Family history

I've always found family history very interesting.  I've been blessed to have had some relatives who have had enough interest to have books printed of the information they have on the family tree.  Late last summer I got a phone call from one of my Dad's cousins, who was working on 2 genealogy books about my Grandma's family, one on each of her parents history.  She was going to have them printed and wondered if I would like a copy of them.  Of course I said yes; she said she had to finish them and would let me know when they were done.
I didn't think about it much, until January when I got a call from one of her daughters.  She had passed away on Christmas day, but the books she had worked on had come in a few days later.
These books are quite amazing - not just family trees, but a lot of photos along with newspaper clippings, letters and interesting information about the people and the time they lived in.
 Most of my family is from the Netherlands and she had made a trip there and found a picture of an ancestor hanging in a museum in Amsterdam.

This is Jan Lepeltak and he was a timber merchant and also the regent of the Aalmoezeniersweeshuis Orphanage.  This portrait was painted in 1728.  My Dads cousin wasn't able to get much other information about him.  Bob had been looking through the books and decided to see what he could find just by googling his name.  To his surprise, he also found this photo and discovered that it is still available to buy, but as a poster.  Honestly, I'm not sure why anyone would want this as a poster, but if you are interested in a portrait of one of my ancestors, it is an option!

This portrait is also available, which includes all the regents from the orphanage.  I must admit, that I like this one better.

It really has been fun looking through all this history though. It's powerful to see God's hand in your history.  There was a newspaper article included from the early 1900's that said "this family has been known for their devotion to biblical and spiritual matters".    I am so thankful for that heritage and the way I see it continuing even today.