My Genealogical Superpower
Dean Richardson’s January 1st post “What’s Your Genealogical Superpower?” was picked up by Randy Seaver for “Saturday Night Genealogy Fun” and then Sheri Fenley (aka The Extraordinary Flying Condor) upped the ante and posted about “Super Heroes and the Powers That May Be” and included a cool avatar. Donna Pointkouski (aka The Extraordinary Splintery Stick) has also reported on her Genealogical Superpower in “Donna’s Picks” and included an avatar. Likewise, Tina Sansone (aka Gtownma Census Superhero) wrote about her Genealogical Superpower at “Census Superpower”, Midge Frazel (aka Super Midge) wrote a post at “Super Midge” and Cindy Bergeron Scherwinski wrote “What’s Your Superpower?” (although she seems to have misplaced her cape).
In need of a bit of a diversion I, too, created a Superhero avatar at The Hero Factory.
My Genealogical Superpower? I suppose it’s my dogged determination and ability to jump into new sources and repositories in order to find information about my ancestors. The records are written in Russian? OK, I can learn enough Russian to read the records. The repository is in Lithuania? OK, I can travel to Lithuania. The clerk at the cemetery office just told someone that they really can’t help people with their genealogy research? OK, perhaps I can charm the clerk into making me a copy of the cemetery file for my relative, anyway.
I still have a lot of brick walls to knock down. Even though I have good evidence for the parishes where the records of my grandfather and great grandfather should be, their records aren’t there. So, now, I’m left with the brute force method of genealogy: shoot arrows in every direction and see what I hit. To that end, I’m searching all the microfilmed Polish parish records for a wide radius around Pomaski, Poland and, with luck, I might find where my ancestors really were when they claimed to be in Pomaski.
What’s your Genealogical Superpower?
Copyright © 2010 by Stephen J. Danko
Wow! I can’t believe that I am just now seeing this post. I am just tickled pink Steve, er I mean Astonishing Aimed Arrow. I have always thought that you thought me way too silly. Well I guess my super power would be that I can be the life of the party and still turn in a good paper! Glad to see you play along with us – and by the way – you will have no problem charming them in any country you visit no matter what language you speak!
Holy Brick Wall, Astonishing Aimed Arrow! Your superhero rocks! I would have thought you would be called the “Golden Tongue” or something with all those languages and speaking at conferences! You are definitely one of my genealogical superheroes!
Sincerely,
Extraordinary Splintery Stick (Pointy Stick?), aka
Super-Finder of Passenger Arrival Records
Good luck with the concentric circles thing. Been there, done that… faithfully every month for just under 2 years. You will find them eventually doing that because eventually you’ll have viewed every film of every parish in Poland, LOL!
Seriously, I would have found my maternal grandfather that way if I’d stuck with it a bit longer. I had to laugh when I finally found my grandfather’s parish in another source because it turns out it was in the next circle out from the one I’d stopped at. Figures.
Good luck Astonishing Aimed Arrow! May the force be with you!