The Search is Afoot: Methodology Part 1
Shannon Bennett, Student Anyone who discovers a passion for family history also discovers an addiction that they can’t describe except to others who share it. Being able to describe what I want to do and why, is something that I have struggled with from time to time. I am sure you can relate. Which is why I was excited to see a description of exactly who I want to be written in black and white in the first pages of this course. A quote from Ethel W. Williams book Know Your Ancestors: A Guide to Genealogical Research sums up nicely what a genealogist should be: Since I started researching my family I have at one time or another felt exactly like this passage. Through this course, and the rest of my ongoing genealogical education, I hope that I can hone my skills and become a better detective, historian, sociologist, and anything else the field requires of me. These attributes, and the quote, are now hanging on a printout above my desk. A reminder, if you will, of what I want to become on this journey. Working through the basic lessons was at times a bit tedious. However, since I had never, ever, done any genealogy on paper I had a great time making pedigree charts, filling out family group sheets, and creating a 3-ring notebook of information. Realizing the whole time that maybe, just maybe, I do rely on my computer software a little too much. This…