There are probably as many reasons why people get into Genealogy as there are people into it – each with their own reason. But we can make some generalizations.
People want to know where they came from. Most everyone has some idea…something their family has told them. But, much fewer know. For many, really knowing takes us into a more directed inquiry. Others have a generalized idea or have been told conflicting information, so they check it out themselves. Still, others see a television show or an Ancestry dot com advertisement, which gets their interests fired up. For good or bad, I don’t fit into any of these categories.
For me, it started as a challenge. It was a challenge for me to take the simplistic (and frankly unsupported) work that our family’s family historian employed and do a much better job.
I’m a ‘processes’ guy. One step leads to the next; a framework is constructed on a firm foundation over time. Things get done correctly, no matter the time and resources required. My work would involve applying the processes I used to conduct complex criminal investigations, applying them to family history. When asked how I knew something, I could present an ironclad case – proof beyond a reasonable doubt. My investigative mind would shift from ‘bad guys’ to ‘dead guys,’ with nothing changing in the transition.
Moreover, my analytical approach to almost everything would be the engine running my newfound passion. Mine would be a work of perfection. So I collected what purported to be ‘facts’ and said, “I can do better than this!” And I have. That was then…1993. Today, I have accomplished my self-directed challenge to a very high level. But, some 20-plus years later, it’s no longer just a challenge. Somehow, somewhere, it changed for me. Slowly and without fanfare. Today, Genealogy is a Calling. What I was supposed to be doing. A Calling to represent the subjects of my focused research. To speak for them. To tell their stories.
Aaron Tassin, MLIS 