Danustouch
January 21st, 2002, 08:08 PM
With a Big Fat Stupid Stick~!
Ok...so..I've been doing family tree/geneology work, for more than a year now. And I've really put aLOT of time and energy into it. Meanwhile, my illustrious father, hasn't helped a dang bit. He's been more a source of MISinformation, than anything else..and when I call to talk to them about the family tree, I almost always wind up talking to my mom, even about HIS side of the family. As a matter of fact, he's seemed to care less about my family tree research, until tonight. As a matter of fact, he's yelled at my mother about the phone bill, and been rude when she and I were on the phone discussing family tree research.
Well...just recently, I've seeemed to have a major increase in luck with the whole family research thing. I keep getting breaks, where before, it seemed all the doors were closed.
I'm already frustrated, however, because most of the research on my fathers side of the family, needs to be conducted in Ireland, since my father is only two generations removed from Ireland. And anyone who has done family tree research through foreighn countries, knows what a costly endeavor it can be. Each single record that you submit for, costs fourty dollars american, JUST for them to conduct a search. If they don't find anything, you still have to pay the fee (the local historical societies, and libraries, that is). If you hire a private geneology investigator, you're talking HUNDREDS and HUNDREDS of dollars. And if you want a membership on one of the major online geneology forums, such as ancestry.com, or geneology.com, you have to pay over 100 dollars for a yearly membership (depending on what features you get. What I need, would probably set me back about three hundred dollars). If I were working, I'd have no problem paying these fee's. So I've asked my family for help in that (since my mother is the one who's urged me for years to become the family historian). And...my mom is whining now, about how expensive it is, and how she wants to explore every other avenue first. No matter how much I tell her, that I've already explored every other avenue, for the last year and a half. I'm on over twelve email lists, I've done tons of searches...made phonecalls, written letters. There's just no way around it. To research that line of my family..it's going to cost us. So..I'm at a stalemate.
Then...all of a sudden..I get a message from a woman on a mailing list, who happens to be from that area of Ireland. She gives me the phone number, of a woman IN that section of Ireland, who appears to be a distant relative of ours! Jackpot! So...me..all excited and naive, calls my dad to tell him. Imagining how proud he'll be of me. He takes the number, and plans on calling there this weekend. I tell him.."Well..ya know dad..I'd kinda like to talk to her. I mean..i've been working on this for over a year now.". He goes.."Oh. Well..I mean..if she's willing to start a correspondence, we'll wait until the next time you come down here, and you can call her then.". Yeah..of course, that will be far too late. The next time I'm going down there, is in the middle of March. And I wanted to get some more information before my Grandfathers' birthday, so that I could put a book together, containing some family history, for him. So..basically, my father just took it right out of my hands. MY baby..MY energy..MY research, MY project...all the time I invested, all the money in phonecalls...and he just takes it right out of my hands. So...instead..i try to give him a list, of things I'd like him to ask her about. His answer.."NO NO NO..you can't do that..you need to start a 'Relationship' with her...you need to start a series of correspondences..and THEN ask your questions..little by little!". GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRARRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH!
This is my first major breakthrough in researching that side of my family. My FIRST major breakthrough..and he's putting me into a stalemate. I can't move foward, and do any more research on that side of the family. They either have to start paying for some of these programs, or...ask this lady. WHO by the way, KNOWS that the reason we will be calling is to discuss family history!
Dad...this isn't a freaking social..."HI, how ya doin..we're long lost relatives, love to visit you someday" type call! This is a "Hi! Wow..I'm so happy we found a distant relative. Noone else can provide us with any data on our roots in Ireland..we're hoping you can help" Call!
GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR.
So...my dad, is a big ...GRRRRRRRRRR
Ok...so..I've been doing family tree/geneology work, for more than a year now. And I've really put aLOT of time and energy into it. Meanwhile, my illustrious father, hasn't helped a dang bit. He's been more a source of MISinformation, than anything else..and when I call to talk to them about the family tree, I almost always wind up talking to my mom, even about HIS side of the family. As a matter of fact, he's seemed to care less about my family tree research, until tonight. As a matter of fact, he's yelled at my mother about the phone bill, and been rude when she and I were on the phone discussing family tree research.
Well...just recently, I've seeemed to have a major increase in luck with the whole family research thing. I keep getting breaks, where before, it seemed all the doors were closed.
I'm already frustrated, however, because most of the research on my fathers side of the family, needs to be conducted in Ireland, since my father is only two generations removed from Ireland. And anyone who has done family tree research through foreighn countries, knows what a costly endeavor it can be. Each single record that you submit for, costs fourty dollars american, JUST for them to conduct a search. If they don't find anything, you still have to pay the fee (the local historical societies, and libraries, that is). If you hire a private geneology investigator, you're talking HUNDREDS and HUNDREDS of dollars. And if you want a membership on one of the major online geneology forums, such as ancestry.com, or geneology.com, you have to pay over 100 dollars for a yearly membership (depending on what features you get. What I need, would probably set me back about three hundred dollars). If I were working, I'd have no problem paying these fee's. So I've asked my family for help in that (since my mother is the one who's urged me for years to become the family historian). And...my mom is whining now, about how expensive it is, and how she wants to explore every other avenue first. No matter how much I tell her, that I've already explored every other avenue, for the last year and a half. I'm on over twelve email lists, I've done tons of searches...made phonecalls, written letters. There's just no way around it. To research that line of my family..it's going to cost us. So..I'm at a stalemate.
Then...all of a sudden..I get a message from a woman on a mailing list, who happens to be from that area of Ireland. She gives me the phone number, of a woman IN that section of Ireland, who appears to be a distant relative of ours! Jackpot! So...me..all excited and naive, calls my dad to tell him. Imagining how proud he'll be of me. He takes the number, and plans on calling there this weekend. I tell him.."Well..ya know dad..I'd kinda like to talk to her. I mean..i've been working on this for over a year now.". He goes.."Oh. Well..I mean..if she's willing to start a correspondence, we'll wait until the next time you come down here, and you can call her then.". Yeah..of course, that will be far too late. The next time I'm going down there, is in the middle of March. And I wanted to get some more information before my Grandfathers' birthday, so that I could put a book together, containing some family history, for him. So..basically, my father just took it right out of my hands. MY baby..MY energy..MY research, MY project...all the time I invested, all the money in phonecalls...and he just takes it right out of my hands. So...instead..i try to give him a list, of things I'd like him to ask her about. His answer.."NO NO NO..you can't do that..you need to start a 'Relationship' with her...you need to start a series of correspondences..and THEN ask your questions..little by little!". GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRARRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH!
This is my first major breakthrough in researching that side of my family. My FIRST major breakthrough..and he's putting me into a stalemate. I can't move foward, and do any more research on that side of the family. They either have to start paying for some of these programs, or...ask this lady. WHO by the way, KNOWS that the reason we will be calling is to discuss family history!
Dad...this isn't a freaking social..."HI, how ya doin..we're long lost relatives, love to visit you someday" type call! This is a "Hi! Wow..I'm so happy we found a distant relative. Noone else can provide us with any data on our roots in Ireland..we're hoping you can help" Call!
GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR.
So...my dad, is a big ...GRRRRRRRRRR