Different people have different opinions about utilizing the terms genealogist and family historian. We'd like to know what your personal view is of these terms.

1. Define what a genealogist is:
          

Remember, do not use the 'enter' key. Use the mouse and the bar on the right side to go between items.

2. Define what a family historian is:
          

3. Is there a difference between genealogists and family historians? If there is, what do you see as the difference?
          

4. How do you identify yourself? What term do you use to describe yourself and your hobby?
           genealogist
           family historian
           other term

While we realize there are differences in many people's minds about what these terms mean, for the remainder of the survey, the terms genealogist and family historian will be used interchangeably.

5. How interested are you in genealogy and/or family history?
           not at all
           very slightly absolutely passionate

6. How many groups do you belong to concerned with genealogy or family history? These may include genealogical groups, historical societies, or heraldic groups such as the Sons or Daughters of the American Revolution, the Mayflower Society, etc. Do not include internet based groups in this count.
           None
           1
           2
           3
           4
           5 or more

7. How many online (internet based) genealogical groups do you participate in on a regular basis? These may include email lists, online organizations, or chat rooms
           None
           1
           2
           3
           4
           5 or more

8. How many times per year, on average, do you attend genealogical group functions such as workshops, seminars, conferences, etc? Please do not include time you spend doing independent research.
           None, I only do independent research
           rarely, less than once per year
           once a year
           once every 6 months or so, twice a year
           once every 3 or 4 months, three or four times a year
           about every other month, five or six times a year
           once a month or so, 10 to 12 times a year
           every other week, 20 to 30 times a year
           every week, 40 or more times a year

9. How often, on average, do you travel more than 20 miles to conduct genealogical research, even as a part of other trips?
           never
           once every 5 years
           once every couple of years
           once a year
           once every six months or so, twice a year
           once every 3 or 4 months, three or four times a year
           about every other month, five or six times a year
           once a month or so, 10 to 12 times a year
           more than once a month

10. How much time, on average, do you spend doing independent work on genealogical related activities, such as library research, letter writing, filing, updating computerized databases, etc.?
           none - I only attend group functions
           1-10 hours a year
           1 or 2 hours per month
           3 - 5 hours per month (about 1 hour per week)
           6 - 10 hours per month (about 2 hours per week)
           11 - 15 hours per month (about 3 hours per week)
           16 - 20 hours per month (about 4 hours per week)
           21 - 25 hours per month (about 5 hour per week)
           6 - 10 hours per week
           11 - 15 hours per week
           15 - 20 hours per week
           more than 20 hours per week

11. What year did you begin to do genealogical research?

12. How did you first become interested in family history and genealogy?

What are your current reasons for doing genealogy?
Rate each item on a 5 point scale from lowest "irrelevant to me" to highest "very important reason to me"

1. to come to know my ancestors as people
             irrelevant very important

2. to restore forgotten ancestors to the family memory
             irrelevant very important

3. to check a family story or solve a family mystery
             irrelevant very important

4. to go back in time, in my imagination
             irrelevant very important

5. to trace diseases in a family tree
             irrelevant very important

6. to find an important or famous ancestor
             irrelevant very important

7. to learn about my roots, about who I am
             irrelevant very important

8. as my way of dealing with mortality and death
             irrelevant very important

9. because I like to solve puzzles
             irrelevant very important

10. because I enjoy being the family historian
             irrelevant very important

11. doing genealogy gives me a feeling of competence
             irrelevant very important

12. to carry on the work already begun by another family member
             irrelevant very important

13. because I enjoy the company of other genealogists
             irrelevant very important

14. to create information resources, like name indexes, for other genealogists to use
             irrelevant very important

15. so I can publish a book or article
             irrelevant very important

16. to serve on the executive or committee of a genealogical group
             irrelevant very important

17. for pay, either part or full time
             irrelevant very important

18. to meet living relatives
             irrelevant very important

19. to keep my genealogist wife/husband/partner company
             irrelevant very important

20. to occupy myself in my spare time
             irrelevant very important

21. to occupy myself in retirement
             irrelevant very important

22. as a reason to travel
             irrelevant very important

23. in order to join a heritage group like the Mayflower Society or United Empire Loyalists
             irrelevant very important

24. for religious reasons
             irrelevant very important

25. for posterity (for children, grandchildren, nephews or nieces)
             irrelevant very important

26. In your own words, what value does genealogy have for you?
          

27. How many people would you estimate are in your genealogical records? If you use a computer program, this would be the number of people in your database. No commas please

28. What percentage of the people in your records have you added due to research shared by others? In other words, how much of your database is due to information shared with you by extended family members or other genealogists? Enter your best estimate. %

29. What percentage of the people in your records have you added due to your own efforts, i.e. you found the records yourself? %

30. What is your primary reason for doing genealogy? (Feel free to list any we haven't thought of in the box marked "other")
           religion - L.D.S. member
           medical history - family has genetic disorder
           medical history - no family disorders known
           history fascinates me
           adoption issues (looking for biological parents or child)
           adoption issues (looking for other family members)
           personal identity
           ethnic identity
           sense of place identity
           to pass on to my children or family
           socializing at functions
           travel
           qualifying for a lineage society
           other reason(s)
          

31. What is the second most important reason you do genealogy? (Feel free to list any we haven't thought of in the box marked "other")
           religion - L.D.S. member
           medical history - family has genetic disorder
           medical history - no family disorders known
           history fascinates me
           adoption issues (looking for biological parents or child)
           adoption issues (looking for other family members)
           personal identity
           ethnic identity
           sense of place identity
           to pass on to my children or family
           socializing at functions
           travel
           qualifying for a lineage society
           other reason(s)
          

32. What keeps you interested in genealogy? In other words, why do you continue?

Demographic Items

1. Marital Status - Please read through all of the items and check the one that fits you best
           Single/Never Married
           Married/Long Term Partner
           Separated
           Divorced-Not Remarried
           Remarried Once
           Remarried More than Once
           Widowed

2. Number of children

3. Other than your own children, are you actively involved with other children? If so, please list how many and their relationship to you (niece/nephew, grandchild, partners children, etc.)

4. Gender
           Male      Female

5. What year were you born?(Please do not skip this item, we really need to compare information based on age of those who respond.)

6. How many people were living in your household last year? adults and children

7. What was your total HOUSEHOLD income last year?
           No income
           less than $20,000
           $20,000 to $40,000
           $40,000 to $60,000
           $60,000 to $80,000
           $80,000 to $100,000
           more than $100,000

We'd like to know what genealogists remember about their families and about how much their ancestors have traveled. Again, we assure you that no information connecting individuals to the survey responses is being collected. We are primarily concerned with being able to group responses appropriately.

1. What is "home" to you?
           where I live now
           where I was born
           where my mother's family came from
           where my father's family came from

2. Where is your ancestral home?
           where I live now
           where I was born
           where my mother's family came from
           where my father's family came from

People have migrated all over the world and across many generations. Think about all the branches of your family tree. Then think about the branches with immigrants when answering the following questions.

3. When did your family/ancestors first arrive in the country you live in now? What year? In other words, in what year did your earliest ancestors arrive?
          

4. How many generations ago was that?
           None, I am an immigrant
           1, my parents immigrated
           2, my grandparents immigrated
           3, my great grandparents immigrated
           4, my great great grandparents immigrated
           5, my great great great grandparents immigrated
           more than 5 generations ago

5. Where did they (earliest immigrants) immigrate from?
          

6. When did the most recent immigration of your family/ancestors to the country you live in now occur? What year?
          

7. How many generations ago was that?
           None, I am an immigrant
           1, my parents immigrated
           2, my grandparents immigrated
           3, my great grandparents immigrated
           4, my great great grandparents immigrated
           5, my great great great grandparents immigrated
           more than 5 generations ago

8. Where did they (the most recent) immigrate from?
          

9. What country do you live in now?
          

10. If different branches of your family immigrated at differed times, please indicate the one branch you identify with most strongly.

11. How many times, if any, did you move/relocate your primary residence when you were a child (living with your parents or guardians)?

12. I currently live in:
           a very urban area (major city)
           a moderately urban area (city)
           a small town
           a rural area

13. My parents were born in
           a more urban setting than I was
           a more rural setting than I was
           the same type of setting I was

14. My maternal grandparents (mother's parents) were born in
           a more urban setting than my parents
           a more rural setting than my parents
           the same type of setting my parents were born in

15. My paternal grandparents (father's parents) were born in
           a more urban setting than my parents
           a more rural setting than my parents
           the same type of setting my parents were born in

Since leaving your parents home, how many times have you moved your primary residence more than 5 miles…
16. ...in the past 2 years?
17. ...in the last 5 years?
18. ...in the last 10 years?
19. …in the past 20 years?

For the following items, please indicate how well each describes you, on a 1 - 5 scale, with 1 being not at all descriptive to 5 being extremely descriptive:

1. When asked where I am from, I give my current hometown.
           not at all descriptive of me extremely descriptive of me

2. I closely identify myself with the area I live in now.
           not at all descriptive of me extremely descriptive of me

3. I feel interconnected to my extended family.
           not at all descriptive of me extremely descriptive of me

4. I work in the same area I live in.
           not at all descriptive of me extremely descriptive of me

5. Knowing my 'roots' gives me a sense of place.
           not at all descriptive of me extremely descriptive of me

6. I am very involved in local activities (sports, recreation, politics, etc).
           not at all descriptive of me extremely descriptive of me

7. In an ideal world, if my workplace were to relocate to another area, I would choose not to go because I really enjoy living here.
           not at all descriptive of me extremely descriptive of me

8. I identify myself as a member of the local community.
           not at all descriptive of me extremely descriptive of me

9. Due to current technologies, I feel I am more connected than ever to my extended family.
           not at all descriptive of me extremely descriptive of me

10. I support local merchants.
           not at all descriptive of me extremely descriptive of me

11. My family has many connections to the local community.
           not at all descriptive of me extremely descriptive of me

12. I have many event-related memories connected to locations in the local community (i.e. child born in nearby hospital, got married in local church, favorite restaurant where friends get together).
           not at all descriptive of me extremely descriptive of me

13. I often feel disconnected from the people around me.
           not at all descriptive of me extremely descriptive of me

14. Knowing my 'roots' gives me a sense of security.
           not at all descriptive of me extremely descriptive of me

15. I feel interconnected to my immediate family.
           not at all descriptive of me extremely descriptive of me

16. I am proud of the fact that I know my family history.
           not at all descriptive of me extremely descriptive of me

17. I feel that the 'computer age' has made our society more connected socially.
           not at all descriptive of me extremely descriptive of me

18. Sometimes, I feel lost -- not knowing who I really am.
           not at all descriptive of me extremely descriptive of me

19. I talk 'in person' with people more often then I talk to them on the phone or using E-mail.
           not at all descriptive of me extremely descriptive of me

In order to match the first and second parts of your survey responses, please enter a 4 digit number here and then again at the beginning of the next page. Please use a number that you will remember easily, such as the last four digits of your Social Security or other numeric identification number. Enter your chosen number here.

Do you have any additional comments on any of the questions you have just completed? Would you like to expand on any of your responses so far? If so, feel free to type over the text in the box. Please tell us what question you are referring to or adding on to. You will also be given another chance to add comments at the end of part two.
           no comments

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