If your family ever develops a genealogist whose work would make the National Genealogical Society proud, he or she will be abundantly grateful for the information you have put down. It'll provide an excellent staging area from which your family's genealogy can be pursued. And yes, there even are genealogists who don't even climb their own trees, but those of other people. I'm in contact with an Australian genealogist whose hobby is collecting genealogies of American gun fighters. A friend of mine encountered an elderly priest in Europe who had put together the genealogies of every family who lived in a tiny village, going back several generations.
Genealogy is a diverse field.
Don't let anyone define it for you, and don't let anyone tell you what your goals should be. It's a good idea if you have an overall objective, and then divide it down into the kinds of goals that help you achieve what you want to. In other words, your goals should be your own goals. Let other folks' goals be theirs. Copyright 1996 Tri-City Herald.