Family history is a hot topic. On Friday evenings, a television show called, “Who Do You Think You Are?” features well-known actors or actresses, who embark on a journey of self-discovery by searching for clues and stories about their ancestors.
This is an exciting prospect for anybody who is interested in family history. The bad news, as has been discussed by my local genealogy society, is that the personalities featured on the show have the advantage of a staff of researchers to show them the way toward their family origins. Many of us, who have been conducting family research long before it became readily available on Ancestry.com, have been researching our family for decades before reaching the conclusions met by these people in an hour-long segment. This is not sour grapes speaking. Instead, this is a warning to newcomers. Do not expect to find your family history in a heartbeat. However, the journey is the reward. Embark on it with relish, and enjoy the ride.
My next entry on this blog will concern what happens when you find a noteworthy individual in your family tree. This might be a person who has become famous through public service, or one who might be of questionable repute. On one hand, we have the first governor of Colorado and his wife, and on the other hand, we have a well-known pioneer scoundrel. The results are most interesting when they meet in the pages of history.
In the meantime, the Association of Writers and Publishers conference takes place this week in downtown Denver. Although I will not be able to attend, my pals from Women Writing the West will rally for a gathering while they are in town.
On Saturday, High Plains Library District will host an Authors’ Open House at their library in Firestone. This event was snowed out last year, but should come together fine this time around in spite of a little spring snow this week. Local authors will make presentations and sign books. Time spent in libraries in rural Colorado is time well spent. Come by and say Howdy!
Joyce B. Lohse, 4/7/10
www.lohseworks.com