10 Inspiring Genealogists From 2016
The year is almost over and as I’m not one for resolutions I’m not going to write about what I plan to do in 2017. And I’m also not going to write about what I ‘should’ have done this year either, but rather I’m writing about those who inspire me. Everyone has people they look up to and admire. Those whose talks you enjoy listening to, articles you read, or who give great advice, and in essence – inspire you.
So as the year comes to a close I’m taking a moment to look back and see who from the genealogy-world who inspired me throughout the year.
Amy Johnson Crow – Amy Johnson Crow
I’m a newbie follower of Amy’s, but I’m a total convert. Her blog posts are a pure learning experience, both in terms of content and in the presentation style. With her 31 Days to Better Genealogy, along with Top Tips, and 5 Sources… and so on, take a moment to check out her blog and see what you can learn from it.
Cyndi Ingle – Cyndi’s List
I am a regular user of Cyndi’s List, and as such I am always amazed at what I find on there, and that simply due to the hard work of Cyndi Ingle, who without her, Cyndi’s List wouldn’t even exist. Her dedication to keeping her site up to date with new links, and fixing broken ones, has made Cyndi’s List one of the top tools for any researcher around the world. And is a credit to her and her character.
Helen V. Smith – From Helen V. Smith’s Keyboard
With Helen’s knowledge and enthusiasm, how could anyone not be inspired? Despite being a fellow Aussie, I haven’t had much of chance to hear her this year as we live in different states, but without a doubt I always learn so much from her when I do. And she had an ability to convey her topic in such a casual, easy to understand way. If you ever get the chance to hear her speak, do so!
Judy G. Russell – The Legal Genealogist
Really, is there anyone that Judy doesn’t inspire? The fact that you need to get to her talks early as they book out speaks for itself. Anyway through her talks and blogs I have learned a lot, and am on my way to be a better genealogist as a result of her knowledge.
Katherine Willson – Social Media Genealogy
Katherine is one of my social media geneafriends, and while I’m yet to meet her in person, she is the person behind the incredible Genealogy on Facebook list, which at present lists just over 10,000 Groups and Pages. I know, phenomenal right! While I had been creating my own small batches of Australian Facebook links, and have submitted a heap to her to add, I was then inspired to create one big PDF version of it, along the lines of what she does for hers, but just Australia-only for mine. So she was my inspiration.
Kerry Scott – Clue Wagon
I’ve been a follower of Kerry’s now for a number of years. And have loved every one of her posts. With opinionated posts mixed with common sense and humour, she is an incredible writer. I totally admire her style, and look forward to future posts. If you’ve not come across her blog yet, I suggest setting aside a day, as once you go there you’ll want to read them all!
Thomas MacEntee – GeneaBloggers and Hack Genealogy
Well what can I say? Thomas is a leader in the genealogy + technology + business industry. And he’s making it work for him, while simultaneously inspiring others along the way. In just a few short years he’s created a community of thousands of followers, and gives tips, shares special offers and deals, and holds online workshops, and is always happy to give advice. A true inspiration.
Also not forgetting …
Chris Paton (British GENES) and Gail Dever (Genealogy à la carte) who I’m in total awe of for their ability to get and share the genealogy world’s news so quickly. But I, along with the rest of their followers, are grateful that they do.
And lastly …
the followers on my Gumeracha Past and Present Facebook Page who inspire me to continue to discover and share more about this little town with them!
Also worth a mention …
While I haven’t had the privilege of listening to any of Paul Milner or David Rencher’s talks this year, I did the year before and was totally inspired. So I’m hoping to catch some of their talks again at RootsTech in 2017.
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So thankyou to each and every one of you for inspiring me in various ways throughout 2016, whether you knew it or not. There are others I haven’t mentioned of course, including my readers, who also inspire me to continue writing.
2017 is bound to be another exciting year, with genealogy trips planned, genealogy research planned, more blogging (of course), a big new worldwide project (more on that later) that I’m working on, and who knows what else. Roll on 2017!
NOTE: while I know many would have mentioned their ancestors as being their inspiration, and yes they are inspiring in their own way, I feel it is others who inspire me to tell the stories of my ancestors.
9 Responses to “10 Inspiring Genealogists From 2016”
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Great choices… an inspiring post!
Thankyou Chris 🙂
Thanks for all your interesting and useful posts this last year; I always find something relevant to my research in them. Happy New Year.
I too am a relatively new follower of Amy Johnson Crow. Her practical advice either teaches me something new or reminds me of things I’d forgotten. 🙂
This has been a great article Alona! Definitely a few new people to follow.
Discovered you via Gail’s Crème de la crème. This has been a great article Alona! Definitely a few new people to follow.
Thanks for your kind words Penny, and thankyou for stopping by to read my post. I know everyone has their own people who inspire them, and I guess with this post I just wanted to give a shout out to whose who did for me in 2016.
Thank YOU for another year of interesting posts, Alona. I particularly like your list of inspiring blogs that you post every month or so as there is always something that I learn or get reminded to do.
If I was compiling such a list as this, I’d have your name on it!
Oh my goodness Edwina, thank you for you kind words. It really is wonderful to know that someone reads and finds my posts useful, so thankyou. Apart from the love of doing it,it’s the kind words that keep me blogging!!