Hi everyone!
Over on Facebook, Terry Thorton challenged all of us Genea-Bloggers to write up a post about ourselves so that others can get to know us. So...here is mine.
I am a 19 year old genealogist...yes, you read correctly...only 19. Whenever someone discovers my age and my number one hobby, they always get shocked. I gotta admit though - I wouldn't change it for the world.
I started genealogy when I was about 13 years old. I have always thought of history as an interesting subject (which my mom gets credited for - all those weekends watching the History Channel really pays off!). When I was about 12 or so, my Aunt Deb began to play around with Ancestry.com. As she started showing me all that she was learning, I began to slowly catch the genealogy bug.
However, it wasn't until I went to visit my Grandpa when I was about 13 that I became completely and utterly addicted. He lives in Tennessee in a rural town in the Appalacian Mountains. The controversy, the secrets, the rural lifestyle - I was hooked! It was better than any soap opera that you could watch on daytime TV!
Since then, I've been addicted. My addiction has certainly made me an odd teenager: I asked for a filing cabinet for my 16th birthday, I asked for an all-in-one printer-copier-scanner for Christmas 2 years ago, and I begged and pleaded for an Ancestry.com subscription from anyone who would listen. As I did this, my parents looked at me like I was a foreign being.
My mom has a saying that I think describes me rather well: "Elyse - you are either 6 or 60...and never in between!"
My goal in writing this blog has always been to share my love of genealogy. I wanted to document my frustrations in genealogy while also giving you guys the lessons I've learned along the way.
I want to now share with you some of my articles that I am very proud of:
1.) My brightest article: How To Fix Your Newbie Mistakes (http://elysesgenes.blogspot.com/2008/09/how-to-fix-your-newbie-mistakes.html) This article describes the hard lessons I have learned over the years when it come to genealogy
2.) My breeziest article: My New Heart Award (http://elysesgenes.blogspot.com/2008/09/my-new-heart-award.html) This article just shows my huge appreciation for everyone who reads my blog - you guys always brighten up my day!
3.) My most beautiful: What Would You Save? (http://elysesgenes.blogspot.com/2008/09/what-would-you-save-meme-family.html) While this article has some seriousness to it, it includes pictures of some of my most valuable possessions. I love these heirlooms and I feel so honored that I have them.
If any of you want to get to know me or have any questions or just feel like talking - you can email me at GenealogistElyse@gmail.com You can also become my friend on Facebook if you'd like (just look me up). And of course, I love reading the comments you guys leave on my articles - they really brighten up my day.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
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5 comments:
Hi Elyse,
What a great post! I laughed throughout! Thank you for sharing about your eventful and interesting genealogy journey. Look at it this way - by the time you're 80 you'll have it all done and can share it with your grandchildren.
As I read your post, I was thinking "Elyse is the dream of every genealogist who is a grandparent - someone who is really enthusiastic and a charger." I hope you retain those traits as you age beautfully and gracefully during your life.
There are many roses in life for you to enjoy, and a few thorns to endure, may you have a full life surrounded by family and love and experience the joy of genealogy always.
Cheers -- Randy
PS. sorry if I waxed philosophically to a young lady... that's what we grandfathers really enjoy doing, it seems.
I think I start in 2001/2002, when I was about 22, well whatever Im 31 now, I almost hit 1,000 names, as I will be writing up my Getting to Know me here in the next day, filling in all the blanks :). Just wanted to stop by and say hello
Great post! You're so lucky to have started so early. If I had been 19 when I started, I could have asked the questions of my grandparents that I'm now trying to figure out on my own. Keep up the good work. Your family (past, present and future) will thank you.
Elyse, glad to meet someone who was interested in history and genealogy at such an early age. Both have always fascinated me, but I was not smart enough to start working on my tree until my late 20s.
I wish you all the success with your family tree!
Elyse,
I'm so excited to have found you! I am also a young genealogist, and I get so excited when I find other genealogists under 30. I am 27, and I started when I was 12.
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