I’ve been thinking a lot about genealogy lately. (In other words, it’s business as
usual.) And I’ve come up with my own Genealogist’s
New Year’s Resolutions for 2013. It’s ‘back
to the basics’ for me.
First: I am going to spend more time talking to the
senior members of the family while I still can. I wish I’d done this while my father was
still alive. It was important—but alas,
it wasn’t urgent—and then he was gone.
It seems like a lot of genealogy buffs were first inspired by the death
of a loved one and their regrets about letting so much history slip away.
Second: I am going to keep better track of where I found
stuff. Too often I’ve made wonderful
discoveries—and in my excitement, I didn’t document my sources well
enough. Then when I needed to compare
conflicting information, or go back for more details, or prove to some smarty-pants
that I knew what I was talking about—I was unable to retrace my steps.
Third: I am going to share more. In genealogy, as in life, you often receive
with the same measure with which you give.
The more I reach out, the more I meet people who are interested in the
same families as I am. Also, I’m going
to make more posters, scrapbooks, binders, and online albums to share with family. Why do all this research if I’m just going to
keep it to myself?
Fourth: I am going to contact libraries and
historical societies more often. The
internet can get me only so far, and ordering vital records can stretch the
budget. So I have to remember there are
other options. Recently I contacted some
libraries and historical societies in Ohio and out west—and for the cost of
copies and postage, I got more information than I ever dreamed of.
Fifth: I am going to try harder to break into the
Amish market. Maybe it’ll be easier
when I live among them, as we hope to do after we retire… But what little Amish genealogy I’ve done
(three binders for Amish friends as gifts) I have enjoyed so much. I thought Amish genealogy would be
boring—farmers, farmers, farmers, with never a scandal to break the
monotony!—but I was mistaken. It has its
own charm.
I wonder what other genealogists are resolving to do in
2013?
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ReplyDeleteSusan, I've been with Geneabloggers for just over three months, and I love blogging! It is a perfect fit for me in most every way except that I'm taking a little too much time reading and writing blogs. I received "An Early Christmas Gift" and it was nice to share that gift with this community of bloggers! It was also the best Christmas gift I received. I'm going to start another blog this year as well. Plan to do some volunteering in a local Family History Center, and am also working on a book about the thrill of the hunt when doing genealogy. Should be a busy year. Well you asked. :-) Happy New Year and Happy Blogging!
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