Extracts from a discussion group to do with Genealogical & Historical Research

Are you older than your siblings? In "The Sibling Effect," Jeffrey Kluger writes: "First-borns...take on the kin-keeper role...even writing the family geneaolgy." Is that true of you? I have extracted some comments about this from a discussion group: -

In my case, my seniority is not decided about my interest in genealogy of my native father's clan. I am not the oldest child of my father and I do not think that it was true that generally it is the oldest children of their fathers are especially interested in family genealogy. In my case about my interest in the genealogy of father's clan of my father, who died when I was only 7 years old. My father had saved me my life shortly after my birth. For this I am eternally grateful to him. I was 15 years old when being on vacation in his native village Pruchnik near Jaroslaw in Podkarpacie Voievodeship (Subcarpathian Province of Poland) , I started writing down my family members. Years later it turned out that this is not only family, but a great, ancient house (780 relatives in the only county Jaroslaw). This is great!. And that's why more than 40 years of my father's clan genealogy is Olejarz.

Regards from Poland!

Kluger goes on to say: "How pronounced that effect was depended on the particular subjects Salmon was studying, but again & again the kin-keeping behaviour among first-borns rose to a level that made it through the statistical noise & into the region of experimental significance...

"When the rule doesn't apply -- when the eldest shows little or no interest in kin-keeping behaviour -- there are often intervening variables that have scrambled the birth-order effect..."

One person writes: I am the youngest of 5 and female. I am the- as you called it- the kin-keeper. I was dubbed the family's historian after I showed my father what I had compiled after just 2 years of research. That was about 14 years ago :>) I have of course compiled a lot more since then. My older siblings really could not care less. My father and my youngest daughter are my greatest cheer-leaders! My daughter plans to protect and continue my research after I am gone. So again the kin-keeper will be the youngest, not the oldest. At least in our case.

Another says; I'm the oldest. And all of us are interested to some extent, but I'm the one who spends many hours on research.

Then in another reply one states; I am "middle". So there is no rule is that the more kids interested in genealogy and the history of the family or clan. On the other thing I would like to draw attention. As everyone knows, we inherit "the sword", that is when our fathers. Heirs of our fathers are traditionally synowie. Our daughter is getting married after passing through an affinity for the families of their husbands. But I'm interested in another question: Where does the interest in the genealogy of the families in our native daughters. But after getting married, and thus after leaving the family native, they should rather be interested in genealogy and history of the family, which included the affinity. Is it so strong is the bond of the daughters with their fathers, that it is their families are becoming objektami their genealogical interests and exploration?. Or maybe just the fact that they also, though not always, feel heiresses legacy of their fathers?. With flowers for our Friends -

Andy

Another; I also am the middle child. My sisters and brothers give me the glazed eye when I try to discuss family, and my older sister gets very upset if I invite a new found member of the family to reunions. They are just strangers to her, very sad.

My oldest, a son, has to date shown practically no interest in his genealogy. My middle child, also a son, has shown moderate interest, especially in his Scottish and Viking ancestry, but little else. My youngest, a daughter, is the one who got ME interested! Does that break the mould, or does gender trump birth order?

Hence the conclusion my, that in every family will be a seeker of family or ancestral roots. You just have to look!. This is sometimes a much better solution than searching the archives and commercial portals such we need data that may have previously been found by our relatives or friends genealogists. So before you begin to go to great Archives - You need to ask you about the first of his relatives, cousins and fellow genealogists.

I am the eldest of 4 brothers and the only one of us to be interested in determining a family history of any sort. Our name is very unusual and is found in lists of Ellis Island imigrants in the 1880's and in the village of Hanslope in the Churchyard. The name originates in England from a Norman invader (1066) called Wineramus de Hansliefe, gradually corrupted to Hanslip or Handslip by modern times. Strangely the name also begins in Norfolk and is said to be from Viking Origin from the Danes. The Normans also came down through Northern Europe and settled in Normandy, taking control until relatively recently. William the Conqueror used my ancestor in Normandy as a knight to invade England and remove the last Saxon King Harold from the throne.