In this section of the treatise it is purposed to deal with the subject of preparing a geneology search. This is a much more ambitious undertaking than that of preparing an Ancestral History which has been heretofore discussed. It requires more training and more careful planning. It deals with many more people both subjectively and objectively; therefore it will be a much larger work and will necessitate a plan which may be expanded as the progress of the task demands. It is attempted with a view of possible publication and, therefore, must be prepared not alone for the eyes of the compiler and his immediate family but for a large family membership and a studious reading public.

In the first section of the book certain rules, requirements and suggestions which applied both to ancestral histories and genealogies were discussed. In this section those matters pertaining only to the preparation of the geneology search will be considered.

While the compiler of a geneology is an historian, his province is not to deal with community and national events, but with the development of a family. The history of a nation records facts in their chronological order and sequence as they have occurred in national development, but for the causes and principles underlying such a history the lives of individuals and individual families who compose the people of a nation must be studied.

It is the work of a genealogist to present the history of a family as a component part of national life. The family record lays the foundation for the national history.

The preparation of a geneology is both a pleasure and a task. The Hon. Marshall P. Wilder once said:

"It is a sacred duty to preserve the geneology search and history of families, but our busy population are so engrossed in the present cares, that few have had regard for the past, or solicitude for the future history of themselves or their fami­lies. But to those who have a respect for their ancestral name I know of no more agreeable duty than to place on record the history and incidents of their lives and their relatives, that they may be preserved to the latest generations. In nothing is Divine benevolence more fully illustrated than by those ties of friendship and Fraternal love which bind the family circle together. Next to training the spirit for eternal life, there can be no more noble employment than that of treasur­ing up and perpetuating the deeds, principles and virtues of a noble ancestry."

The pursuit of a geneology search may be either a vocation or an avocation; a pastime occupation or a business enterprise. Any bit of family history is well worth preserving. If it is a pastime occupation to gather a bit here and a bit there for pleasure, these bits should be put together so that they will be of the most worth, not merely to the gatherer, but to others who may have occasion to examine his work. While the pursuit of genealogical knowledge may be an avocation, it should be planned in such a manner and the plan so care­fully executed that it will bear the evidences of a business.

While the gathering and recording of fragmentary bits of family history should not be discouraged, emphasis should be given to the added advantage of a more elaborate plan of operation with a carefully thought out scheme of action. If a work is to have value and usefulness it must be approached from somewhat of a scientific or professional angle, which is by no means a difficult task in genealogical construction.

The preparation of a family history or geneology search is a long and a serious undertaking and, if its compiler has not some aptitude for the work it can become very burdensome. If, however, the genealogist is interested in such matters, the burden is soon forgotten in the fascination which the work arouses. There is perhaps no more absorbing occupation than genealogical research. It is hard work nevertheless. The chase for family facts leads over wearisome ways, but it is intensely interesting, and the length of the way and the tediousness of the hunt should not deter the genealogist from following family lines up hill and down dell, for at the end of the search there is always something to repay the weariness. It is work which to be done at its best must have preparation, systematic planning, and careful execution of the plan. The worker must not lose sight of the fact that his occupation is not for pleasure alone, but that a far-reaching and valuable production is being undertaken which is going to be stand­ard, and probably the only work on its specific subject for many years; that it will be examined by many people for various reasons, and that its value will depend entirely on how well he has done his work.

The work cannot be hurried. The genealogist should never be so anxious to see his efforts in print that he slights his task. It is the work of years to examine the history of a family in its many ramifications and properly record the re­sults of the examination. If time does not permit the com­pletion of the work as originally laid out, what is done should not be imperfect that the entire family may be dealt with. It is far better to leave half a geneology well done than a whole geneology poorly done.

The preparation of a geneology search is often attempted as a hobby. This method of approach to the task is perfectly proper if it is borne in mind that it is a hobby which is not self centered in its pursuer. Genealogies reach out their in­fluence and affect the lives of a large number of people. While the compilation of the history may be the product of the genealogist, the material from which it is built is the most precious property of many other people. It is their names, their families, their characters, and as such, it must have respectful treatment and kindly consideration. It must not be made the toy of a hobby. Granting that the work is taken up as a hobby, it is too important to be pursued with­out a real business plan and purpose. It must have a very well-matured plan of action. When a man makes his hobby the printing of a book embracing in its contents the lives and actions of a large number of real people; a book which is to find its place on the shelves of libraries and there join the ranks of lasting knowledge and stand in neighborly contact with the records of the great achievements of mankind, then the hobbyist must pause and consider his purpose, how he is to accomplish it, and what the work is going to reflect when it is beyond his recall.

The genealogist must bear in mind that when he essays to prepare the record of a certain family he has precluded all others from that particular field. His book will find prac­tically all the sale there is for a record of that particular family, and if his work is poorly done it probably will not be remedied by any other writer for at least several generations, by which time it will be too late to correct many of the errors he has made.

Like the author of a geneology search, the author of a scientific book expects that his work is going to be out of date in a short time. He is prepared at all times to see the advent of another treatise which will super­sede his own. He has placed one stone in the scientific struc­ture and awaits the day when some one will place the next stone on top of his work. But the man who writes the history of a nation or of a family has a right to expect, if he has faith­fully done his work, that his record is to stand undisputed and unchanged to the end of time.

It is the province of the historian of a family to set forth the high and noble character of that family so clearly that it will be an incentive to the coming generations to maintain the family standard and add to the honor and achievements of the generations that have lived in his genealogy search. It is the duty of the gene­alogist to reflect the real life of the family that those of the present and the future generations may know from whence they came. Every family will have its spots of sordidness which must not be glossed over, nor should the genealogist engage in gallery play. There were a number of people who came to America in the Mayflower; many who fought the Indians; served their country in its wars, and accomplished greatness in various walks of life. It is not the business of the genealogist to attempt any monopoly of the virtues or great­ness of American life. It is solely his business to record the progress of one family from early days to the present time. The record may not be far different from that of any other typical American family which has developed through a number of generations in this country. It is his business to set up a line of descent in such a manner that it may be true and be relied upon as an authority. It is his high calling to set forth the life of a family in such a way that it may be an inspiration to youth, a comfort to old age, and a faithful record for the perusal of the generations yet unborn.

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