It struck me the other day that if we all decided we weren’t going to do anything for our society, our society wouldn’t exist. We wouldn’t have a space to meet because the person in charge of setting that up decided he was too busy and quit doing it. We wouldn’t have a speaker because the person in charge of doing that decided she was tired of making those calls and sending those e-mails and didn’t want to do it anymore. We wouldn’t have members because no one would know how to join because there was no publicity person advertising our society, no Webmaster posting our programs, no programs to post because our program chair quit working. We’d have no Quarterly or Newsletter to read, no classes to attend, no meetings to attend, no snacks to eat at those meetings, and so on and so on.
If we all just decided not to do anything for the society, we would have no society. It has been said that usually about 20% of the people in any given group do 80% of the work. It’s that way in any group, but I’ve seen it especially true in our society as of late. I have attended meeting after meeting and noticed that a few of the people are doing a lot of the work. This leads to burnout and eventually loss of good members.
Burnout happens. It happens in any area of life. Sometimes we just need a break or a change of pace. I think it would be wise for any society to put all of the jobs in a hat once in a while and redistribute them. We have to try new things, learn different aspects of the society, from the smallest task–something as simple as bringing a tasty treat to a meeting–to one of the larger tasks such as Membership Chair or Quarterly Editor.
I have been the Quarterly editor for 4 years now. This is my 16th issue. I love the Quarterly and writing in particular, but just like everyone else I need a break. There are other jobs coming up this year that are vacant, mainly due to burnout and wanting a change of pace. We need some new people to step up and take the reins.
I even run into burnout in my research. I find myself working and working and working on a particular family, or trying to uncover a specific piece of information, and I eventually work so much that I have to put it aside. I generally just pick up another family that I’ve set aside and get back to work. Usually that family is in a different geographical location or time and so the research is different enough so that it renews my interest and I’m able to continue my work.
This is my last Quarterly. I do plan on being a regular contributor but I don’t have the time or energy to stay dedicated to this particular task anymore. I want to take on a different job, have a different role in the society, try my hand at something new and work on some other projects. I know there are other people in the society in similar situations. I encourage you to volunteer for some position, no matter how small or large. Know that you will be supported by the Board, by the previous job-holder, and by your fellow members. Many jobs can be shared or split with someone else to take some of the burden off. As they say, many hands make light work.
You may not think your small bit of volunteering matters, but when a large number of people share that idea then the effects add up, whether it’s a diminished level of service or a lower quality product. Even this Quarterly has suffered from a lack of contributions and the last few issues have shrunk in size.
Just like any social group, political party, small business, volunteer organization, church group, in any of the unlimited aspects of life, it takes help and helpers to make it work. How many indexes, transcriptions, abstracts, compilations and websites has your research benefited from? How many meetings have you attended at BGS, or elsewhere, that someone else organized? If we all just pitched in and did a little bit, the big jobs wouldn’t be so big and we could all enjoy these various groups with a little less stress. Do your part and help out this year. I know we’d all appreciate it!
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
The First Word #15: Healing Relationships for Better Genealogy
Time is a funny thing. It just slips away and is gone before you know it. I don’t know what happened to the whole month of June for instance. I woke up the other day and my calendar said July 1st and I said, “Holy cow, where did June go?” As I get older, time seems to go by faster. My kids are already growing up, the number of years I’ve been alive is getting bigger at an alarming rate and I swear an hour or two is removed from my day every night while I am sleeping. Surely, there are only twenty-two hours in the day anymore!
I think of the shortness of life when I look how many of my “older” family members are passing away. There aren’t too many left “above” me in the tree any more. My family wasn’t that large to begin with! I only have 4 first cousins to start with! I know many families that have dozens. One of my maternal grandfather’s brothers and sisters died in May, Carl Businger. I remember as a child going to Uncle Carl’s house for a party on the 4th of July, eating watermelon in their back yard, then walking to the golf course nearby to watch the fireworks.
I was never very close to that side of the family. My mother has been semi-estranged from her family and after she moved us to Wyoming, we lost almost all contact with her family. Since my mother lost contact, so did I. When I became an adult and began researching my tree, her parents had already passed away and my already tenuous connections with any of her aunts and uncles had diminished even more.
I find it foolish and unnecessary that families can be broken apart and consequently much family history is lost as a result of one “break in the branch.” I would have loved to have had my grandfather’s siblings’ perspective on so many things. What could they have told me about him? About their upbringing? About their aunts, uncles, cousins? What stories have been lost now because of the grudges and wounded pride that happened before my time?
Stories are lost everyday that will never be pieced together, no matter how much research is done. My paternal grandfather, Karl Miller, was full of such stories. He told me about one time when he was painting a house with a bunch of other guys. One guy was standing on a ladder and his feet just happened to be at the same level as a window into the house. My grandpa took some paint into the house, reached out the window and painted the other man’s shoes! If I asked any number of people who knew my grandfather they would all have a story of his antics! These peeks into his practical joker personality are lost every time someone who knew him passes away. Then all that’s left of him are the names and dates and places that make up so much of the genealogical record.
That’s where part of our jobs as family historians come in. We have an obligation to interview those who are still living. Ask them about those who have already passed away, those who are still alive, and themselves. Videotape the interview or make an audio recording if they will let you. At least write these stories down and share them with your family.
Even in the time since I began writing this article I got an email from an aunt in Ohio letting me know that another member of our family has passed away. Uncle Ivan Stearns was a dedicated genealogist in my family, mainly researching the Businger side, which is my mother’s line. So, my point has been made again in my own family. I never had a chance to talk to Ivan. We had written letters a few times but never had the chance to meet. He’s on “that side” of the family that I’ve been apart from due to “bad blood” so long ago.
Are there similar situations in your family where someone has moved away, lost contact or been otherwise separated because of some fight or other disharmony? I encourage you to attempt to repair any relationships that have become lost or strained. These relationships are important for your genealogy, but more importantly, also for a more satisfying life being connected to your living family tree.
I think of the shortness of life when I look how many of my “older” family members are passing away. There aren’t too many left “above” me in the tree any more. My family wasn’t that large to begin with! I only have 4 first cousins to start with! I know many families that have dozens. One of my maternal grandfather’s brothers and sisters died in May, Carl Businger. I remember as a child going to Uncle Carl’s house for a party on the 4th of July, eating watermelon in their back yard, then walking to the golf course nearby to watch the fireworks.
I was never very close to that side of the family. My mother has been semi-estranged from her family and after she moved us to Wyoming, we lost almost all contact with her family. Since my mother lost contact, so did I. When I became an adult and began researching my tree, her parents had already passed away and my already tenuous connections with any of her aunts and uncles had diminished even more.
I find it foolish and unnecessary that families can be broken apart and consequently much family history is lost as a result of one “break in the branch.” I would have loved to have had my grandfather’s siblings’ perspective on so many things. What could they have told me about him? About their upbringing? About their aunts, uncles, cousins? What stories have been lost now because of the grudges and wounded pride that happened before my time?
Stories are lost everyday that will never be pieced together, no matter how much research is done. My paternal grandfather, Karl Miller, was full of such stories. He told me about one time when he was painting a house with a bunch of other guys. One guy was standing on a ladder and his feet just happened to be at the same level as a window into the house. My grandpa took some paint into the house, reached out the window and painted the other man’s shoes! If I asked any number of people who knew my grandfather they would all have a story of his antics! These peeks into his practical joker personality are lost every time someone who knew him passes away. Then all that’s left of him are the names and dates and places that make up so much of the genealogical record.
That’s where part of our jobs as family historians come in. We have an obligation to interview those who are still living. Ask them about those who have already passed away, those who are still alive, and themselves. Videotape the interview or make an audio recording if they will let you. At least write these stories down and share them with your family.
Even in the time since I began writing this article I got an email from an aunt in Ohio letting me know that another member of our family has passed away. Uncle Ivan Stearns was a dedicated genealogist in my family, mainly researching the Businger side, which is my mother’s line. So, my point has been made again in my own family. I never had a chance to talk to Ivan. We had written letters a few times but never had the chance to meet. He’s on “that side” of the family that I’ve been apart from due to “bad blood” so long ago.
Are there similar situations in your family where someone has moved away, lost contact or been otherwise separated because of some fight or other disharmony? I encourage you to attempt to repair any relationships that have become lost or strained. These relationships are important for your genealogy, but more importantly, also for a more satisfying life being connected to your living family tree.
The First Word #14: Changing Times, Moving On and New Tattoos
I turned 35 this year, (I know, I am getting old) and I decided to do something that I’ve been wanting to do for a long time but just never did. I got a tattoo. I figured that 35 was a good waypoint in my life to get it. If you follow average life expectancy rates, I’m almost half way through. The tattoo I got was of an ouroboros (the snake eating its own tail) on my upper back. The ouroboros is an ancient symbol that “often represents self-reflexivity or cyclicality, especially in the sense of something constantly re-creating itself, the eternal return, and other things perceived as cycles that begin anew as soon as they end” (from Wikipedia.com). This is completely relevant to all of the changes currently happening in BGS.
First, all local BGS members should be aware that our library holdings, previously housed at Carnegie Library in Boulder, have been released, mostly to Denver Public Library or to a few BGS members for safe keeping, to make room for a large collection of the Boulder Daily Camera to be housed at Carnegie Library. Second, as most of you also know, we have moved from publishing a traditional printed Quarterly, to a modern, electronic Quarterly. Third, this year, instead of having our annual garage sale, we have undertaken another fundraiser instead, the BGS/Boulder Sesquicentennial Playing Cards. These are three significant changes for BGS and demonstrate how all of life grows, evolves and flows.
I want to take this time to say thank you to all of the volunteers who have worked on any of these facets of our society. There have been many who have helped staff the library as well as a strong contingent of people who faithfully showed up for collating the Quarterly once per quarter. Every year we had many helpers for the garage sale, either by donating goods or by showing up for pricing, sorting and selling. We all appreciate your dedication to keeping these projects afloat. Many hours have been given to the society by these people and they should know that they are appreciated beyond words!
These changes in our society make me think about how our ancestors must have experienced change in their lives. They encountered difficult circumstances like war, disease, moving across the country in covered wagons, Indian raids, natural disasters, loss of loved ones, and the list could go on forever. I also think about how changes in society, culture, technology, science and so forth, affected them as well. Penicillin was a major scientific breakthrough that saved many lives from infections that would have previously been fatal. The invention of the telegraph allowed communication over large distances as well as over seas. The railroad allowed faster, easier travel from one side of our country to the other. As immigrants flooded in to our great country, the “melting-pot,” became a great meshing of many different cultures and ideas.
As changes came in the past, our ancestors embarked on new phases of life and our society as a whole evolved. So will it be for the Boulder Genealogical Society as well. We are embarking on a new time in our Society’s life. With these changes, people and their ideas will change as well. Let us focus on what the benefits of these new changes will be, and avoid non-beneficial discourse over the way things “used to be.”
When thinking about taking the Quarterly in the electronic direction, I can see many possibilities in regards to the addition of more graphics and publishing photographs in color. Without printing costs, the sky is the limit when it comes to adding color. (Well, maybe the file size is the limit, but you know what I mean.) Also, having the Quarterly in an electronic format, you will be able to use search or find functions to locate specific surnames or subjects in each issue quickly and easily. Not only will we be cutting down on our own printing costs, but we will also be cutting down on the amount of natural resources consumed to create the Quarterly. By keeping the Quarterly on your computer instead of in a printed format, you will also be saving your house from unnecessary clutter.
By looking at the positive changes these situations bring, we can move forward happily and in a cooperative manner. Change can be very difficult, especially if you liked the “way things were,” but change is necessary for things to grow and evolve to the next phase of life. If change had not occurred, our ancestors would still be living in their ancestral homelands and this great country would still be wild and untamed.
Like my new tattoo, things end and new things begin all the time. What’s next in store for BGS? New local history projects? New developments online? More electronic publications? More educational opportunities? Who knows! But let’s all peer into the future and try to imagine the new beginnings that we can bring about for our great Society.
First, all local BGS members should be aware that our library holdings, previously housed at Carnegie Library in Boulder, have been released, mostly to Denver Public Library or to a few BGS members for safe keeping, to make room for a large collection of the Boulder Daily Camera to be housed at Carnegie Library. Second, as most of you also know, we have moved from publishing a traditional printed Quarterly, to a modern, electronic Quarterly. Third, this year, instead of having our annual garage sale, we have undertaken another fundraiser instead, the BGS/Boulder Sesquicentennial Playing Cards. These are three significant changes for BGS and demonstrate how all of life grows, evolves and flows.
I want to take this time to say thank you to all of the volunteers who have worked on any of these facets of our society. There have been many who have helped staff the library as well as a strong contingent of people who faithfully showed up for collating the Quarterly once per quarter. Every year we had many helpers for the garage sale, either by donating goods or by showing up for pricing, sorting and selling. We all appreciate your dedication to keeping these projects afloat. Many hours have been given to the society by these people and they should know that they are appreciated beyond words!
These changes in our society make me think about how our ancestors must have experienced change in their lives. They encountered difficult circumstances like war, disease, moving across the country in covered wagons, Indian raids, natural disasters, loss of loved ones, and the list could go on forever. I also think about how changes in society, culture, technology, science and so forth, affected them as well. Penicillin was a major scientific breakthrough that saved many lives from infections that would have previously been fatal. The invention of the telegraph allowed communication over large distances as well as over seas. The railroad allowed faster, easier travel from one side of our country to the other. As immigrants flooded in to our great country, the “melting-pot,” became a great meshing of many different cultures and ideas.
As changes came in the past, our ancestors embarked on new phases of life and our society as a whole evolved. So will it be for the Boulder Genealogical Society as well. We are embarking on a new time in our Society’s life. With these changes, people and their ideas will change as well. Let us focus on what the benefits of these new changes will be, and avoid non-beneficial discourse over the way things “used to be.”
When thinking about taking the Quarterly in the electronic direction, I can see many possibilities in regards to the addition of more graphics and publishing photographs in color. Without printing costs, the sky is the limit when it comes to adding color. (Well, maybe the file size is the limit, but you know what I mean.) Also, having the Quarterly in an electronic format, you will be able to use search or find functions to locate specific surnames or subjects in each issue quickly and easily. Not only will we be cutting down on our own printing costs, but we will also be cutting down on the amount of natural resources consumed to create the Quarterly. By keeping the Quarterly on your computer instead of in a printed format, you will also be saving your house from unnecessary clutter.
By looking at the positive changes these situations bring, we can move forward happily and in a cooperative manner. Change can be very difficult, especially if you liked the “way things were,” but change is necessary for things to grow and evolve to the next phase of life. If change had not occurred, our ancestors would still be living in their ancestral homelands and this great country would still be wild and untamed.
Like my new tattoo, things end and new things begin all the time. What’s next in store for BGS? New local history projects? New developments online? More electronic publications? More educational opportunities? Who knows! But let’s all peer into the future and try to imagine the new beginnings that we can bring about for our great Society.
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