At one point in my life I did post-graduate work at the University of Montana in Missoula. I decided to do a research project on the History of Music in Missoula, 1865-1890. I spent one summer reading microfilm of Montana newspapers to find not only the occasions that mentioned music, but also to determine what was being performed and by whom. After the Civil War, there was an influx of southern men to Montana Territory looking for gold. Mining camps sprang up all along the rivers that flowed out of the Rocky Mountains and these migrants brought with them the culture of their Appalachian heritage. An article in the newspaper, whether from Virginia City, Missoula or Anaconda, might read, "We were entertained on Saturday last by music performed by the sheriff, the barber and other members of our community, playing on their fiddles, banjo and mandolins. Community inhabitants filled the saloon and expressed their delight." A few inches down the page, there might be another articl...

This week the South King County Genealogical Society begins a new study group [1] , of the book Mastering Genealogical Proof , by Thomas W. Jones [2] . The first chapter, Genealogy's Standard of Proof , first considers What is Genealogy . I can't better Jones' measured prose, but here is why I do genealogy. Why? Solving Puzzles Doing the research is satisfying! When there is a gap in the timeline, finding the right record is like fitting in a puzzle piece! That bit of satisfaction keeps me at it, often far too late into the night. Especially when the family group or locality (or both) are unfamiliar, finding the records feels like getting to know that person and the time and place where they lived. The contrast in how the lives of some the folks in the family fall into a pattern, and those who bushwhack their own path, is often surprising.  Why? Putting Meat on the Bones So solving puzzles are fun, but genealogy is work, too. Aside from the little rewards, there is enormous...