Legacy Tree Logo
Contact Us
  • English
    • Auto
    • Spanish
    • Portuguese (Brazil)
    • Swedish
    • Danish
    • Norwegian Bokmål
    • Russian
Contact Us
  • Services
  • Highlights
  • About
  • Press
  • Blog
  • .
    • English
      • Auto
      • Spanish
      • Portuguese (Brazil)
      • Swedish
      • Danish
      • Norwegian Bokmål
      • Russian

10 Ways to Tell That…You Might Be a Genealogist!

February 27, 2015 by Carolyn - Legacy Tree Genealogists Project Manager 8 Comments

Be a GenealogistGenealogy may not appeal to everyone, but those who catch the “bug” tend to get it bad! Do any of these 10 things sound familiar?

* If you carry a “relationship calculator” card around in your wallet, you might be a genealogist. (Second cousin twice-removed, great-grandniece…)

* If your Google home page displays the home pages to MyHeritage.com, FamilySearch.org, Ancestry.com, or FindaGrave.com, you might be a genealogist.

* If every time someone mentions a major U.S. city, you silently name the county it’s in, you might be a genealogist. (Chicago, Cook County; Nashville, Davidson County…) Bonus points if the city doesn't even have to be major!

* If the idea of walking through old houses and cemeteries thrills you more than sitting on a beach or riding a roller coaster, you might be a genealogist.

* If you can read this, you just might be a genealogist:

Be a Genealogist
* If you get the amazing privilege of handling dusty old land record books in the back of a Kentucky courthouse, and you have to resist the urge to lay your cheek down on the ancient pages, you might be a genealogist.

* If you giggle with delight as you sign your own “genealogical” document at the title company, you just might be a genealogist.

* If your spouse wakes up at 2:00 a.m. to find you hovering over your computer mumbling about a ship’s passenger list, you might be a genealogist.

* If you know the cause of death for each of your great-grandparents because you have all their death records in the file next to your computer, you might be a genealogist.

* And finally, if you really want to know who your ancestors are, and care about understanding the generations of people that have shaped our history and our lives, you are definitely a genealogist.

We may laugh at the quirks of our job, but when it comes down to it, quality research is a business we take seriously, and we care about each of your ancestors just as much as we care about our own. Check out our other blog articles for tips, tricks, ideas, and other interesting genealogical information. If you decide you need help with your research, just contact us!

 

If you need help breaking down a brick wall, let Legacy Tree Genealogists provide the research and help you are looking for. Contact us today for a free quote.

 

Filed Under: Legacy Tree Genealogists Tagged With: Ancestor, ancestry, family, FamilySearch, genealogist, genealogy, help, heritage, historian, history, if, might, research

About the Author

blank
Carolyn - Legacy Tree Genealogists Project Manager
Carolyn is a professional genealogist and writer with a Bachelor's Degree in Family History and 30 years of genealogy experience. As our lead project manager, she excels in helping clients from all over the world to determine clear project goals, gather and organize their background information, stay informed about research progress, and understand their results. Her personal research strengths focus on house histories and finding elusive early Southern U.S. ancestors through a combination of documentary and DNA evidence. Carolyn specializes in managing projects in the following areas: DNA and Genetic Genealogy Lineage Societies United States British Isles Germany and Eastern Europe Greece

Comments

  1. Linda says

    February 28, 2015 at 1:21 am

    My own example, from personal experience, you know you’re a genealogist if, while combing the newspaper obituary column, you come across the photo of a particularly handsome or lovely deceased person, and you catch yourself hoping he or she is one of your relatives. I’m not proud of it, but it happened.

    Reply
  2. Phillius Thomas says

    June 15, 2015 at 11:11 pm

    I guess I am not a genealogist. I fit only a couple of these. Also, fun side note, my father and uncle used to work for Ansestory.

    Reply
  3. Sandra says

    April 29, 2016 at 11:17 pm

    When I first started in genealogy I would watch a movie and if a person were dying in the movie, I would think “have you told your children who ancestors are”. Was I going crazy or what??

    Reply
  4. Patricia H. says

    February 13, 2019 at 9:15 am

    Last July (2018) I traveled from northeast Ohio to southwestern Pennsylvania for a Genealogy Event in Uniontown that was canceled at the last minute. Not to worry — I used the time to visit cemeteries where my ancestors were laid to rest. It was at least 98 degrees in the shade and the land is not flat in Connellsville, PA! I must be a genealogist!

    Reply
    • Amber - Legacy Tree Genealogists says

      February 14, 2019 at 10:33 am

      That’s great, thanks for sharing, Patricia!

      Reply
  5. Sue says

    November 23, 2020 at 5:48 am

    Am I a genealogist???
    …If I see an article or program on TV about someone who might be related, and then spend a whole day researching their whole family tree looking for a connection?
    …If I’m talking to a friend and they mention they don’t know who their great-grandfather is, I then spend hours looking for him…and his ancestors?
    …when my sister-in-law asks if I can help her find out about her mother’s ancestors…and I spend months building a tree of all her ancestors and their descendants with supporting documents?

    Absolutely love it and would love to do it as a job, especially as I am disabled. I do all my research using my laptop.

    Reply
    • Legacy Tree Genealogists says

      November 23, 2020 at 10:33 am

      Sounds like it may be a great career move. 🙂 There’s an article on our blog that discusses moving from hobbyist to professional genealogist you may enjoy: http://www.legacytree.com/blog/get-hired-as-a-professional-genealogist.

      Reply
      • Sue says

        November 23, 2020 at 10:40 am

        Thank you. Will look into it. Will need to see what is available in the UK, where I live. Have been researching for over 20 years now.

        Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

REQUEST A FREE QUOTE

    Popular Posts

    Icelandic village

    4 Key Steps to Trace Your Icelandic-Canadian Ancestry

    December 31, 2024 By Rachel Whiting Leave a Comment

    How To Use Orthodox Baptismal Records for Genealogy Research

    November 13, 2024 By Linda - Researcher with Legacy Tree Genealogists 2 Comments

    Babies Left Behind: researching unknown G.I. fathers in the United Kingdom during WW2

    November 5, 2024 By Maggie - Legacy Tree Genealogists Research Team Manager 3 Comments

    How To Understand German Handwriting and Gothic Scripts

    July 2, 2024 By Keri - Legacy Tree Genealogists Researcher Leave a Comment

    Intro to German Genealogy: Practical Tips for Family History Research

    April 23, 2024 By Legacy Tree Genealogists 6 Comments

    Italian Heritage Travel: The My Bella Vita Experience

    April 9, 2024 By Legacy Tree Genealogists Leave a Comment

    German parish records

    3 Essential Websites for Exploring German Parish Records

    August 16, 2023 By Legacy Tree Genealogists 7 Comments

    CATEGORIES

    SEARCH

    NEWSLETTER

    • Home
    • Services
    • Highlights
    • About
    • Blog
    • Contact
    • FAQ
    • Careers
    How to Hire a Professional Genealogist
    Terms of Use Privacy Policy

    © 2004 - 2025 Legacy Tree Genealogists. All rights reserved.

    Cookie Consent

    This site uses cookies to enhance your experience. Consent allows us to track browsing data. Opting out may affect functionality.

    Functional Always active
    Storage or access necessary for enabling the use of services requested by the user, or for the sole purpose of communication over an electronic network.
    Preferences
    Storage or access necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the user.
    Statistics
    Storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
    Marketing
    Storage or access required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
    Manage options Manage services Manage {vendor_count} vendors Read more about these purposes
    Preferences
    {title} {title} {title}
    Cookie Consent

    This site uses cookies to enhance your experience. Consent allows us to track browsing data. Opting out may affect functionality.

    Functional Always active
    Storage or access necessary for enabling the use of services requested by the user, or for the sole purpose of communication over an electronic network.
    Preferences
    Storage or access necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the user.
    Statistics
    Storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
    Marketing
    Storage or access required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
    Manage options Manage services Manage {vendor_count} vendors Read more about these purposes
    Preferences
    {title} {title} {title}