I'm currently following along with the DNA Study Group presented by Your DNA Guide. One of the prompts that Diahan Southard says after we have finished processing our DNA matches is to ask yourself "What have I gathered?" Really, that question can probably be used outside the DNA context. I know I have a bad habit of hunting for information while researching, obtaining the treasured data, gathering it and then storing it away somewhere. I fall down at the stage of putting it into use.
It's the same thing with books. My personal library is filled with tomes on my subjects of interest. A lot of them are histories of places that my family have lived and they have lived in a lot of different places. There are other pet topics as well, such as genetic genealogy, medicine and diseases, transportation and books about Jack the Ripper - I have a weakness for murder mysteries, and besides, my family lived in the East End of London where Jack hunted.
The time has come to actually find what I have gathered. Part of that happens as I delve into various sources to bring to life a story of family so writing various articles and this blog are part of the process. The project of broadening my family tree also helps. I've run across things I didn't remember I had. Things like a family tree related to the husband of one of the McKay daughters that I found tucked into the pages of a binder along with copies of documents related to that couple, including their births and marriages. The family tree was a bonus that can take me off in another direction if I let it, but the husband's line is not directly related to mine and, before I use the information on it, it would need to be checked out. So I should probably save it to look at later. But those books on the shelves are something I need to start exploring. Maybe they hold important clues to how my ancestors lived.
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