This week’s topic for the #52 Ancestors Challenge is “Fast”. It makes me think about how quickly I was able to find information about my Barber line. I remember going to the library and asking for information. New York State is the only one that requires every town, village, and city to have a public historian. The librarian said that I was very lucky that the town historian where my Barber’s settled in the 1800’s was there. We started talking, and he told me I was fortunate as there is a lot of information about the family, being one of the original 300 settlers. He took my name and address, and sent me a large packet of information, including family relationship sheets and newspaper clippings. Truly, this is the fastest research I’ve ever done! I’m so grateful for the work he did in compiling my information.

The “fast” discovery of that branch of my family is what prompted me to keep searching for my family roots. It created the love of genealogy in me that has had me saying my entire adult life, “When I retire from corporate accounting, I will pursue my dream of becoming a professional genealogist”.  While not all research and answers are as fast as my Barber information, I’m still fortunate to be living my passion project of genealogy.