Internet Genealogy: April/May 2022

The April/May issue of Internet Genealogy is now in the mail and at newsstands. It’s packed with interesting articles.

As usual, I turned first to the back page to read Dave Obee’s thought-provoking column. He bemoans the questions he did not ask relatives now gone, then muses “I still have time to tell the stories of my own generation – of my sisters and my cousins, and while I am thinking of it, of myself
as well.”  Will he? If you’re thinking of how best to spend your time for the edification of future generations, is it in researching your ancestors or documenting your own life story?

You’ve probably experienced already how the information you gleaned from hours of work with old documents, or microfilmed copies, now appears with a quick search online.  Is that trend going to continue? Yes. What won’t be retrievable is the stories stored in your memory. As a writer, Dave doesn’t appear to have the writer’s block excuse most of the rest of us do.  Or perhaps we could fess up that when we explore family history it’s not for future generations, along with the excitement of citing your sources (in ESM approved fashion) but as a pleasant challenge for ourselves.

What’s on the other 53 pages?

Sue Lisk always has well written creative articles. This issue she tells us about a lesser-known Ontario resource, the Tweedsmuir Community History Books, and finding insight into earlier generations through scrapbooks and their poetry.

The first article in the issue is English and Irish Nonconformist Records, by Michelle Dennis. Read it for the history and research resources available for those who did not follow the Established Church.

Genealogy technology enthusiast Liza Alzo also has two articles. In Genealogy NFTs she discusses transitioning from family heirlooms to NFTs. Like cryptocurrencies, NFTs remain rather beyond my grade level. In The Future of Genealogy Conferences she points out that the traditional conference 50 minute presentation plus ten for questions is too much of a meal, especially for younger people growing up with YouTube, Twitter and TikTok. Then she speculates on the role of AI. Food for thought, especially for those of us stuck in the rut.

There’s much more: articles by Robbie Goor, Diane L. Richard, Christine Woodcock, David Norris, Karen L. Newman, and the first article in a promised regular column by Rick Voight about telling your family stories.