My Turning Point

I do not remember when I started doing genealogy research. It was sometime in the early ‘90s. I remember the place where I first found my great-grandfather on the 1920 Soundex and then the 1920 census record. I was taken to Sutro Library in San Francisco by my friend, Susan. I was hooked.

I spent any free moment to keep at it, though it was hard at that time because not much was online except RootsWeb and county pages on USGENWeb. I visited libraries and wrote letters to libraries and repositories, sending along my self-addressed stamped envelopes. It was fun coming home to the mail with one of my envelopes in it, wondering what treasures might there be.

I also read books, beginning with Doane’s book, Searching for Your Ancestors, and later reading Ancestry’s The Source. Somewhere along the way, I knew I should keep track of what I was finding and I kept spiral-bound notebooks of my searches, whether positive or negative. I just wished I had been more organized, separating out the families, so I could scan and store these notes.

I also started using genealogy software, beginning with PAF (Personal Ancestral File). I think the first version I used was DOS and later a version for Windows. I tried to cite my sources in the notes section as best I could.

The Turning Point
Then one day, I was reading about the Genealogical Proof Standard (GPS), and realized I could take my genealogy research up a few more notches. I was determined to follow the GPS. I began attending institute classes. I bought Professional Genealogy and read through it. After I retired, I signed up for ProGen, where what we did as projects, was to meet the GPS. I bought Elizabeth Shown Mills’ first book Evidence! (it’s even autographed by her), and later her books Evidence Explained, so I would create good citations. I read through Tom Jones’ book Mastering Genealogy Proof, and attended study groups using the book.

I studied the elements of the GPS and strived to follow them. After taking the course “You Be the Judge,” at SLIG, I realized I could create a portfolio to submit to the Board for the Certification of Genealogists and test whether I was meeting genealogy standards and the GPS. I joined other like-minded genealogists in an accountability group that met weekly. Of the six, three of us have become certified.

I am glad I took that turning point. Becoming a Certified Genealogist was one of the happiest days of my life. Working toward meeting standards has kept me on my toes. I am more focused with my work. I have more documentation concerning my searches and feel confident in my conclusions. This turning point has made my love of genealogy research even greater.

Created by Claude.ai Sonnet 4.6 with input by author

#52Ancestors: Week 11 – Turning Point

This is my ninth year working on this year-long prompt, hosted by Amy Johnson Crow (https://www.amyjohnsoncrow.com/) at Generations Cafe. I write each week in one of my two blogs, either Mam-ma’s Southern Family or My Trails into the Past. I have enjoyed writing about my children’s ancestors in new and exciting ways.

Copyright © 2011-2026 by Lisa S. Gorrell, My Trails into the Past. All Rights Reserved.