Get to know our instructor,
Maureen Hanlon, who is teaching the Census
Records class in our
on-going, 4-part Beginning Genealogy series.
Why did you start
researching your genealogy?
During her last few years, my mom was housebound,
so when I visited her (and to avoid watching golf tournaments on television
with her) I started asking her questions about her family. She wondered aloud
as to what had happened to her grandmother’s four sisters. They all came to San Francisco with their
parents in the 1850’s from Ireland via Australia. I started talking
to some other relatives, found a few census records and got totally hooked.
What did you need to learn?
I didn’t know what
I didn’t know, so I just plunged in and made many mistakes, mostly not tracking
what I’d found. So I duplicated a lot of effort. In fact, I must
have looked at some records three or four times. “I wish I’d found CGS
sooner, taken Vinnie Schwarz’ beginner class, learned about setting a discrete
goal and documented, documented, documented...”
What were some of your first
experiences with the California Genealogical Society?
In 2008, I
attended their event, “A Day of Irish Information”, with Nora Hickey of County
Cork, Ireland. I met Jane Lindsey and several others there and thought,
“I really like these people! They talk my language.”
So what did I
do? I joined the California Genealogical Society that day. It turned out that the
library was a few blocks from where I worked, so I visited and then volunteered
for Desk Duty. I’ve learned so much
doing it and you never get the same question twice. “You know what’s
great about the place? After joining, I
realized my initial impressions of the people were spot-on and I’ve made a lot
of new friends.”
What do you hope someone new
to genealogy research will get from your Census
Records class in the 4-part Beginning Genealogy series?
We’re really
trying to help everybody get off to a great start and avoid the pitfalls some
of us have had to learn the hard way. We want new genealogists to know that
there’s some discipline involved, as well as motivate them with the excitement
and satisfaction of finding the right records.
“It’s always satisfying to add a new layer to your family tree.”
Any last thoughts on
genealogy?
It has really expanded my world...literally. “I took a course in Northern Ireland this past
September and without the genealogy impetus, I wouldn’t have seen that
beautiful part of the world.”
Copyright © 2015 by California Genealogical Society
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