Friday, July 1, 2011

Amanda Epperson

Amanda E Epperson
As I have a number of Scottish ancestors who emigrated to Australia "The Scottish Emigration Blog"  (http://www.scottishemigration.blogspot.com/) is on my list of RSS feeds. Keen to find out more about the person behind this blog I approached Amanda for a Genimates profile.

Thanks, Amanda, for sharing your story with us.

Date 29 June 2011      
Name Amanda E. Epperson       
Hometown: South Pasadena
Current City: Cleveland, Ohio (more or less)

Are you a Hobbyist or Professional Genealogist?
Neither, I am a professional historian who is fascinated by family history

What is your day job?
I teach history at a community college

How long have you been chasing ancestors?  As an historian, I’ve been chasing people from the past for about 15 years. For my own family, on and off for many more years.

How did you get hooked on genealogy?
Both of my grandmothers were interested in their family histories.  My one grandmother had a very neatly printed out family tree that a cousin had done, but she didn’t actively do any research. My other grandmother and her sister did research their families and drag me to overgrown cemeteries. I think part of their interest came from the fact that their parents had been orphaned, so they did not have really know where their family came from.

What, if any, formal or informal studies have you undertaken that are relevant to genealogical research?
I have a PhD in history with a specialization in immigration – I have always been fascinated by how people move about and take their culture with them. I have also attended several genealogy conferences and workshops.

What are your areas of Expertise in Genealogy? 
Ohio and Scotland

Please outline your involvement in Genealogy Societies and Groups.
I belong to the Ohio Genealogical Society and the Great Lakes Chapter of the Association of Professional Genealogists.  My APG chapter meets most months to discuss articles from the National Genealogy Society Quarterly (NGSQ).

What are the lands of your ancestors?
My dad’s family has been in the United States for a really long time.  We haven’t traced them back to Europe yet, but we presume that most branches are from the British Isles. On my mother’s side are more recent immigrants from Scotland, Norway and Sweden.

What Family Names are you Researching?

The four main ones are: Eldridge, Epperson, Hood, and Nordstrom.

Who is your favourite ancestor? Why?I try not to play favorites.

What ancestral city or town would you like to visit? Why?I would like to visit Sweden, Norway, and Finland.

What is your favourite resource for genealogy?The internet.
Do you keep your genealogy files on paper? Yes (but I’m trying to move to an all/mostly digital system)
Do you keep your genealogy files on a computer?  Yes

What genealogy software do you use to record your family tree?I’ve used Family Tree Maker since the first or second DOS version. But I’ve recently gotten Legacy to do some work for a client. It is not as pretty as Family Tree Maker, but I really like its interface for citations.

Do you have your tree posted on the internet? No

What Social Networking Sites do you use for genealogy?I don’t use social networking for genealogy, but I do use several of the sites listed for other purpose.

Do you have a blog? Several
What are your blogs' URLs? 
The Scottish Emigration Blog: http://www.scottishemigration.blogspot.com/
& The Historian’s Family: http://www.historiansfamily.blogspot.com/

What are your Other Hobbies, Activities, Interests? Reading, knitting, trying to stay out of trouble.

What is your favourite (non genealogy) book? 
Pride & Prejudice

What is your personal philosophy in a few words ?Don’t Worry; Be Happy.  (yes, you do hear Bobby McFerrin in your head)

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