. . . for those ancestors who were members of denominations that left detailed records.  I'm thankful for the others as well.  In my attempts to locate what records are available for those denominations with scanty records, I've learned quite a bit about them--more than I might have if the records had been easily available.

. . . for my immigrant ancestors who left a clue as to their European origins.  While I do have a few who left no clues as to their place of origin, I do have several who left behind enough information for me to branch their lines across the ocean.

. . . for the 1870s immigrant trunk I have from a sister of my ancestor.  The route it took to me was circuitous and I realize how fortunate I am to have it.  Whenever I look at it, I am taken back to the fact that she put all her personal belongings in it before she made her ocean voyage.

. . . for the librarian who goes out of her way to answer my questions.  Librarians and reference professionals field all kinds of "off-the-wall" questions from genealogists and do their best to help us locate the reference that contains our answer.  I have to bear in mind though that the librarian does not know everything. .

. . for interlibrary loan.  The ability to have materials come to me instead of me going to them has been a boon to my research.

. . . for those courthouses that are "genealogist friendly."  While I realize there are courthouses where genealogists are about as popular as locusts, there are county record offices throughout the country that do their best to field questions from genealogists.  I've been at some and truly appreciate their assistance.  As for the others, there's always the next election.

. . . for those cemeteries that are kept in good shape.  While I realize there is frequently room for improvement, I have been fortunate that only a few of my ancestral cemeteries are in states of utter disrepair.  It would have been easier if all my ancestors could have afforded large granite markers with clear inscriptions.

. . . for the genealogical societies that work in the trenches of genealogy at both the local and national level.  These groups preserve and publish records and also work to educate their membership.  The vast majority are unpaid volunteers donating their time and expertise to help others.

. . . for what records are available.  I have to remind myself that 99.9 percent of the records used for family history were not originally created with genealogists in mind.  Their content, organization, and structure reflect their original purpose.  Of course, I am cognizant of the constant need to work for records preservation and access and never light matches near old records or take originals home with me.

. . . for the record indexes that are available.  While indexes have their shortcomings and are occasionally incomplete, they have saved me countless hours on many projects.  The time I can spend looking for those individuals who failed to get listed in the index (but it's not my ancestor's fault he's not in the index).

. . . for the digitization of many records.  When I began my foray into family history I never dreamed that I would be accessing copies of census records and land patents at my computer at three in the morning without ever leaving my home.  While I realize digitization provides greater records access, it does not guarantee the long-term preservation of the actual records themselves.  We must continue to focus on the long-term storage of the originals.

. . . for the large proportion of old newspapers that are available on microfilm.  This means of preserving old newspapers has also provided greater access to these materials for thousands of genealogists.  Many of these originals are in varying stages of deterioration.

. . . for those newspaper editors who believed in publishing obituaries (and for those that publish them today without exorbitant charges).  It is too bad they couldn't have convinced more of their peers to avoid the short and blunt "Grandma died" form of the obituary.

. . . for the Family History Library.  They have microfilmed countless volumes of old records and made these materials available to anyone worldwide.  While there are some things not in their collection, the comprehensive nature of their holdings cannot be denied.

. . . for the relative who had his biography published in the local county history.  Only four of my ancestors (out of at least thirty who were living at the time) had their biographies published in the county history "mug books" popular in the late 1800s and early 1900s.  However, those entries were extremely helpful in locating further information on those families.

. . . for the cousins I have located who have shared and exchanged information with me.  Without them, there are many clues I would never have uncovered and many ancestors whose stories would lay buried.  And I'd never have gotten most of my ancestral pictures without some help from my relatives.

And I'm thankful for every ancestor who came before me, the good and the bad, the honest and the dishonest, the rich and the poor.  They all in some way, great or small, contributed to the person I am today.

Michael John Neill, is the Course I Coordinator at the Genealogical Institute of Mid America (GIMA) held annually in Springfield, Illinois, and is also on the faculty of Carl Sandburg College in Galesburg, Illinois. Michael is the Web columnist for the FGS FORUM and is on the editorial board of the Illinois State Genealogical Society Quarterly. He conducts seminars and lectures on a wide variety of genealogical and computer topics and contributes to several genealogical publications, including Ancestry and Genealogical Computing . You can visit his Web site at: www.rootdig.com/ but he regrets that he is unable to assist with personal research.