Welcome!

Welcome to the Blind Genealogist’s GenBlog!

This GenBlog, I hope, will be an act of love and labor as I share my family tree to those who may or may not be connected. I hope to share my findings of how I connected the dots of those directly and indirectly related to me. I hope to share more than just the familial ties but the overview of those individual’s historical connection to our society. I hope to share with you some data and facts as well as what documentations that makes those connections possible. 

I am Matthew D. Friend, the Blind Genealogist, who have been doing research for over 35 years. I want to thank my best friend, Jaymie Hunter, who always worked on her own family tree while we ran around searching for some answers, whether it was her owns or mine. Thanks, Jaymie! To share a bit more about myself, yes, I’m blind, legally blind, that is, where I still have some vision to work with these days. Though, is it painfully and slowly getting progressively worsts. Such as life, right?! Nonetheless, I tried to not let it get the best of me. It was not always like this as I learned of my condition in my adulthood. 

My focus will be on my direct lineage, the Friend Family. I hope to branch off here and there from this main branch to, I hope, show why it was important to know the connection to the individuals I am writing about in this GenBlog. 

I hope to bring my family into this tied as well. To share with them their own family history from my perspective, but I hope, they will bring their own perspective to me so that it can be shared with others. 

May God guide my hands as I bring this GenBlog to life and share how important it is to be a Family and to know their roots. 

Matthew D. Friend

The Blind Genealogist

Sunday, June 14, 2020