What do you enjoy about researching Kentucky ancestors?
My favorite part of research is discovering something new about an ancestor. It’s my way of saying to them: “See, you are not forgotten. I may not know all about you, but I know something of you.”Â
Â
I enjoy reconstructing their lives from the disparate records, even if I only end up with a paragraph or two of narrative information. I think that everyone loves a good story, and the best way to memorialize someone’s life is by trying to put it into context by including some of the history and culture that affected them. I’m not as successful in such projects as I would like, but I have written a couple of essays for a blog (Roots Trees Pedigrees) to a least start trying to get some of the stories written and available somewhere.
What’s your favorite suggestion for other Kentucky researchers?
The best tip I could give any budding Kentucky researcher is to join the Kentucky Genealogical Society. The webinars are of extremely high quality and address a variety of issues, not all of them limited to just Kentucky research. And recordings of them are available to members on the website. But everyone here already knew that, I guess. The Society’s Essential Guide to Kentucky Family Research is a goldmine of information, and I would encourage researchers to order a copy from Amazon. The Kentucky Historical Society’s Martin F. Schmidt Research Library in Frankfort is another favorite source of mine. One should not overlook local college and university libraries, as well as public libraries, which often have a surprising amount of genealogical publications.
I have been working on family history since 1991. Work and life and other interests have often diverted my attention, but I have always come back to it. I recently retired after 36 years of practicing law and am putting in more consistent effort on genealogy these days.
As the virtual statewide genealogical society for the Commonwealth of Kentucky, the Society's mission is to facilitate genealogical education, promote standards, and share best practices within the Kentucky genealogy community. It also works to make important genealogy records of Kentucky accessible through collaboration and digitization. Additionally, the Society aims to forge a community by connecting researchers across all 120 counties.
