What is the difference between a genealogist and a family historian?

A genealogist is a certified professional who specializes is genealogical proof – the stuff of records, names, dates, and hard evidence of existence. They are the science.

A family historian is a storyteller – one who leans on the work of genealogists to fill in the cracks with photos, stories, legends, and myths. Family historians are the art.

These posts share our work in both the science and the art of family history – the “how to” of what we are doing.

We attend Rootstech every year. We spend a lot of time at the Family History Library and the Church History Library. We visit museums, court houses, ghost towns, historical sites and markers, and we talk to as many family members – many we haven’t met and don’t know – just to learn more about our family history.

In a way, what we do and how we do it are just another form of family history.