Back to Adam

James Tanner in his blog Genealogy’s Star addresses genealogies that go way way back…perhaps to Adam. Actually, his article addresses the issue “again.” He has written about such research before and liberally references some of his earlier writing.

It is a good article on the challenges and pitfalls in researching early times (certainly before 1500), and it provides some helpful links for those interested in doing so.

Most intriguing (and revealing) is James’ concluding thought":

”The tragedy of the "back to Adam" issue is that it diverts resources, time and effort from legitimate research and give novices a very unreasonable expectation. One of the common questions asked of me is "How far back have you done your genealogy?" Not how well have you done your genealogy, not how valid are your conclusions, but just how far. Genealogy is not a competition sport.”

The article is well-worth reading. You can find it at Genealogy's Star: Back to Back to Adam