I have been working on lineage papers for the U. S. Daughters of 1812. For some reason when I went thru the records for myself, my husband, and my parents this time, it was like my life was passing before my eyes.
Tonight I found out that an old friend of mine is losing her battle with Alzheimer's. I can't explain the feeling I have had over the last few hours. Shock! Of course, sadness. The usual bitterness and anger. But more than that is the realization that her life may have passed before her eyes a long time ago.
This afternoon at the Lucas County Chapter OGS board meeting, we were discussing program choices for the coming year. Health and DNA took a front seat at the table. It is important that we research not only our family history, but also our health history. We have only discovered the tip of the iceberg on this new frontier. Genealogists have a lot to contribute to society. We have been overlooked for too long.
How many universities offer degrees in genealogy science. Yes, it is becoming a science. And it should be recognized as a valuable contribution to the community. Just sit and listen to a bunch of family detectives discuss how and where they found a valuable piece of information. It's amazing. It is so much more now than just a birth certificate or a family bible or a bunch of letters from the Civil War stuffed in the rafters in a barn.
It is knowing where to go. How to fit pieces of the puzzle together. How to analyze your results.
So my friend is losing her battle. Maybe it is time to put the pieces of her family tree together. Maybe the answer to saving her descendants lies in her genealogy science.
Let's hope so!
Let's hope so!
