The Cost of Doing Genealogy

 Nothing is free! That adage also applies to family history pursuits.

Whatever information we seek or use as family historians is available because of hundreds of volunteers’ or paid-for hours were spent in searching for it, in many cases transcribing it and providing a means of presenting it for others to read and use.

One of the groups of volunteers is the Online Parish Clerks (OPCs), of which I am one. In one of my earliest blog posts in 2013, I stated that: The tasks of OPCs are primarily to compile reference material for their adopted parish or parishes in the form of transcripts, extracts, abstracts, indexes and copies of original records. Data is collected from as many sources as possible, emphasizing both local history and genealogy. Many OPCs maintain websites where data may be stored for browsing or source references may be listed. I also published an article about OPCs in the Summer 2012 quarterly journal of the Utah Genealogical Association.

Over time much of the data that OPCs uncovered was published in major commercial sites and was available through paid subscriptions.

Today, many of us serious family researchers use both free and commercial sites. We might have our own subscriptions or use the facilities of family history society offices or public libraries to access the databases.

·         FamilySearch was established by the LDS Church that has put enormous amounts of information on their free site. This is still a primary place for all genealogists to visit.

·         I have full access to the data through subscriptions from the major commercial providers: Ancestry, FindMyPast, MyHeritage, Newspapers by Ancestry, The Genealogist and The British Newspaper Archive.

·         To obtain other data and documents for which fees may be required, I regularly use the UK General Record Office, National Library of Scotland (for maps), ScotlandsPeople,. The Box Plymouth (formerly the Plymouth and West Devon Record Office), The National Archive (UK) and a myriad of other local record offices, private companies and family history societies around the world.

·         I currently have memberships in six family history societies (there have been more in the past) from which I can obtain information about people and communities relevant to my studies and hear talks from local epxerts.

·         I have been known to spend several hundred dollars a year on books and documents, in hard copy and digital form.

·         I have used the services of professional consultants who are experts in certain localities or specialties.

·         I currently have two genealogy magazine subscriptions (there have been more in the past) to aid in my studies.

·         Over the past 15 years I have signed up for dozens of courses, conventions and presentations to keep up with new research ideas and techniques. It is always useful to hear from specialists in various aspects of studies or geographic areas. The many courses I took with Pharos Tutors really gave me a solid base in family history research. Subscriptions to Legacy Family Tree Webinars and Family Tree Plus give me ongoing access to talks and articles about many specialty subjects.

Over the past five years, I have spent, on average, $2,600 per year on sourcing family history information:

Wayne’s Annual Genealogy Expenses
Category	Five-Year Average
Commercial Subscriptions	$1,450
Periodicals Subscriptions	$200
Books, Documents, Consultants	$550
Society Memberships	$280
Courses, Webinars	$120
Total	$2,600

 It is not convenient or possible for me to access any of the sites I use from anywhere but home. Occasionally the major commercial sites offer a few days to access certain types of data for free but never the whole of their inventory at the same time. So, if I want to continue to work as a genealogist, basically full-time, I must spend the money.

I am fortunate in having been able to earn income over the years from publishing books and articles, making presentations and providing research consulting services. These funds have been used to offset my subscriptions and purchases of material in the form of books, magazines and documents. On balance, over the past five years at least, I have been on the financial plus side, thankfully, although never enough on its own to “pay the rent”. That was not the case for the previous decade when hobby expenses greatly exceeded revenue.

I recognize that not everyone who spends their leisure time researching their ancestors will be able to afford or easily access the data that I do. Joining family history societies, particularly where ancestors may have lived, or using libraries may greatly assist people in connecting with online sources as well as experts who can help. There are many free websites where basic data can be found. And watching for those occasional days where free access might be available from the major commercial sites can prove valuable.

Ultimately there are not many ways around paying for information, though. 

Turning 80, a milestone or just a number?

 Last night I went to bed still a septuagenarian. Today I am 80!

I am now processing that fact.

Even after pondering the approaching event for a few years, I’m still not sure how to fully accept that I have crossed this next line (milestone?) in life. Or if there is an actual line. I don’t feel older than I did yesterday, but I am sure I will be perceived as being so. I suspect most of my friends and relatives who have surpassed this age would agree. In that respect it’s more than just a number.

I certainly have more memories accumulated than I did decades ago, or even last year at this time. I am pretty sure my memory is still as intact as it was last year, or last decade. It does stumble a bit on occasion, though, maybe because there is so much more to remember now. (That’s my explanation and I am sticking to it.)

It’s not strange to think about things that happened, in my personal life or the world in general, in the 1950s or 1960s, that most of my immediate family cannot relate to. Our grandchildren, just beginning their adult lives, were not even born until the 21^st century when I was well into middle age (so they tell me).

I made it through a complicated professional career, not without some turmoil as it turned out. I met many new friends along the way but moved away from most of those I knew growing up. Many people probably experience these things. Notwithstanding a few adverse events, the paths I took and decisions I made seemed like good ideas at the time (my life motto in many respects). They did not all turn out as such, though.

I am busier now that I thought I would be at this age, mostly with genealogy stuff (researching ancestors, writing articles, giving talks) that has become more than a hobby. When you get older, and away from the demands of a normal work schedule, you have more time, and inclination, to think about the past (not just your own): who were the people in your family who came before you and what did they achieve. Are we subconsciously comparing notes?

In my “retirement” I am reading much more concerning a wider variety of subjects and events. I have more time to do so, of course. I have learned a lot more about people and the world, about the history of civilizations, and perhaps why societies have reached the junctures they have, than I ever did in school. Our progress as humans has been quite astonishing, even or especially in my lifetime, but I worry sometimes about how our grandchildren will accept or manage what we are leaving them. (As we age, we tend to get more philosophical!)

My day-to-day world has changed substantively!

·         My personal files now are almost entirely stored electronically, including correspondence, household data, financial and health records, articles I have written, photographs, etc. This was information I kept in print form and saved in filing cabinets and binders years ago.

·         I have more aches and pains than I used to. Bodies don’t always react well to aging.

·         I find movies and TV programs about and starring older people more interesting.

·         I am reasonably content with a 20-year-old SUV (a term not even coined until well after I acquired my first “station wagon”). But occasionally I would like to have back the sporty Alfa Romeo I owned as a young man.

In my office I am surrounded by things from my childhood as well as records and mementoes I have collected about my ancestors. All my family photo albums are now digitized (a word I did not know growing up) and on my computer (a device I also knew nothing about as a child) and available on internet sites for others to see (an idea that had no meaning until well after I had graduated from university). I even keep a (smart) phone in my pocket, which most of my family find quite amusing given my history of not using such devices until well after they were invented and became widely available.

There are a lot of interesting things to say about turning 80 (as there was, of course, for 70…and 60…and 50…):

·         It marks a significant life event (surviving that long is certainly noteworthy).

·         It implies a lifetime of accomplishments (presumably) besides the number of years tallied.

·         It symbolizes a wealth of experience and wisdom achieved (or just as likely mistakes made).

·         You don’t get older, you get better (at what pundits don’t say).

·         Old people tend to get grumpier. (Well, some people might say I have always tended that way.)

·         Still bright as a new penny (those are no longer made here).

·         Some people even declare “80 is awesome” (if you can ignore those new aches and pains).

Only a small percentage of people reach 80 years of age. Currently in Canada about 6% of the population is over 80. The average life span for Canadians is 81.65 years: just under 80 for males (Yea! I made it.) and nearly 84 for females. In 1945, the year that I was born, one could expect to live for 64.7 years. A hundred years earlier it was only 40.5 years. If you made it to age 65 in 2010 (as I did) you had quite a good chance of seeing 84. But statistics are just numbers. Right?

Several of my direct maternal ancestors reached this age; very few of my direct paternal ancestors – back to nine generations – have done so, though. One sister has made it past 80; one sister did not; and one sister is closing in. A brother died as a toddler. Most of my mother’s siblings made it well past 80, two into their 90s. She did not reach 60, however. My father did not get to be 70, but his brother reached 80 and his sister has passed 90. Overall, my genes appear to be working in my favour.

Genetic history (another term I have learned about in recent years) plays an important role getting this far, assuming you survive the risks of normal daily activities. (Driving a two-decade old car on public thoroughfares can still be an adventure.)

At this time of life, friends and relatives are disappearing. Not all of them were older than me and that is always distressing.

One benefit of getting older, though, has been that I have many family members who help me do things that make my tasks easier. I love and am very fortunate that I have them in my life.

As I said, I am still processing this move into my 81^st year. I probably will until I move into my 91^st.

But, for now, I am pleased to say, “I am eighty!”

Natural Disasters and Family Misfortunes: Jamestown Drought

Sometimes moving to new places in search of opportunity or a better life does not work out as well as people thought it might. As an example, a long-lasting drought probably had a major impact on the outcome of the early American colonies.

In 1585 new settlers came to Roanoke Island, in what is now North Carolina, to begin a new life. In 1607 Jamestown Colony, in what was to be Virginia, was established. 

According to a 1998 study, The Lost Colony and Jamestown Drought, the authors state that between 1587 and 1589, “. . . the Lost Colony of Roanoke Island disappeared during the most extreme drought in 800 years. . .” They also comment that between 1606 and 1612, “. . . the alarming mortality and the near abandonment of Jamestown Colony occurred during the driest 7-year episode in 770 years.” 

A map from the North American Drought Atlas for 1610 illustrates the area of the southeast part of the continent impacted by the drought. Maps are constructed using measurements of tree rings which are direct indications of periods of drought (red end of spectrum) or wet (blue end) conditions. http://drought.memphis.edu/NADA/MapDisplay.aspx 

Data collected from tree-ring measurements, as well as population and immigration estimates, in the region strongly suggest that mortality rates rose with increasing aridity (drought index).

The new settlers in America had the greatest bad luck to arrive at a time when drought in this region was widespread and possibly the worst it had been in centuries. Even considering threats from other sources, such as the potential conflict with the native population, it is no wonder the colonies failed.

Reference:

Stahle, David W., Malcolm K. Cleaveland, Dennis B. Blanton, Matthew D. Therrell & David A. Gay. (1998). The Lost Colony and Jamestown Droughts. Science, 280(5363), pp 564-567.