GenTales 2023 Round-up
Family stories, research tips, and medieval ancestors
This year’s round-up is a little different given the changes to Medium’s stats introduced a few months ago. Instead of the most viewed stories and the stories with the most interaction, I have put together a summary of the type of lineage research and genealogy we saw this year in addition to the most popular stories based on claps.
First, I want to thank the writers who round out this publication. We all have different threads of inquiry and different ways of presenting our findings, but it all makes for interesting tales. In particular, we added Jacqueline Jannotta and John Newmark as writers this year. We also had more stories from Janelle Molony, M.S.L., whose book is linked at the end of her articles.
Trends in GenTales
This year the most popular topics in GenTales overall were research-oriented and we didn’t miss out on commentary on the role of ChatGPT.
John Newmark shared his advice on avoiding the pitfalls of Cinderella genealogy by providing an example of one his problematic lines. He also gave some tips on handling sensitive family history topics.
Jacqueline Jannotta also provided a case study on putting together genealogical clues with an essay on how she solved the mystery of her great-grandmother.
However, we also had some family stories this year. Janelle Molony’s most popular story was on Wyoming sisters who spent more than 40 years in institutions. And I wrote about rebellious medieval ancestors.
Most popular stories of 2023
In our most popular story this year, Jacqueline Jannotta shared the anecdotes and evidence for her great-grandfather’s potential mob ties.
It’s fitting then that our second most popular story was Jacqueline’s essay on how You Can’t Cancel an Ancestor.
We like simple answers and good vs evil stories, which we can tie up in a pretty bow. But if I’ve learned anything from researching my family history (and from just living on this planet), it’s that people are complicated, and often things aren’t what they seem. Doing genealogy offers insight that can help all of us get real about where we come from and also where we’re going.
The next most popular articles were on vital records and how names change. Particularly on how given surnames vary by region and how women’s names change in documentation, as well as the cyclical rise and fall of families.
Moving forward by looking back
As we enter a new year, GenTales is moving forward by continuing to look back at our family trees and the process by which we piece together the puzzles created by time. Dead-ends, fully realized stories, and helpful advice all have a place here.
Click here if you’re interested in sharing your family stories with us in 2024.
