Jennifer Eklund, PLCGS's Blog (30)

Every genealogist wonders who will continue their research when they were gone. My paternal grandmother died knowing that her oldest granddaughter and oldest daughter were serious genealogy hobbists. However, once my cousin had a family of her own, her genealogy obsession waivered. My aunt has not done any serious research in years. And neither of them are the generous types in sharing the research they have. Information they collected on a trip to England three decades ago is something they… Continue

Not having sources to document where you found information on your ancestors in genealogy is like Superman wearing his alter ego Clark Kent's glasses, useless. Without the use of sources, information in a genealogical report is nothing more than hearsay. The more sources a genealogy report presents, the more credible the report. Many beginning genealogists do not understand sources though. The more a genealogist understands the differences between sources and the information derived from… Continue

I have touched slightly in other blog postings about GenealogyWise, specifically my review of the site. Today, I have not been able to really use the site for its intended purpose because I have been working on a tutorial for the "Professional/Technical Communication" course I am currently in. (I received my bachelor of science in psychology in May and will begin a master's program in psychology with a specialization in psychology of culture in September. My career goal is to be an online… Continue

I made a reference in a previous blog about feeling hugged by my ancestors when sitting among my grandparents scrapbooks, photo albums, journals, etc., when I was 16 years old. A new found friend on GenealogyWise emailed me and said he liked that phrase, "hugged by ancestors." A few of the back and forth emails had the subject line "Hugged by ancestors," and I have not been able to get this phrase out of my head since.



As I pulled a few different genealogy files out today to look up… Continue

Several years ago I sent out an S.O.S. on a message board to find information on an ancestor. A man who's first name was spelled Frances. A member of the board who happened to be an English teacher replied to me with a lecture about how I was spelling the man's name wrong. Frances with an "e" is the feminine. Francis with an "i" is the masculine. She told me I needed to change the spelling because I was spelling his name wrong.



What the English teacher did not understand was that… Continue

As I talk to fellow genealogists and others about the launch of GenelogyWise (official launch date is Friday, July 17, 2009), I have come consistently across complaints of too many social network sites existing. I think I have benefited from only having a MySpace and Facebook page and now GenealogyWise. I tried out a genealogy networking site last year, but the site could not keep my interest. Some days the site did not work at all and the content on the site was not enough to keep my interest.… Continue

Mailing lists can be a terrific way of gathering information and sharing stories with others. Mailing lists allow you to keep up to date with advancements in a field, events, and education. Sometimes though, someone or a group of people on the mailing list begin souring the list with drama. Some people just thrive on conflict. A fact that is difficult to escape in life, but one that is controllable, especially on a mailing list.



Recently, a professional list for genealogy dealt with… Continue

Everyone has a story of when they were bit by the genealogy bug and their entire lives were transformed to trying to get as much information as possible about their family. This blog will share mine. I will also post this as a discussion forum to hear others stories.



My paternal grandfather died when I was 16 years old on December 17, 1993. I was a junior in high school. Both sets of my grandparents lived two hours from my house in different directions, so I was never close with any… Continue

Researching your family tree can be a rewarding experience, not just for you, but also for other living members of your family and those members yet to be born. The first step in preparing to research your family tree is to write down all the information about your family that you know. Include names, birth, marriage, divorce, and death dates and locations. Occupations, residences, schools attended, medical information, and anything else you find pertinent to your family tree should also be… Continue

Understanding the methodology behind genealogy research is vital to creating credible genealogical reports. A genealogist, whether professional or a hobbist, cannot simply present dates, events, and names. The genealogist must explain or show how he or she knows the information to be true. How does he or she know that his or her great great great grandfather arrived in the United States of America via Ellis Island? How does he or she know that his or her great great uncle died in World War II?… Continue