The Price of Family History

This article caught my attention recently:

Genealogy Hot Hobby Worth $1.6B, Not Just For Mormons - ABC News

While the article discusses the industry as a whole and how Ancestry.com is worth a ton of money right now, it got me thinking more about the individual cost of genealogy to those who are interested in finding out more about their family's past. How much does it really cost to get all the information?

Personally, I have not spent much money on the pursuit of genealogy. The only things I purchased were Family Tree Maker and access to an online archive for a single obituary. Other than that, I have managed to get what information I have for free. The reason I try not to pay for the access to information is because most of what you pay for is the convenience to not have to go to every county across the United States to gather vital records and other documents. I know that it may take the rest of my life to get the information I need, but if there is a free way to get it, I would rather do that. I do realized that some costs will be incurred, especially when it comes to processing or copying fees, but I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.

How much money do you spend per year on your pursuit of family knowledge? Do you drop big bucks to attend conferences, or do you try to get as much free information as you can?

What Will You Do with Your Genealogy?

Family history is an exciting thing to explore. You are learning so much about where you and your family came from. You spend countless hours gathering names, dates, locations and stories passed down through generations. Now that you have all of that, what will you do with it?

There are a variety if things you can do with your genealogy research. Many people like to put together information into books for other family members. If the story is compelling enough, it may even make for a good book to publish. You can also put together projects to help teach and inspire others to dig into their own family history.

What are you planing to do with you genealogy?

Getting Stuck

It's inevitable. Unless you know your ancestors are royals, there is a good chance during your hunt for family history that you will hit the brick wall. It's not always permanent though--some people do find a way aroudn those brick walls with additional detective work.

When you seem stuck and can't find a way out of it, here are some tips from an article at World Vital Records that provides ways you can get around this wall and get back to adding to your family history.

Stuck Happens! 13 Things to Do When It Happens to You

 

And remember, you can always let us know about your adventures in the comments section!

Making Sense of Census Records

Are you still occasionally confused when it comes to census records? While the questions may be standard in any given census year, the census records may not always give the same information when it comes to each individual. And combine that with the handwriting variations on original records, you really have to be on your toes if you want to find your family members. Over at Ancestry, they recently put out the Top 10 Census Tips from members. Do you find these helpful? I know I certainly do!

Technology in Genealogy

Have you have ran into a technological wall when doing family research? The Internet is full of information, but you have to know how to access it. The same goes with genealogy programs. Learning how to embrace technology can help to get further in your research. Genealogy conferences are now tackling this issue to help genealogists get the most from technology.

Genealogy Conference to Tackle Technology

What's in a Name?

I found this interesting article at Newsday: Baby Names on Genealogy Website. While I don't have personal experience on choosing baby names, I do use various baby name resources as research for the character names in my stories and novels. This is actually a great resource for my stories that are set smack in the middle of the 20th century.

Have you found any interesting names in the 1940 census, whether it was a person in your family or not? Knowing that many spelling mistakes can happen due to accents and literacy levels, have there been any names in the 1940 census that you just couldn't make out?

You Never Know Where History Will Take You

I saw this article in the New York Times and I thought it was fascinating: Obama Has Ties to Slavery Not by His Father but His Mother, Research Suggests. Not only is it an interesting journey through American history, but it is also interesting that it is his mother's side that provides this deep connection. What do you think about this?