September 14, 2007

Late Night Therapy—Genealogy Style

- Juliana Smith

Lately, I have often found myself pacing the house in the wee hours. I know I'm not alone. I look out my windows at two, three, or four o'clock in the morning, and I see other lights on, or the flicker of the TV screen in windows up and down the street. I'm guessing there may be a few of you friends out there too, who have spent a night or two tossing and turning in the past month or so, and I'm guessing that some of you may have discovered what I have discovered— genealogy therapy. Yes, instead of counting sheep, I'm counting ancestors.

On those nights when I am sleepless, instead of lying there with horrible images and fears keep creeping into my thoughts, I fight them with the mysteries of the past. Sometimes, if it's not too bad, I just lay in bed and try to think of a new angle to attempt in my searches. (The danger here being that if I actually do think of one, I usually get up to pursue it if possible!) For the nights when I can muster some self-control and stay in bed, I have a little notepad and pen on the headboard to jot down notes so that I can remember them in the morning. Unfortunately, deciphering them can be a challenge come morning!

There are those nights though, when you just know that sleep is not going to come, and I have found that the only thing that helps in these instances is to get up and do something. Since cleaning house typically involves making unnecessary noise that could waken my husband and daughter, I usually opt for some quiet time on the computer or with my family history files. (Hear that? It's the sound of dust bunnies rejoicing!)

What kind of genealogy research can be done in the middle of the night? I'm guessing most of you already know the answer to that one, but today I thought I'd share some of my favorite middle-of-the-night tips.

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