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...
