Friday, March 05, 2010

First Thoughts: Who Do You Think You Are?

I loved the first episode of the American "Who Do You Think You Are?" showing how Sarah Jessica Parker discovered her family's connection to America's past.  

The show differed from "Faces of America" on PBS in that it showed the actual research, and SJP was involved in the process from beginning to end, even sharing the discoveries with her mother.  Having her visit the NEGHS was great, and watching her pour over the records about her Salem witch ancestor was priceless.  Makes me want to dig into my Salem ancestors, one of whom I know was an accuser, to see what information remains to be uncovered.

I could relate to the story about the Gold Rush disappearance, as one of my ancestors went west and didn't come back.  In fact, he was in El Dorado County, CA just like her ancestor.  How neat it must have been to be able to walk where her ancestor mined all those years ago.

Will the non-genealogists be into the show?  I don't know.  My wife seemed interested, but then she knows how crazy I am about the subject.  We also enjoyed "Faces of America" together.

My only concern with the show is that folks who aren't into genealogy will think that only the 'celebrities' have interesting genealogy.  Everyone's story deserves to be told, and whether recent or long-time ago immigrant the stories should be explored. 

Anything that can get others interested in genealogy and at the same time show them that not everything is on the internet is a good thing.

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