Family Tree
Exploring Family Trees: Stories of Our Ancestors
Welcome to my Family Tree page! Here, I share the branches of our family’s history—from Northern Europe to Indonesia and the United States. What started as a curiosity has grown into a rich journey, thanks to the help of distant relatives, family members, and other genealogists. This page is my way of connecting and sharing my research with you.
Genealogy trees tend to be abstract and involve a fair amount of guesswork to understand what was happening at that point in history. They don’t tell you who these people really are. Most people run through their family tree, say “cool,” and move on. As a casual genealogist, I hope to piece my findings into a narrative others can share. Who knows, what I find may tie into others’ stories, which would give both something new to share.
Our family tree holds stories that stretch back to the 1500s. My side of the family is rooted in the Netherlands, and my husband’s branches lead to England and Massachusetts during the time of the Pilgrims and Puritans. With over 3,000 people in my database, there is a lot of history to learn.
This is an on-again/off-again project. I work on it when I have time or have stumbled across something interesting. The biggest obstacle in this work is doing research in foreign languages. I can get by in Dutch, but Japanese, especially ancient Japanese, has been exceptionally challenging.
This page links you to curated family trees on Ancestry.com and photo albums of ancestors in the trees. From Dutch-Indonesian roots to early American settlers, each branch tells a unique story waiting to be discovered. Feel free to dive in, explore, and reach out if you have questions, connections, or stories to share. The beauty of genealogy is how it grows through collaboration!
Family Trees on Ancestry.com
For privacy reasons, I’ve moved the family trees to Ancestry.com. There are four trees: Gerardu, van Bilsen, Low, and Sessions. You don’t need a subscription to view them, but if you don’t already have an account, you’ll need to create a free guest account.
If you still have trouble accessing the trees, feel free to contact me. Please include your Ancestry username so I can grant you access.
Here is the list of names in the Gerardu Family Tree as of 9/29/19.
Photo Albums
This is a collection of photos gathered through my research, organized by family tree. These collections are dedicated to honoring and preserving the memories of family members who are no longer with us. To respect the privacy of living relatives, only those who have passed away are included.
Have updates, corrections, or other information I should know? If so, please let me know via the Contact page.
Carla Gerardu-Low | Family Stories & Roots 