Genealogy 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:
* 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.
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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.
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.
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??
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!
That’s great, thanks for sharing, Patricia!
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.
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: https://www.legacytree.com/blog/get-hired-as-a-professional-genealogist.
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.