The amateur genealogist

My name is Dot and I have been doing genealogy for several of my family lines for years. Let me say, at the outset, that I am not a professional genealogist. I hold no certificates or diplomas for the study. However, I have been an active amateur genealogist for more than forty years and along the way, I have picked up a fair amount of knowledge on the subject.
Genealogy is defined as a record of descent from some ancestor, the science that treats pedigrees. It is that, but it is much more. It is history, your history. It is the rediscovery of family lore, and the reconnecting of family branches that may have been separated for years. Through searching my genealogy, I have discovered cousins that I did not know I had and relatives on three continents. For the most part, they have been delighted to be found and to discover their place on the family tree. Some of them became so enthusiastic with the idea that they have joined in the search.

But be warned before you begin. The search for ancestors has its downside and not everyone will cooperate. Some people will think you are foolish to bother with ancestors gone from this earth for a hundred or more years. Some people will be suspicious, thinking you are just nosy. Some will not talk to you at all, protecting family secrets or because they just can't be bothered. Many, many people have absolutely no interest in their roots and think you are strange if you do. They think you are even stranger if you spend time searching for those illusive relatives whose records are sometimes impossible to unearth.

You will be frustrated at times. Very few records will fall into your hands. There are some records, for instance, that you will never find. Some countries have superb records, many don't. Some records are easy to obtain, many are nearly impossible to locate, let alone look at or copy. Many records of births were not even officially recorded and you will never be able to document the birth unless you find a baptismal record in a church somewhere. But there is an upside too. Records in the United States are becoming easier to get as the interest in genealogy increases. Many countries are setting up Heritage Centers. There is an increased interest in genealogy throughout the world of late and that can only help make more records available.