My new book, The Good Genealogist, was launched at the Society of Australian Genealogist last Thursday. It was really great to see so many of my colleagues there. Most of whom I hadn’t seen since before COVID and others that I had only ever seen through zoom. I am humbled by the enthusiasm that I have received for my book. I love to teach and I spend as much time figuring out how to deliver the information as I do figuring out which information to provide. So, it is always great to hear that people find it useful and that I have conveyed the techniques comprehensibly.
I think that most people will understand what the title of my book means, but nevertheless, a blog post about it will not hurt.
Why is there so much ‘bad’ family history around?
We all know that there is a lot of ‘bad’ family history out there, primarily online but it also appears in archives and sometimes in published format. ‘Bad’ family history is poorly researched, poorly documented and contains conclusions that have little to no evidence to support them.
‘Bad’ family history means that people are claiming the wrong people as family and it leads other researchers astray.
One of the greatest aspects of family history is that anyone can participate. You do not have to attend university and get a degree, and you do not have to be accredited. Most genealogists do not have a background in historical research. This means that they can find it difficult to locate relevant historical information and interpret the information when they do find it.
Learn to produce good quality family history
The purpose of my book, my blog, and the lectures and courses that I give, is to teach those who do not have a background in historical research how to research their family history. It is also aimed at those who may have a background in historical research but need to know more about family history, or those who have been researching their family history for some time but want to improve their skills.
It is my belief that with guidance and practice, anyone can be a good genealogist and create good quality family history. The expression, ‘good genealogist’, is aspirational for all of us.
The qualities of a good genealogist can of course be debated, but the key features that I have focused on are listed in this image.
Note: Accreditation is required in some locations if you want to work as a professional genealogist.
More information
Read my article: What is good quality family history?
For my articles about research methods for family history, go to the Research Methods page.
For my articles about resources and tools for family history, go to the Resources page.
Post last updated 12 June 2024
Looking forward to reading it. Arrived today in the post