Genealogy is my pastime, I shall not stray.
It maketh me to lie down and
examine half-buried tombstones;
It leadeth me into still courthouses;
It restoreth my ancestral knowledge.
It leadeth me in the paths of census records and
ship's passenger lists for my surname's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the shadows
of research libraries and microfilm readers,
I shall fear no discouragement;
For a strong urge is within me.
The curiosity and motivation, they comfort me.
It demandeth preparation of storage space
for the acquisition of countless documents.
It annointeth my head with burning midnight oil.
My family group sheets runneth over;
Surely birth, marriage and death dates
shall follow me all the days of my life;
And I shall dwell in the house of
a family history-seeker forever.
by
Wildamae Brestal