A particular stumbling block that I have seen with teaching and assisting others with their research is assuming that the spelling of your ancestors name is only one way, the way we spell it. Experience has taught it is important that we broaden our views when researching our ancestors. One cannot assume that there is only one way to spell a name. We have to remember that the borders of counties and countries have changed throughout the years.
How can genealogy research heal the world? The video interview with Elizabeth Shown Mills, CG, CGL, FASG, FNGS, FUGA us very illuminating. She reminds us that our family tree is comprised of many people of various ethnicity, values, and religious believes. We are all interconnected at some point....we are all cousins. If the world in general could understand that we are all related, possibly it would encourage people to help others and not be judgmental. In genealogy, if one is judgmental, a hidden opportunity to find an ancestor that they would never had dreamed would be a part of their family tree may be missed. For example, I received an email several years back from someone in Autralia. She sent me a picture of a family that was supposed to be part of my tree. As the picture loaded, I thought now way...all of my ancestors were from Scandinavia or the UK. This woman told me where this family was located in my tree and I looked it up to make sure we were talking about the same person. I was so surprised to find that she was correct. This was an amazing educational moment for me; one that will not be forgotten. Enjoy the video.
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