Genealogy from the perspective of a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon, LDS)

Tuesday, July 25, 2017

Rocks in the Genealogical Field


Sometimes it seems to me that there are more rocks than there are fields to work. As I mingle and talk with genealogists, I always find one common theme: an ancestor or family that defies discovery. The tragedy of this situation is the fact that many researchers become obsessed with finding that one person or one family and neglect searching on other lines for ancestors that may be more discoverable. When we reach such an impasse, it is important not to become fixated on the obstacle. It is time to plow another part of the field and ignore the rocks for a while.

Meanwhile, genealogical technology and resources will continue their rapid advance and in a relatively short time, the unresolvable may be resolved.

1 comment:

  1. As a ro rockhound and family history consultant your post caught Mayeye. I totally agree that we must not get bogged down with the rocks. I sometimes think it's the adversaries way of slowing the work.
    We had a boulder, a missing grandfather, we chipped at for 30 years. After shelving his research for a few years we miraculously found a death notice in an online newspaper. Something that hadn't been available until recently as technology came available.
    Every time i go out rockhounding I bring back 30+ pounds of yard art and a few gems. Just like my family history searching a few gems a plenty of future work.

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