Alfred Woollacott, III
My genealogical journey began while chauffeuring Jill, her mother and two of their octogenarian cousins around England in 1999. As I lay awake, I said to Jill, "Once I retire, I'm going to work on my family tree." She yawned while saying, "Boy, all these castles, churches and cemeteries have really gotten to you." She slammed her head back down on the pillow for a bit more rest. In 2002, I retired from KPMG, a firm where I had spent my entire career spanning some 34 years. When a fellow partner asked, "Al, you're too young to retire, what are you going to do now?" I responded, "What I have always done, except I won't be going to work."
Filling in the '50 to 60 hour per week void' that retirement created was easy. Believe me, retirement is highly underrated. I honored the vow I made while in England and dabbled with my family history until a post on a genealogy website from a Charles HB Cole looking for information on the Fitchburg Woollacotts captured me. Charles's work was extensive; I was even in it. In no time, the Woollacott leg of my stool was far extended. I was hooked on family history and needed more. When my brother and I traveled to Devon in 2007, we had a lovely lunch with Charles and his family. After lunch, Charles calculated that we were 6th cousins. Like a dutiful auditor, I checked his calculations - he was correct. I told him about the love/hate relationship with genealogy that he had created within me. He laughed, and I sensed he knew what I was experiencing. When his wife added that while on their honeymoon Charles was in the library doing genealogy, I was certain that Charles knew.
My maternal grandmother attended DAR meetings in Peterborough. So I contacted their New Hampshire Chapter and gave them the name of Grace Belle (Young) Nault born 3 July 1881. Within a week, I knew my patriot, a Private Reuben Law. My initial fleeting thought - just a private, I guess it's no Order of Cincinnati for me. But as I researched him further, I found a Private Reuben Law in the Acton Militia who was at the Concord Bridge on April 19th. That had to be him, how many Reuben Laws could there be? And then I wondered, what was going through the mind of a twenty-three year old on that morning. That thought was not fleeting, but haunting.
My adult life was spent crunching numbers and verifying assertions. So researching dates and concluding on supporting evidence comes easy to me. I received a B. S. in Business Administration ('68) and later an MBA ('71), both from Boston University. English literature, composition, and creative writing were not in my college education. And at KPMG, creative writing was strictly forbidden - just the facts and then a conclusion. So transporting my wonder about an ancestor out of my head and onto paper does not come easy. But thanks to local writers like John Hough, Jr. and Cynthia Riggs, who teach Adult Continuing Education ("ACE") on the Vineyard, Grub Street workshops and others, I am learning. But it's never easy. I do the Wall Street Journal crossword puzzles. It is a rare day when I can complete a puzzle in one sitting. But after several iterations, I eventually achieve success. Creative writing is similar; a paragraph or scene is rarely right with just one pass. But unlike crossword puzzles, you 're never sure if you have gotten it completely right.
So now my family history dabbling has become an obsession with dates and places stuck to my head like tossed Velcro balls hanging from a fuzzy dart board. And the wonder, why it just permeates continuously. I have spoken on genealogy to audiences and students, who think they might be interested in beginning their journeys. As I look at the sea of innocence and think of an eager class action lawyer lurking, I feel compelled to offer the budding genealogists a cigarette pack warning, lest I might get sued.
"CAUTION: genealogical research can become habit forming and may result in obsessive compulsive behavior."
So what causes the obsession? Under the section Timelines, the dates of January 2009 and September 2009, might give you insight on mine. If you get started, you will find answers for your obsession. One of my genealogical journeys led me to the robust Taggart family website. On that site I found this quote.
“A people which takes no pride in the noble achievements of remote ancestors will never achieve anything worthy to be remembered with pride by remote descendants” - Thomas B. Macauley.
Filling in the '50 to 60 hour per week void' that retirement created was easy. Believe me, retirement is highly underrated. I honored the vow I made while in England and dabbled with my family history until a post on a genealogy website from a Charles HB Cole looking for information on the Fitchburg Woollacotts captured me. Charles's work was extensive; I was even in it. In no time, the Woollacott leg of my stool was far extended. I was hooked on family history and needed more. When my brother and I traveled to Devon in 2007, we had a lovely lunch with Charles and his family. After lunch, Charles calculated that we were 6th cousins. Like a dutiful auditor, I checked his calculations - he was correct. I told him about the love/hate relationship with genealogy that he had created within me. He laughed, and I sensed he knew what I was experiencing. When his wife added that while on their honeymoon Charles was in the library doing genealogy, I was certain that Charles knew.
My maternal grandmother attended DAR meetings in Peterborough. So I contacted their New Hampshire Chapter and gave them the name of Grace Belle (Young) Nault born 3 July 1881. Within a week, I knew my patriot, a Private Reuben Law. My initial fleeting thought - just a private, I guess it's no Order of Cincinnati for me. But as I researched him further, I found a Private Reuben Law in the Acton Militia who was at the Concord Bridge on April 19th. That had to be him, how many Reuben Laws could there be? And then I wondered, what was going through the mind of a twenty-three year old on that morning. That thought was not fleeting, but haunting.
My adult life was spent crunching numbers and verifying assertions. So researching dates and concluding on supporting evidence comes easy to me. I received a B. S. in Business Administration ('68) and later an MBA ('71), both from Boston University. English literature, composition, and creative writing were not in my college education. And at KPMG, creative writing was strictly forbidden - just the facts and then a conclusion. So transporting my wonder about an ancestor out of my head and onto paper does not come easy. But thanks to local writers like John Hough, Jr. and Cynthia Riggs, who teach Adult Continuing Education ("ACE") on the Vineyard, Grub Street workshops and others, I am learning. But it's never easy. I do the Wall Street Journal crossword puzzles. It is a rare day when I can complete a puzzle in one sitting. But after several iterations, I eventually achieve success. Creative writing is similar; a paragraph or scene is rarely right with just one pass. But unlike crossword puzzles, you 're never sure if you have gotten it completely right.
So now my family history dabbling has become an obsession with dates and places stuck to my head like tossed Velcro balls hanging from a fuzzy dart board. And the wonder, why it just permeates continuously. I have spoken on genealogy to audiences and students, who think they might be interested in beginning their journeys. As I look at the sea of innocence and think of an eager class action lawyer lurking, I feel compelled to offer the budding genealogists a cigarette pack warning, lest I might get sued.
"CAUTION: genealogical research can become habit forming and may result in obsessive compulsive behavior."
So what causes the obsession? Under the section Timelines, the dates of January 2009 and September 2009, might give you insight on mine. If you get started, you will find answers for your obsession. One of my genealogical journeys led me to the robust Taggart family website. On that site I found this quote.
“A people which takes no pride in the noble achievements of remote ancestors will never achieve anything worthy to be remembered with pride by remote descendants” - Thomas B. Macauley.
Perhaps Macauley was right, and if so, perhaps that is why we become so obsessed. Above is a grandfather, who like the edited photograph is fading to a remote ancestor. But sitting on his leg is his granddaughter, his future, who also is destined to fade with time to become a remote descendant.
