Journey Home Genealogy

Irish Genealogical Research | Dwight Radford

Call Today! 801.699.2450

Or send us an Email

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Home
  • About
  • Blog
  • Ireland
  • United States
    • American Genealogy (general)
    • Native American
    • African American
  • Canada
  • International Genealogy
    • England and Wales
    • Scotland
    • Other Research
  • Research Services
  • Research Proposal

My Grandma Has Done All of Our Genealogy

5 Sep By Dwight Leave a Comment

This is the first of a three part series using Grandma as our fictitious family member through which we can explore some genealogy basics. 

As a professional I often hear people say, “My grandma has done all of our genealogy.” This is done with just as much pride in the genealogy, as it is love for grandma. As touching as this is, it must be realized that grandma probably has not done all of your genealogy. She did what she could.

I have found this to be more than lip service as people pull out grandma’s published work. Some are impressive. However, this still doesn’t mean she did all the genealogy. What she did was compile the genealogy on a particular branch of the family. If she is your paternal grandmother, then she would have little interest in your maternal side of the family which is not related to her.

Now saying this, if the published family history is footnoted or at least adequately sourced, then it may be she has researched a particular branch of the family tree to its logical conclusion. I won’t question her research as she obviously did a thorough job. However, this is not always the case. If you browse through her book and you find it’s not footnoted or sourced, and there’s a lot of hearsay then you need to take a much deeper look at her research.

My advice is that we need to continue to contribute to grandma’s work. Even though she may be just as professional as any professional genealogists; she may also be – well grandma!

Filed Under: Irish Ancestry Tagged With: Genealogy, Research, Strategies

About Dwight

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Dwight A. Radford

Dwight A. Radford is a professional family history researcher. Along with his staff they specialize in Ireland, England, Canada, African American, Native American, and United States. Connecting families together through historical documents and then creating a cherished family heirloom published book for generations to enjoy. Full bio…

Follow Our Blog

Blog

  • How do You Determine the Associates of Your Ancestor?
  • When to Jump Over the Water in Your Research
  • Grand Lodge of Ireland Membership Records Online

Online Course

  • My Courses
  • Courses
  • My Account

Contact

  • About
  • Contact
  • Research Services

Journey Home Geneology © 2023 · Designed by GO Marketing