I am throwing myself off the cliff and getting in to genealogy. Genealogy is traditionally the domain of little old ladies (I work in a library, I would know, just trust me).
My mom did a bunch of research a few years ago and I went as far as to memorize my direct line back 6 generations but mostly I just enjoyed listening to the stories she uncovered – a great, great grandfather brought home dead on a cart after an accident on the railroad to his 2 little kids and pregnant wife who listed her occupation as “washerwoman” on the next census. We went to see the corner where they lived in Flint a hundred years ago only to find that the neighborhood had signs every block that said it was a drug area, no stopping, standing or cruising. Nice. Then we went down the road to my great, great, great grandfather’s farm on St. John’s Way (now St. John’s Industrial Parkway) and looked at the river where the family settled after coming down from Canada and where their youngest son drowned.
Everyone is dead, and viewing death certificates is a big part of genealogy, so you kind of have to get used to that part. Actually seeing the ground your family farmed or labored on, that’s the fun part. And seeing them pop up on censuses from two hundred years ago where they listed themselves as having “pas” (no) religion while their brother converted to Catholocism and signed his name in the book and the whole 9 yards and wondering how that played out at the Christmas dinner table, that’s the fun part, too. Some types of family dynamics really don’t change much.
And I recently found someone with whom I share the same ancestor who was called to muster for the Revolutionary War. He lives in Canada and sent me a picture of him and his son. Our family has a family history message board even. We rock.
But genealogy is worse than… worse than… worse than, WORSE THAN TAX LAW. It is hopelessly picky and pedantic. Hubby said it was the perfect hobby for me. He didn’t say it very nicely, either.
Yet, here I go, off the cliff into white bun land. My first stop: the rule books.
Plum Librarian LLC 