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Friday, May 7, 2010

Follow Friday: Into the Light

Renate’s blog Into the Light is an engaging illustration of the genealogy blog as chronicle of a journey. There is both struggle and poetry in that journey. The focus is on both researching family history and living family history, and how those two processes intertwine – discovery begets understanding. One of my favorite recent posts in this vein was “Sentimental Sundays – Sentimental Journeys” on family events of special significance.

Renate’s posts on her family members and ancestors are fully fleshed-out portraits rather than dry recitations of statistics and events (though Renate can do a mean timeline: check out “Calvin R. Yarborough – Where it all began”). Her entry in the Carnival of African-American Genealogy – Grandma’s Hands, “Grandmothers and Their Influence on the Family,” was insightful and gave a full description of the lives of these ladies, and there were links to even more information in other articles such as “Fearless Female – Anna G. Yarborough.” I was inspired to take stock of my knowledge of my own grandmothers: could I say that I knew this much about my own grandmothers? The answer was no, and I resolved then and there to rectify that situation. So if I were to make a list genealogy blogs that have inspired and influenced me, Into the Light would definitely be on it.

This Week

At The Research Journal, YourIslandRoutes (sorry, I do not know the blogger’s name) writes about “My First Genealogy Teacher.” Great subject, and I think it would be interesting to hear from others on it.

Elyse at Elyse’s Genealogy Blog ask a question many of us have asked ourselves: “Are Genealogists Mean to Lack Answers?” I’ve often wondered if it isn’t those missed opportunities – not asking questions of older relatives when they were still around – that gives special urgency to “finding the answers” in genealogy.

In “Miss Conduct” footnoteMaven addresses the recent discussion of the pluses and minuses of a Code of Conduct for Genea-Bloggers.

For another take on the subject, check out Chris’s “A Contrary Code of Conduct” at The Genealogue.

Daniel Hubbard at Personal Past Meditations – A Genealogical Blog delves into a fascinating subject – math and genealogy (including pedigree collapse) – in “A Genealogist in Mathmagic Land.”

There were also quite a few great posts this week by bloggers who attended the NGS Conference in Salt Lake City. Wish I had been there to meet you all!

This week I started following these blogs:

Wild Rhododendrons: A Family History

Family Tree Circles Blog

Forks in My Trees

Genealogy Geek

Granny & Gramp’s Place

Jirene’s Genealogy Tips

Restored Memories

Southern Greens

Sunny Ancestry

4 comments:

  1. Greta!
    Imagine my surprise as I was scrolling through my Reader this evening and there was my name - and the name of my blog on your post! Thank you so very much for making "Into the Light" the focus of your Follow Friday post! I am so honored by your beautifully-written overview of my blog, and I can tell that you've really been reading!
    I love your blog, too, and look forward to continue to follow your genealogical journey as we continue to learn from, and support one another.

    Thanks again!
    Renate

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  2. I am so pleased to see that my favorite commenter has made it official with a weekly comment post.

    And then, to comment on me! Thank you, reading you is always a pleasure.

    -fM

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  3. Renate - As I mentioned in the post, your blog has been one that really brought home a point to me - I need to make sure I "do right" by the relatives that I actually did know - put down all my memories and find out as much additional information as I can! You always inspire me!

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  4. fM - You are so kind. I am so glad that you are "back", and back with your inimitable style. As I wrote a couple of weeks ago, there are certain thought-provoking posts that naturally inspire comments, and yours definitely do.

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