Last month, I had a genealogy play date. My friend Vickie Sheridan, whom I met through this blog, and I met at the History and Genealogy department at the St. Louis County Library headquarters. The library has great resources. But that’s not the only reason we met. There are many benefits of having a genealogy friend to research with–even if you share no common research interests. These benefits include:
- Setting aside time for research. By putting a six-hour (including lunch) genealogy date on my calendar, I elevated genealogy research on my priority list that day. In a month where I got precious little research done, this day was a stand out.
- Getting out of the house. I appreciate an excuse to go to the genealogy library, rather than researching online at home. I have more resources available to me at the library (including access to documents on Family Search that I can’t access at home). Having a dates gets me away from my desk.
- Keeping me focused on my research. When I’m researching quietly beside a friend who’s also researching, I tend to stay focused, rather than let my mind (or feet) wander.
- Having someone to brainstorm with. It’s so nice to be able to pick Vickie’s brain (or vice versa). We’ve been genealogy buddies for five years now, so we’re a bit familiar with one another’s research. We try not to interrupt each other’s research, but when we do have questions, it’s really helpful.
- Our mutual interest in genealogy. Some (most?) of my friends outside the genealogy world really don’t want to hear about my little genealogy victories. But Vickie does!
- Having company. Genealogy can be such a solitary pursuit. It’s really nice working on my own research in the company of someone else. Vickie is also my genealogy conference buddy. We’ve attended more than ten conferences together–we even drove to Indianapolis together this summer to attend Midwestern Roots. It’s great to have someone to hang out with at conferences.
If you have local friends or family who are also genealogy enthusiasts, I encourage you to get out to a library or cemetery or conference or other genealogy site together. Genealogy buddies are real treasures!
Thank you for the kind words! Only another genealogist will get excited for you when you discover a newspaper article from 1880, where your great great grandfather broke his collar bone after falling off a mule. I’m sure we have more adventures and research ahead of us.
Your comment made me laugh! Yes, I look forward to many more adventures!
This is exactly how I feel about a genealogy buddy. I have one and we try to meet at the local library twice a month to work on our own genealogy and to use each other as a sounding board. We eat a meal together, too, where it’s easier to have a good discussion without worrying that we’re bothering other library patrons.
We are also a part of a group of four genealogists who meet once a year for a long weekend retreat. This retreat is a power session where we get a huge amount of work done–but also get several good discussions in. I highly recommend having both a buddy and to participate in a retreat.
I love the idea of a multi-person weekend retreat! Thank you for that suggestion! What type of venue do you do it in?
One of our members has a cabin in the mountains with plenty of room for us. We take turns planning and cooking meals, and on the last night go out to dinner to celebrate our successes.
Wonderful!
This is so nice! I love getting out to the local libraries and research centers, and having a buddy would make finding things a little easier at these places.
It does make it more fun! Maybe you can find one at a local genealogy society or conference.
My genealogy buddy is my daughter. She happens to work in the History and Genealogy Department at St. Louis County Library. Not only is she a great buddy, she gives great research tips!
Lucky you, Leslie!
Jessica, you have quite an interesting genealogy journey ahead of you! What interesting research questions to explore! I hope that someone here will reach out to be your genealogy buddy!