I’m having some Saturday Night Genealogy Fun (#SNGF), with help from Randy Seaver and his prompts! Feel free to join in.

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun: September 19, 2026

Prompt: “What started but unfinished projects do you have?  Define one or more of them, and how far along you are in the project.”

Raise Your Hand

Who among us doesn’t have at least a handful of unfinished genealogy projects? Bueller? Bueller?[1]

Some Projects

When planning for 2026, I categorized my genealogy projects to make them more manageable. It’s helping, so I’ll offer some of my projects in these categories:

• Learning: I attended not one but two IGHR classes this year (Genetics for Genealogists: Fundamentals of DNA and Writing Genealogical Proofs Using Documentary and Genetic Evidence) as well as NYSFHC 2026, RootsTech 2026, and using my FamilyTreeWebinars subscription so much that ChatGPT says “You’ve basically built yourself a graduate-level genealogy + AI curriculum”!
• Research: I do research as needed for my book (see below) and make a parking lot of Research Questions which come up, which I then hit as time allows (hah!). One of my more interesting RQs here is Patrick Dobbins, who migrated from Famine-era Ireland, across much of the United States, and then to Brazil, where he settled.
• Writing: the primary outlet of this is my blog. I had a dream of publishing a genealogical article, which I achieved (in a local gen club’s newsletter), but haven’t yet set or started the next. Writing the blog, which I am doing weekly for both Saturday Night Genealogy Fun and 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks, is satisfying enough for this year.
• Leadership: this was a stretch goal for me. I agreed to lead an AI SIG for a genealogy group, which I’ve discussed before so won’t again. It was and is not easy for this introvert but it’s really rewarding!
• Ancestors Book (Generation 7): Several years ago, I started a book about the ancestors of my children. I had my software create the first draft, then did a lot of cleanup. Now each year I organize and do further research on another generation; this year is Gen 7. I publish a new copy at a local print shop and give it to either of my children (this is also a form of backup for me). It’s not cheap, but the rewards are incomparable.

Of course, now that I look at this, I realize that I put them into different categories in my Todoist app:

• Ancestors Book (Generation 7): detailed above
• Blog posts: also above
• Connection and community: this is attending conferences in person, and helping people one on one
• Personal research questions: due to a busy schedule, I’m forced to parking lot most of my rabbit holes. Eventually I’ll get back to them, I swear!
• Payback: volunteer work and helping others: I administer Richmond County NYGenWeb, index for the WNYGS, lead a Special Interest Group (SIG) for NWSGS, and help people individually occasionally – including one Netherlander who has adopted an American solider killed abroad in WWII – wish I could have more luck for him.
• Education: see above
• Research trips: this is another example where my eyes were bigger than my stomach. I planned so much that I haven’t done. I want to visit the Alexander Library and Trenton in New Jersey, Ohio, NYC, and Buffalo NY for research trips. Salt Lake City someday. I haven’t truly done any of them this year; haven’t even done my local FamilySearch Center but once this year.

I will definitely need to reconcile the two, but these things are some of what I’m working on this year!

Wrap-Up

Yes, I’m type A, why do you ask?

AI Disclosure

This post was created by me with the help of AI tools. While AI helps organize research, the storytelling and discoveries are my own.

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[1] Pop culture reference, referring to there being no one answering the question. John Hughes et al.. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Paramount Home Entertainment, 2006.