The Joys of Genealogy

A Fun List of Joys, Humor, and Frustrations.

1. Reconnecting with relatives, you have not seen in years.
2. Finding relatives, you never knew you had.
3. Finding people in your tree who were arrested for treason or ran a bawdy house.
4. Finding a person who got off the boat and his last name was changed three times.
5. Looking for that same person and finding a fourth last name.
6. Discovering three generations who lived in the same area, went to same church, and all the church records are available.
7. Family Bibles.
8. Discovering the original log cabin of your ancestor is still standing and in excellent shape.
9. Finding out you know the person who lives in that cabin.
10. Looking for an ancestor for months, finally finding him and discovering he does not belong.
11. Having a lost ancestor you cannot find and finding him by accident.
12. Having relatives tell you interesting stories and showing you pictures they have.
13. Trying to figure out where your German ancestors lived in the old country, what the area was called and who ruled it.
14. German naming practices: Having your ancestors in the same area with six Tobias’s and not being sure who belongs to whom.
15. Being lost as a beginning genealogist and having people willing to help you learn.
16. A favorite place to use for research.
17. Corresponding with a very distant relative who is in your tree and getting lots of information from her.
18. Finishing the tree! (maybe).

Reprint from the Journal of the Berks County Genealogical Society, Volume 35, Number 4, Summer 2015