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Archiver > APG > 2004-11 > 1099846853


From: Elizabeth Whitaker <>
Subject: Re: [APG] next question...
Date: Sun, 07 Nov 2004 12:00:53 -0500
References: <005701c4c467$7d188110$4c4e8c41@Lewis>
In-Reply-To: <005701c4c467$7d188110$4c4e8c41@Lewis>


At 08:17 PM 11/6/2004, Michele Lewis wrote:
>Now that we know that most of the people on this email list who are
>professional genealogists don't seem to have the time to work on their own
>line, a new quesiton emerges...
>
>Do you spend any time doing pro bono work or community based volunteer
>work related to genealogy?

I haven't worked as a professional in over a year as I began graduate
school in August 2003 and
just have not had the time. However, I formally begin my thesis research in
January, and that
will have some pro bono potential: I will be writing my thesis on Arab
immigration to the
Carolinas and (some limited area of) Georgia between the 1870s (when it
started) and
(probably) 1948, and this will involve a great deal of genealogy as I will
need to document
some families and verify any (U.S.-based) genealogy that I might be given
or lent. (It does
look like I'm going to have to pick up some Arabic in the next 18 months or
so, but that's
yet to be arranged.)

I've done enough preliminary research to know that there are some published
sources on
Arab immigration to the U.S. in that time period, but it's almost
exclusively focused on
other parts of the U.S.; that there is at least one published family
history on one of
these Arab-American(Southern) families, and that I would not be able to
even consider
doing something like this without having acquired experience in
genealogical research as
most of my sources will be archival records, legal records, directories,
and newspapers.

I also give genealogical advice when asked -- or even when not asked. I'm
one of those people
who, when overhearing a genealogical conversation (especially when one or
both parties sound
very new to it), will often chime in with suggestions and/or answers. (I
guess it's the teacher in
me.) I also have a family list on Rootsweb, and need to come to some sort
of decision about
that.

Elizabeth Whitaker
(graduate student in History)

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