WHO DO U THINK U R?

Who Do U Think U R?
So what's all this genealogy fuss about? Why do we care who our ancestors were, or where we came from? I suppose the answer is slightly different for each of us, but we human beings have many things in common. And speaking of humans - anyone ever attempt to follow a registered dog or horse pedigree? Now those breeders could teach us a thing or two about keeping and proving pedigrees!!


Genealogy - A Popular Hobby
Genealogy is the #1 hobby in the world! Well that claim, and other numbers thrown around, may or may not be accurate. But what I *am* sure of is that genealogy is VERY popular on the World Wide Web. Just do a search for "genealogy" and see how many hits you get! As of today I get 231,000,000. That's 23 MILLION folks, and I'd say that qualifies as popular. WHAT an awesome time to be doing genealogy!!!


So What's All The Fuss About?
That has always been a certain segment of the population who were absorbed by family history, some from a very young age. Ahhhhh, how I wish I were one of them. I was probably like most of you, waiting until anyone who could answer my questions was long gone. And I only listened with feigned interest to the few stories that were told around my home. Most of the 'oldsters' answered family history questions with "What do you want to know about that old stuff for?" or "Best just leave it all in the past" - " Let sleeping dogs lie".(sigh) What really got millions and millions of people interested was the TV show called "Roots", and the interest has grown incredibly since then.


What Do We All Have In Common?
So this is what most of us have in common - we waited too long to become interested. Is all lost? Is there no way of finding answers? Is there no way of sorting fact from fiction? Would anyone have fibbed to us? Or have we simply misinterpreted details?
One of our greatest challenges is sorting fact from fiction. There is almost always an element of truth in those old family stories, but be prepared to not hold on to them too tightly! Let's learn the truth as it's *always* much more interesting than fiction.

Never Hopeless!
Anyway, "NO" it is not hopeless! I can promise you it will not be as easy as the ads on TV say - "you don't need to know what you're looking for"! (if only that were true!) But if you do learn the proper steps to take, in the proper sequence, it is definitely possible ................. AND ................... what great fun you are in for!!!!!


You Are A Descendent Of The Past, You Are A Parent Of The Future!
Celebrate and preserve your own history by building your family tree. At some point in life, people feel compelled to learn more about the individuals in their family who came before them. I have students of all ages in my courses. The cool thing is that we can learn from each other!

What makes genealogical research even more interesting is seeing the impact that your ancestors had on history, and on your own life. And just what did you inherit from your ancestors? Your physical appearance, likes or dislikes, health, even your occupation may be traced back to your ancestors. Every person is a part of history. Just by living their lives, they created history. What about you? You, too, are creating history, even as you live it. While you are a descendant of the past, you are a parent of the future.


Records
Records are history's best storytellers. It is therefore necessary to develop research skills and become a good 'detective'. It is also a great deal of fun! These classes are designed to develop your research skills & teach you to think like a researcher. Pat is a certified record searcher, researcher, and instructor. Her classes enable you to decide what records to search for, why you need each of these records, how to find them, and then how to use them. And, perhaps because of her Scottish background (grin), she has learned how to do this in the most economical way possible! (big grin) Genealogy *can* be a very expensive hobby unless you know the secrets.


Courses
Pat's courses are organized in a specific sequence for an important reason. The knowledge gained in one course will give you the tools and wisdom needed to proceed, with confidence and understanding, to the next course. Following these suggestions offers you your greatest chance of successfully tracing your ancestors and subsequently doing the 'genealogy happy dance'.

Of course this is Pat's suggestion only, but she really doesn't want to see you overwhelmed in a course you weren't quite ready for. These classes are very different that any you may have previously taken. They are comprehensive, loaded with detail, and have been described by many students as 'intensive', but fun. Obviously you will be the best judge of where your skill level is at. Alternatively, you are welcome to discuss your needs with Pat by email pryan@sasktel.net or calling 306-695-2241.