Today I attended the last meeting of the season for the Houston Genealogical Forum. Part of me went because I'm hooked on the Picnic box lunches they serve. The other part of me wanted to see their guest speaker: Carolyn Earle Billingsley, Ph.D.
Dr. Billingsley talks about kinship. If you want to know more about an ancestor, you need to move beyond that person and study his or her kin. Those neighbors might be family members, you know.
I liked this talk because it justified the way I look for genealogical information. I'm not content to make the biological connection. I often call b.s. on the information I find (or others provide), then I start the process for finding more details for the same event.
Dr. Billingsley talked about migration and the reasons people move. This totally fit with my insistence that my great-great grandmother moved to New Mexico for a reason, and I think that reason was family. You don't just leave Illinois as a widow with a child and mosey down to a railroad town for a fresh start. Someone was there waiting. Dr. Billingsley's words made me feel less crazy because I am so sure this is the case.
Anyway, it was a fun time. I lost a good seat and a stack of old genealogy journals because I was being polite and courteous of others. Apparently it's every man for himself at the book sale and you must grab what you want or others will do it for you. I know that now. BUT I did get a copy of the September 1999 Evidence NGSQ, so that was a score. I was able to snatch that one without a fight. These genealogy meetings cen be tough, you know.
I also talked to a couple of people about my Texas Genealogy Events calendar. The response is always positive. Yay.
The rest of the day will be lazy. I might do some of the reading required for my NGS class.
I can hardly wait to hear Carolyn talk about Kinship.
ReplyDeleteShe's on my "most want to meet" list too. I expect it will happen at FGS in Little Rock.
Nice report - thanks!