Tell us a bit about yourself.
I consider myself a professional genealogist specializing in social media and technology. I write articles for publications, I teach classes and give lectures both in-person and over the Internet via webinar. I created and manage the GeneaBloggers website which lists over 2000 family history blogs. I absolutely love what I do and want to make sure that each person who wants to search for their roots can take advantage of the many tools and resources in the genealogy community.
What do lending and participating in this project mean to you?
Being part of Genealogists for Families actually helps bring me back to my roots, to the way my ancestral families have always operated: being available to assist others in a time of need. Through my research, I've found that in many of the small towns where my families settled, there was an underlying support system and a prevailing attitude that "helping one person or one family succeed means we all succeed."
Did you choose particular borrowers because their occupations or situations have some significance in your family history or your own life?
I chose a borrower who actually had a business related to history. She is creating a cultural tour business and since I know that heritage travel is a growing industry, I believe she'll be very successful.
Was there a borrower whose success story inspired you?
What struck me most about the borrower I selected was her determination and tenacity. She is located in New Orleans which was devastated by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. With practically all the odds against her, she moved back there not only because her roots are there, but because she is committed to the rebuilding of New Orleans.
Do you have a strategy for raising funds or saving for your $25 loans?
While money is tight for me, I looked around at everything I had and I knew that $25 or even more is an amount I could spare.
What is your Web site?
Abundant Genealogy (previously GeneaBloggers).
What are your main family history interests?
Dutch lines of Dence, Putman, and Van Slyke; English lines of Austin, Crandall and Leehive; Huguenot lines of Deyo, Freer and Lefevre; Irish lines of Farren, MacEntee/McEntee, McGinnes and Slattery.
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Join Genealogists for Families. Together we can make a difference!
Thomas, thanks for making time in your busy schedule to write this. Thanks, too, for your support for Genealogists for Families, and all you do for the genealogy community around the world. My life changed the day I discovered Geneabloggers! How appropriate that you found a borrower involved in cultural tourism.
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