her childhood years there was much she either couldn’t recall or she never knew.  The names, birthplaces and siblings of your grandparents is not of much interest to a child.  Honestly, it isn’t until we get quite a bit older that that type of information sparks an interest.   It was during the telling of a story about a ring she inherited from her mother  with the name Iona engraved in it that I came up with the idea for her 80th birthday gift.  She had no idea who Iona was.  That story is why the Vincent-Hinckley family tree was created and how I fell in love with family research.