Musings on Methodology Monday

One of the ancillary pleasures of working on Ancestry ExpertConnect is the camaraderie and information in the GoogleGroup discussion of the experts. (It's what they call us, we can't help it, OK?) And one thing I've picked up there is that there are two kinds of genealogists: the answer-seekers and the process-oriented. Some won't bid on a project unless they're sure they can "help," that is, find an actual ancestor. Others will bid if they see they can do something, that is, go through records that need to be gone through (or dealt with in more creative ways) even if they don't yield the prize.

Of course we'd all rather find new ancestors, but the emphasis is different. I don't judge one way or the other. In the long run, as Craig Scott says, we're judged by what we find. But there's a lot of process along the way. So maybe we need both kinds.