She plans to visit England next year to meet the one cousin who still lives there. Joan Kushner of Las Vegas started digging into her past three years ago. Kushner's husband likes to do crossword puzzles, but couldn't understand why Kushner spent so much time on genealogy. You throw it in the trash. But I have a legacy.
Many amateur genealogists start with a simple question or two they want to answer.
The thrill of completing a focused hunt keeps them going. I've always been what my family calls nosy. She, Smith and Kushner all belong to the Clark County Nevada Genealogical Society. It offers special-interest groups on researching ancestry from the British Isles, Scandinavian countries and Germany. Some ethnic groups, however, have special challenges when researching family lines.