Showing posts with label MY genealogy job description. Show all posts
Showing posts with label MY genealogy job description. Show all posts

Monday, August 22, 2011

My Genealogy "Job Descriotion"

I've been at this genealogy stuff for under a year. Well, taking it "seriously" for that long. And by seriously, I mean there's not too much "serious" about it. It's just all-out fun to me! OK, OK sometimes the fates of our ancestors are sad, and yes, well they sometimes didn't make good decisions along the way and times were hard and all. But it makes me see how very funny life is and how you just gotta enjoy the daylights out of it while the ride lasts. I've probably earned my "N" in Newbie, but Alex, can I buy a vowel?

So I've been thinking lately (Mom, do not make the obvious joke here) that since the afore mentioned Mom, now 93 and going strong at life and genealogy, has attached close to 60,000 ancestors to our particular tree, what might my own personal job be in relation to genealogy. Guess you could say I'm second generation genealogy: what's left for me to find? Ancestors back to Adam?? Really?

So I'm working on my Genealogy Job Description. Here's what I have so far.

The job title is Family History Liaison. I'm to "liaise" between the fine and extensive work Mom has done to the other cousins and their kids, thus insuring others in the family are increasingly interested in this sport:)

Here's my task list so far and it's growing:
1. Double check sources and add Notes. A person can't be too sure.
2. Get GEDCOM to as many people as possible.
3. Make the lives of the ancestors as "real" as possible: put flesh on the bones on names, dates, and places.
4. Find and tell family stories. Keep the stories and oral tradition already strong in our family even stronger. And turn this oral tradition into a written tradition so the stories aren't lost.

I know there's more to my job description but it will grow over time, just as Mom's GEDCOM grows, my picture file grows, and my unruly stacks of papers grow.