Saturday, January 17, 2009

Why Did This Have to Be Fictional?

I am in the midst of reading Karen MacInerney's Murder Most Maine which was published at the end of 2008. There is a most interesting historical mystery in the story line. It involves a lighthouse keeper who disappeared in the 1840s, a slave bounty hunter, and some "parcels" arriving from South Carolina bound for a Canadian province. There are places in the story where I'm just "itching" to do some genealogical research on the persons in the story. The only thing is that I can't do it, because they are fictitious. I have enjoyed it as the amateur sleuth and the island historian have done the research for me in the available records (such as they are for fictitious people), but it's just not the same as doing it oneself. I love sleuthing out those details! I'm not quite done with this book, but I am enjoying it.

As I began to puzzle through the sleuthing aspect of mysteries and genealogical research problems, I began to wonder, "Do all genealogists love mysteries?"

3 comments:

Janet Iles said...

I enjoy a mystery. Why don't you put a poll on your blog and we can see what kind of response you get?

Anonymous said...

I think so! It's the need to be a detective and solve the mysteries of our roots!

Lori Thornton said...

I have been having so much trouble with some of the polls lately that I'm hesitant to add a freepoll or something like that. I did hope that my question would elicit some responses, and I'm glad both of you have weighed in.