Monday, April 04, 2005

Genealogists Anonymous

"Hi, my name is Tom. I'm a genealogist. I've been researching my family history for about a year now..."

Okay, I admit it. This genealogy stuff is totally addictive. My husband only dimly understands why it keeps me up until 3AM sometimes, or how I can be motivated to pore over endless microfilms in dimly lit underground libraries. Part of it is the fascination of learning about American (and world) history in the process, and discovering a more personal connection to historic events, because some ancestor of mine fought in the Civil War, or helped settle colonial Connecticut, or married a Scottish laird. And part of it is the thrill of the "detective work", because every new piece of information answers one question and raises a few new ones, and it can be a real sleuthing challenge to find the clues and make the puzzle pieces fit. It's definitely a thrill when you break through what had been a brick wall. So now the secret's out. And now you know why I've missed a few days of blogging this past week!

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