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The Grumpy Old Man on the Joys and Frustrations of Genealogy As a student of genealogy, I have experienced a range of emotions in my search for my extended family. On one hand, there is the thrill of discovering new relatives and learning more about my family’s past. On the other hand, there are the frustrations of hitting dead ends and encountering unexpected obstacles. One of the greatest joys of genealogy has been finding two daughters I never knew I had. This led to wonderful connections with them and their families, bringing new joy and richness to my life. Another […]

Seekerz Course BookBy Dale E. Lee2023.03.22 Last week I didn’t publish an article on the Seekerz blog. I was working very hard to finalize and publish a course book on family history for beginners. Today I can announce I was successful and on 3/16/2023 the paperback version of Seekerz Intro to Family History was published on Amazon. This work is the cumulation of three years of effort and each of the twelve course lessons have been through Beta testing multiple times both with live audiences and over Zoom. Click —> Seekerz Intro to Family History solves the problem most newbies […]

RootsTech 2023 InnovationsBy Dale E. Lee2023.03.08 Ever since RootsTech decided to go virtual because of Covid 19, I have enjoyed reviewing the technological advances being made in Family History by viewing the Innovation Forum section of the website, and this year did not disappoint. As a matter fact, I think the technologies I’m seeing in the forum are probably some of the most advanced I’ve seen so far. The following is a summary of the new technologies shown. If you want to see further detail on each, hop on over to https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/series/innovation. The ability to scan normal records and create […]

The Grumpy Old Man Learned a Hard Lesson This is a hard post to write. I look at posts that admonish new Genealogists to sit down with their Parents, Grandparents, and Older Relatives. That is great advice as far as it goes. As a matter of fact, I took that advice. I asked friends and family if they had Memories, Stories, and Pictures. Afterward I realized that most if not all those I asked were OLDER. Not as old as me, but if they weren’t retired, they were close to it. We, as Genealogists try to document the past, in […]

The Grumpy Old Man has a New Perspective Genealogy and Family History. Are they the same? Yes and No. I read an article and it gave me a new perspective. Genealogy is the research side of the Adventure. Family History is the story side that brings the Adventure alive. Both are equally important. I fell into the Genealogy side. I was looking for information to fill in the blanks. I would look for a name to place on a branch of my tree. Once I got the name, on to the next. What I missed is that there’s a lot […]

The headline above should read: The Grumpy Old Man Starts a Journal, AGAIN. I bet I have started “Journaling” a dozen or more times. Now, at 72, it’s time to get serious. One of the first things you should do in Genealogy is to ask your relatives. Usually that means getting information from a Grandparent or a relative that has lived a full life, and has a lot to remember. But what if you are the Grandparent or relative that has lived a full life, and no one asks? The reason I have had so many starts and stops was […]

If you are into Genealogy, you really need to be into RootsTech. Here is a quote from their website: “A family history conference. An on-demand learning library. A way to grow closer to the people, places, and stories that matter most.” This should get you excited about RootsTech. I know I am. RootsTech is in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States this year, from March 2nd thru the 4th. At RootsTech, you get Exclusive classes from expert genealogists, access to the world-renowned family Search Library, face-to-face connections with friends and industry experts, and much more. All this for only $98.00. […]

Wouldn’t it be nice to be immortal? If you have seen the movie Highlander, you know there can be only one. Well, maybe not. I was an Instructor at an Advanced Individual Training (AIT) School. A school for Veterinarian Assistants, better know as VET TECHS. We taught our soldiers procedures similar to that of the Medical Techs. Our students had to learn each procedure on multiple animals, Rats, Cats, Dogs, and Horses. We also counseled them on their career in the military. One may never know the impact on has on another person. My Immortality came when I least expected […]

I once wrote that one should take time to talk to their relatives, and then sit down and interview them, especially from the generations past. But what if you are the “Generation Past”? No need to wait. No time to waste. I am 70 yrs old. Granted my plan is to live to 100. But what if God, Fate, or Events have a different plan? One’s life experiences, if not passed on, are forgotten, lost forever. The secret to immortality is to pass on the events of one’s life so they live on in the memories of generations to come. […]

The Corona Virus has had an impact on my life. I still go to work, but have cut back, not out of fear, but as an excuse to pursue other adventures. The downside is, I have more free time, and sometimes I get bored. One can’t pursue greatness 100% of the time. When I get bored, my mind tends to wander. Sometimes, it goes to wild and wondrous places and sometimes, well, not so much. I was thinking, how do you talk to your Kids, Grand Kids, and in my case, my Great Grand Kids? How do you set them […]