Are You a Genealogist or a Family Historian?...

Are you a genealogist or a family historian? What is the right term? What is the difference? And what is the definition? Let’s take a look a the term “genealogist” first, you’ll see that it is defined as: – A person who studies, professes or practices genealogy. (www.yourdictionary.com) – An expert in genealogy. A person with special knowledge or ability who performs skillfully. (https://www.vocabulary.com) While the term “family historian” is said to be: – A family historian is person who has the most accurate information knowledge passed down to them by one of the oldest members, a patriarch or matriarch of their particular branch of the family. (http://www.yourdictionary.com) While I could leave it at that, I realised that everyone has their own way of approaching things, and family history, just like any activity is no different. Some go gung-ho, others take the cautious step-by-step, others like to just dip their toe in. So apart from the terms genealogist and family historian, here are some others that you may have come across: The Bragger The Bragger isn’t one that actually researches their family history, but they have a family member who does. The Bragger is one who grabs hold of the juicy stories (you know the criminals, the royalty, the explorers, and the heroes), and lets everyone know that they are connected to them. The BSO (Bright Shiny Object) Researcher The BSO Researcher is one that gets easily excited, and easily distracted. They are known to be researching one line, only to be totally distracted by a new and more interesting ancestor that they’ve just discovered. The BSO Researcher does tend to have fascinating stories on their family members. The Cemetery Traipser Also sometimes known as the Grave Walker, the Cemetery Traipser...

The REAL Truth about Genealogy...

Thought you knew what genealogy means? Well forget the dictionary definition, let me reveal the real truth behind what the word GENEALOGY means. G – is for ‘gee that’s a great story’, which is the exact five words that get you started on your crazy trip into genealogy, and before long your are totally hooked, and can’t stop even if you tried. E – is for taking every opportunity.  Once you’ve got the bug, you will (and I do mean WILL) take every opportunity to look online, or detour when visiting a cousin or friend, just so you can checkout the cemetery of your great grandaunt to get a pic of her grave. But don’t forget the classic whipping out the pad (actually it’s more likely to be a mobile device these days) with questions at your next family gathering, you know the usual “How many kids do they have now?, Do you happen to know their names and birthdates? Didn’t he remarry again?, and Do you know if anyone in the family has photos of grandpa in the war?”. N – is for new resources. Sure you’ve looked at every possible website there is looking for records relating to your 3x great grandpa, but that was 6 months ago. And in the genealogy world that is a long time. A lot happens in 6 months, with millions of new records being added online monthly, it is always worth rechecking. E – is for email. It pays to remember that while there is undoubtedly an enormous amount of records online, there is still a massive amount that isn’t. So it pays to send an email to the Genealogy Group or Historical Society in the area when your research is,...