GENEALOGY-A 30 YEAR VENTURE

Shortly after a nephew was born in 1984, I started doing my family history. 15 binders and four shelves full of books and publications, it has been an adventure. With many databases now online, the jaunts to sit at microfische machines in the library are no longer necessary. Our Canadiana room at the local library still has many obscure books and over sized atlases that need to be scrutinized periodically. One researcher recently in  a newsletter suggested to start at the beginning with one's research and fill in all the gaps and to have sources to be cited. So my one line- Ellis had that cleansing. Removed all the extra names that do not belong to us. Now it is 1/2 the size. Found some information on a great-grandfather that filled in some gaps of where he lived. Always had the basic information. As TV shows  and the one with celebrities that have made genealogy more popular, I always smile when a librarian goes to a shelf and takes a book turning to a page to show the celebrity the information. It probably took her two weeks and several researchers to find that note. Genealogy is not like the ad- type in a name and your history will appear. It is actually like detective work. One layer at a time proving that the person belongs to your family not just because the name is the same but because the link is proven. Like today many ancestors used popular names. Our Ellis lines has one generation with a William and Elizabeth which in the region in England in the 1800s there are many with that name and same surname! So the searching is tedious as one must figure out which William and which Elizabeth belong to us! Another family member from Ottawa has helped with it. I did keep all the extra notes as I will put them in large envelopes to keep for a time, in case someone submits a surname search to a newsletter and I could help like others have helped me.  So the venture continues but with the computer and new databases and a good home printer that has several new cartridges of black ink on standby, this family history amateur will tackle another binder and family line. The huge task is to go digital, although I often worry about all that information in a "cloud". The honourable thing to do is not to share dates of current living relatives- you know identity theft and all!! Family historians figured that one out a long time ago. There was always courtesy to ask people if it was okay to share information. Slowly I am cleansing areas of my house in the event that the downsizing planned in a year or two will occur. Besides, the effort to share family information with members has started with the writing of one article on our grandfather who fought in World War One. I decided most family members do not want all the information- just the highlights and the links and perhaps their own family chart without all the cousin lines. The interesting stories and trends will give lots of food for thought. So the work continues- slowly and methodically. Family historians are patient people. It may be years before a link is made but with a new detail of an ancestor, whole new links occur. I just hope when I no longer can do it, someone else will pick up the torch!