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I am interested to know how the family feels about family history. I am interested in:
1) Whether or not you are interested in family history (it's okay if you are not);
2) What kind of family history you are engaged in; and
3) What challenges you find in doing (or starting) family history work.
I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below, through a phone call, an e-mail, whatever.
There are several types of family history one can be engaged in. The most common type people think of is research, but there are many other avenues. This is a list of types of family history I could think of:
1) Researching unknown information in your line
This can be done in multiple different says, from online records search to interviewing living family members to visiting grave yards. This is probably the most immediately rewarding type of family history as you instantly gather data that no one has compiled before. Additionally, when you find a certain amount of data, you can submit names for the temple.
2) Confirming information that doesn't have a source
Our line is littered with individuals and information that have not yet been confirmed in our line. Our predecessors did a great deal of work. Unfortunately, the record keeping was not completed. This type of research involves looking at our online tree, finding unsourced information, and attempting to locate the documents from which that information came. While it may feel useless, it is important for laying the groundwork for the first type of research. Additionally, there are a number of times where I have been performing this type of family history and have unearthed an unknown sibling or some other person. In fact, while doing this information, I found out that our great grandfather was illegitimate and that we had been using the completely wrong line for his mother.
3) Compiling data of already confirmed sources
I love this kind of work (mostly because I love lists and Excel sheets and data compilation), but it is incredibly tedious. For years I have been compiling every original source of information I have into one giant log. I am doing this so that I can correct inaccuracies and make doing the first two types of family history easier. I have catalogued all of our ancestors through alphabetically through the letter G. Brian and Stephani have helped some in this process.
4) Collecting data from current generations
This type of family history is so important. There is a wealth of knowledge that those living around us have that just cannot be found anywhere else. This is also an easy way to do family history without having to know the inns and outs of the England Death Registry (or other obscure records). The most obvious place to start would be to record and transcribe interviews with Mom and Dad, but other steps would be finding other individuals (aunts and uncles, for example), organizing interviews, gathering pictures, etc.
