French-Canadian Heritage Society
of Michigan

Membership in Genealogical Societies

Editorial by John P. DuLong, FCHSM President (dulongj@habitant.org)

Normally, as those who know me will attest, I am not at a loss for words when asked to argue a point or express my opinion. However, I find myself in the awkward position of being unsure of what to say on a topic. At a recent meeting of the French-Canadian Heritage Society of Michigan, I was asked to write a short piece on why membership in a genealogical society is better than just consulting the Internet for genealogical information. This is indeed a challenging theme because I think there is great value both in using the Internet and in belonging to one or more genealogical societies. Posing the theme as one being better than the other is a false dichotomy. It should not be either the Internet or genealogical societies, but the Internet and genealogical societies.

Why is this even an issue? Because the French-Canadian Heritage Society of Michigan, like many other genealogical societies, has noticed a decline of new and younger members as more and more people rely solely on the Internet. In the past, joining a genealogical society was one of the best ways to tap into a community of knowledgeable researchers, to learn about sources and techniques, and to publish findings. Now much of this is done through the Internet.

I have been doing genealogical research since 1976, and I have witnessed the impact of the Internet on my favorite pastime. Since the Internet arrived, I have benefited from it in many ways. It is easier to contact other researchers sharing your interests no matter where they live and to exchange information with them; to request information and help from libraries, archives, and other repositories of genealogical data; and to work on joint projects with others. In fact, I was able to work with a team of researchers who never once met together in one room and yet were able to conduct a major research project and get it published - all through the Internet. Lastly, I think the Internet has accelerated research. I have witnessed people using the Internet make in just a few weeks progress that might have taken a few years using traditional methods.

The downside of the Internet is that few web pages are peer-reviewed or pass the scrutiny of an editor. And although it is true that misinformation can be found in society publications, the Internet appears to be a venue that allows for even more incorrect data to be easily published and shared over a far wider audience. Moreover, unlike published corrections and additions in journals, there are few mechanisms for correcting these mistakes once they start spreading through the Internet.

Much of the Internet is ephemeral. A web page that is here today and contains key information might be gone tomorrow or modified in such a way as to make it useless. Although there are now web page archives, like <http://waybackmachine.org>, there is no guarantee that you can find the exact web page you need.

Lastly, though the Internet is a wonderful way to connect with people and communicate, it is impersonal and lacks face to face quality. I have often noted in UseNet News (<http://groups.google.com>) postings that threads get out of hand because people write things about others that I believe they would never say face to face. There is a certain level of politeness that is missing.

So then, what is so wonderful about becoming a member of a genealogical society? Well, I think there are several things:

There are regular meetings, and you get a chance to meet people face to face and become part of a real, not just a virtual, community. With luck, you may meet a relative, perhaps one who is not on the Internet, working on the same family who can help you. The most important reason for regular meetings is the networking that can occur as various genealogical cases are discussed. You can learn from other members who share knowledge and tips.
Interesting lectures are presented by knowledgeable people at these meetings. These lectures will help you develop as a researcher and to understand the tools and resources that are available to you.
For the members of the French-Canadian Heritage Society of Michigan, we also offer at some of our meetings traditional foods, music, folktales, and other cultural practices. For French Canadians, and I am sure for other ethnic groups, food and music are extremely important!
You can attend special seminars and workshops to further sharpen your skills. Often at these larger events you get the opportunity to see first hand the genealogical products that various vendors offer.
Many societies publish journals that contain interesting and informative articles from which you can benefit and take joy in reading. These articles and the information in them often cannot be found anywhere else. For some people, a journal can be the sole reason to join a society. In addition, these journals can offer you a permanent place to publish the results of your work so that it can be shared with others and be preserved in numerous libraries and archives. There is also great benefit in having an editor review your work and make suggestions for its improvement. Some of the larger genealogical societies, with established journals, are peer-reviewed. This means that if your article is accepted for publication, you will know that it has passed the test of being scrutinized by experts in the field. Although our journal, Michigan’s Habitant Heritage, technically is not peer-reviewed, articles submitted for publication in it are carefully reviewed by our editor and editorial assistants. You can take pride in any article that we accept for publication because you will know it meets our high standards. You do not have to be a member of our Society to have an article published in our journal.
You can participate in joint projects with other members to organize special document collections, survey cemeteries, publish collected pedigree charts, help on a pioneer certificate program, index a special resource, publish original documents, etc.
You can use the special collection, if any, of the society. The French-Canadian Heritage Society of Michigan has a special collection housed at the Mount Clemens Public Library. Many other genealogical societies maintain special collections with resources not available elsewhere.

The bottom line is that we do not have to convince people to turn away from the Internet, which would be impossible. We have to convince them that being a member of a genealogical society adds value to the experience of doing genealogy on the Internet. We need to use the Internet to lure potential members into our genealogical societies and to provide more services to our members. Lastly, we need current members to recruit new members.

The Board of the French Canadan Heritage Society invites you to join our group. Please visit our Membership web page.