The Genealogy Enthusiast

I have set through many genealogy seminars and listened to those who are considered the Professionals in the field of Genealogy refer to their audience as the Genealogy Enthusiast. For a long time I was somewhat offended to be considered just an enthusiast. After all hadn’t I been a Family History Center director, did I not teach adult genealogy classes? I had taken numerous classes through independent courses to become the very good at what I did. I cared about my work striving hard to make it correct, well documented and professional. And yet no matter how hard I worked I was still just an enthusiast.

I had not gone to college but chose the career of mother and wife. After raising 9 children and being the grandmother of 14 grandchildren spending much of my spare time perusing libraries, and helping others do their genealogy I was ready to accept the fact that I would always be considered a genealogy enthusiast. I recently decided that I needed to define the genealogy enthusiast. The definition I came up with:

A genealogy enthusiast:

1. Spends a great deal of their spare time searching dead relatives
2. Loves history, cemeteries, libraries, and online databases
3. Loves to write and receive letters, queries, and old pictures
4. Never stops learning
5. Spends hours poring over old records and searching out little known facts
6. Are officers in Genealogical Societies and fights to preserve old records.
7. Spends hours gathering records to share with others
8. Shares their knowledge and experiences with others
9. Teaches Genealogy Classes for free
10. Gives lectures on numerous subjects requiring very little compensation
11. Becomes Family Search support missionaries
12. Spends hours and money collecting records for other people to use
13. Buys all those products that keep Professional Researchers in jobs
14. Loves their ancestors
15. Is often the keeper of their family memorabilia
16. Loves family history and talking about it
17. Helps school children on special Family History Projects
18. Will work on their records at all times of the day and night
19. Gets bleary eyed from hours of Computer work
20. Writes family history books for their families.

I have come to the conclusion that it’s ok to be among that dedicated group of people known as genealogy enthusiasts. If I can help another do their family history work then I have completed the circle my mother started years ago when she taught me how to gather my husband’s family history.

If I can help a child become proud of their heritage by helping them understand those who have gone ahead then I have saved a small part of American history. If I can learn something new to make my work better than I have expanded my mind and kept growing old at bay a little longer. I have decided that I am a true genealogy enthusiast and happy to be so.