Five!

When I first started Keep Family History Services, my goal was to work at it for at least five years. That seemed fairly far off at the time, but all of a sudden, here we are. A lot has changed in that time. There's certainly more grey in my hair. My oldest child is now in college, and the youngest in high school. Things are a lot calmer at home, and yet still so busy. It's hard to imagine, but in five more years I'll be an empty nester!

PC: waferboard, CCBY2.0

I now have clients that I've known for a good amount of time. The same is true for people I've met in genealogical societies, libraries, and various volunteer opportunities. We've shared some interesting journeys of discovery together! 

I recently completed my third course at SLIG, Bridging the Gap: New England to the Midwest, 1780-1850 with D. Joshua Taylor and several other excellent instructors. I began the course saying I live in Michigan, but I'm not from here and only do research in the state for clients. By the end of the week I'd discovered that the answer to one of my long-standing genealogical questions was tied to family members who moved to Michigan from New York in the 1830s!

The last five years have taught me to slow down, dive deep, and swim around the historical and geographic context of my ancestors. I'm grateful to my family, to my clients, and people who have attended my talks for providing opportunities to practice these timeless genealogical concepts again and again. There's always more information about our families just waiting to be uncovered!