To me, genealogy is so much more than a birth, a marriage, or a death date… To me, genealogy is about…
Digging and putting pieces together
Genealogy is a real archeological and investigative work. We dig, we look for facts, clues, information, scratch our brain to find alternative research directions when necessary, “think outside the box”, and finally, put pieces together, and watch our family story unfold.
Losing track of time and surroundings
You wake up at 2am and can’t go back to sleep. Might as well… do genealogy!! You jump on your computer, resume yesterday’s research, and “minutes later” you look up: it’s bright daylight, your stomach tells you that you skipped breakfast, and your husband has been saying “Good morning, my love!” at least three times before you actually hear or see him!
Excitement and anticipation!
You finally find the critical information you’ve been searching for and… the phone rings! Or it’s time to prepare lunch or to go to a meeting! Arrgh… Can’t wait to go back to the computer and resume where you left off!
Beautiful discoveries!
We discover individuals, places and professions we didn’t know existed. Genealogy also allows us to learn or brush up on our forgotten History and Geography classes! And of course, we discover new cousins on this tree of Humanity!
Curiosity and compassion
What did our ancestors do? Where did they live? How? What major events were happening in their family, their village or town, or in the world during their lifetime? Could this or that particular event of their own life explain their personalities or behaviors, and why their descendants were who they were? Who we are today?
Patience…
To me, genealogy is also like patiently watching a flower bud taking its sweet time to grow, and at last, one morning, experiencing the joy of the bloomed flower, discovering her scent, her vibrant colors, and her mystery through the morning sunlight… That’s what I feel like when I finally find a record or some information I’ve been patiently searching for.
Occasional frustration
After quite some time going through an online register losing your eyesight and adding a few more wrinkles to your face from frowning to try to decipher dates and names (I think those priests had no consideration whatsoever for future generations reading their records!), you know the next page is “yours”! You click on “next” with excited anticipation… only to discover a big fat spot of ink, a burnt or torn page, right where your ancestor is! … Arrgh! Not to worry, though. There are usually other ways to dig.
Getting stuck in our research…
Ah yes… The disappointment when we get stuck… But there’s always hope! Some road blocks seem to be the end of a journey. For instance, one of my paternal great-great-great-grandfathers was found on the steps of the abandoned children’s hospice, probably the day he was born… (poor parents and baby… I can’t imagine…) However, DNA could help with this. Maybe one day I’ll be able to go up that branch too and uncover yet another fascinating story!
Letting go…
Genealogy is also about letting go, sometimes. One person passed away, and they were the last ones taking with them a family secret that they would not reveal, or valuable information that would have helped you in your research. Acceptance and respect for people’s choices and decisions is important.
Having fun!
Once, I found a funny marriage record. At the end of the record, in the section where the mayor who celebrated my ancestors’ marriage confirms that they are now married, the mayor wrote the bride’s name as… the name of her own mother!!! Luckily, there are usually 2 or 3 other places in a record where the young married couple’s names appear, as well as the parents’ names. I just wonder if he wrote the record after having the apéro… (in French, apéro is short for apéritif. It consists of drinks and appetizers served before lunch or dinner).
Accepting uncertainty
One thing genealogy is NOT about: certainty! Who knows… maybe King Louis XIV was the gardener’s son!
Trusting our intuition
When I get resistance in my research, I stop. When everything flows, even if I derive from the branch I was researching, I dive in! It’s always taken me to amazing discoveries! Just like in life, genealogy reminds me every day to trust my intuition.
Connection
When I join branches on my tree, or when I finally find a record I’ve been looking for for a very long time, it feels like the person I was researching is right there, next to me, and guided me to find them… maybe they are…!
Confirmation…
… that we are all connected.
My French Lineage 