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Genealogy Talk



Some of you asked about the light-hearted talk that I
did for a family reunion.   My subject was "Reasons to
Vote the Genealogist Off the Island."     I can't
recount all the stories and jokes that I gave here
but here's a few tidbits:

They (genealogists) Talk Too Much
       --go on and on and on
       --I usually interrupt an oral family chart
          with "I used to do a lot of family research
          before the abduction."   "Now what exactly
          is your question?"    Sometimes they ask for
          a different librarian at this point.

They Don't Talk Enough
       --can't get the details out of them
       --researching "Smiths in America"

They're Too Proud
       "My ancestors came over on the Mayflower."
       Me:  "Mine came over when immigration was more restricted."
       --ALWAYS related to William the Conqueror, or Kings etc.
          Me:  No one ever seems related to Attila the Hun or John
               Wilkes Booth or Lizzie Borden.   Darn!!

They're Too Demanding!
       --love forms!
       --want everything on the Internet .... NOW!
       --Ask questions like "I'd like everything you have on
       the Civil War.  Thank you."

They Like to Tell Stories!!
       "My uncle ned died of a broken neck when he
         fell through some loose floor boards on this
         platform at the government building"

And obviously the "answers" to these 'reasons" are
good lessons to the listeners....like limit your questions
to one at a time, fully explain your research without too
many extraneous details, etc.

Dean
Dean DeBolt
University Librarian
Special Collections and West Florida Archives
John C. Pace Library
University of West Florida
11000 University Parkway
Pensacola, FL  32514-5750
Tele:  850-474-2213;   Fax:  850-474-3338

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