When I tell people that I am an amateur genealogist who is working toward becoming a professional genealogist, I have come to expect one of two reactions: The eye roll that says “Genealogy is a hobby, not a career!”, or the patronizing smile that says “How cute, everybody is into researching their family trees these days!” Occasionally I am surprised by someone who thinks what I do is really cool, but mostly I am greeted by the above reactions. Genealogy. Yes, it has become wildly popular and with television shows like “Who Do You Think You Are?” and “Genealogy Roadshow”, suddenly everybody is trying to climb their family tree. This is not a bad thing! The more people who are researching – seriously researching – their family history, the better! When people use sound research methods – citing their sources and providing tangible proof of their claims – everybody wins! The problem comes into play when people believe everything they read without proof, and then pass it on as fact. The savvy researcher must learn to first be a skeptic – every bit of information you come across must be considered to be suspect until you can verify it through reliable, independent sources. Your first rule has to be: DON’T PASS ON BAD INFORMATION! I’ve been researching my family tree for over 20 years. When I first started, I was SO gullible! I believed EVERYTHING!! I had to start over so many times. Now, I’m more careful. I double check and triple check everything. It can be tedious. It can be frustrating. I have hit brick walls that I have dealt with for YEARS! But – I know that the data I have is rock solid and I feel 100% confident in sharing my information with anybody. I may never become a professional genealogist. I may never break down all of my brick walls. But this journey I have been on is one I wouldn’t trade for anything. I have learned so much about the people who came before me. I understand a lot of things. I have some people in my tree who I am extremely proud of. I can’t wait to see who else I will shake free!
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