Genealogy Is My Life; Housework Is Just a Hobby.

I think that says it all, eh? Probably explains my Generational Blog name too, as I am interested in all the family history I can get my hands on.

My family can heartily attest to this statement. My children groan about all the family vacations we took where we sidetracked to cemeteries and libraries. Many cemeteries and libraries. I will admit, it isn't DH's (Dear Husband) favorite thing to do, but after many years I have found a sure fire way to revisit a particular cemetery in Lexington, Kentucky. Bribery.

On our way back from a real vacation last weekend - real in that there were no weddings, funerals, house hunting or moving anyone involved - we made a two night stop in Lexington. We would have one full day to kick back and do what we wanted. Or most of what we wanted. Lexington is a very charming city, that is also vibrant, walkable and downright historic. It was also home to 50% of my father's ancestors at any particular point in time. My goal was to complete two sections of the cemetery in my search of ancestors and collateral relatives. His goal was to take a microbrewery tour. Cemeteries being weather dependant, my backup plan was the city library which houses a huge collection of indexed newspapers. Despite the heat, the weather cooperated and I was very successful at the cemetery. The trip to the microbrewery was equally successful as it involved the tasting of the three brews they produce there. One was a Kolsch (light beer); one an ale with a moderate alcohol content; but the winner was a Kentucky bourbon barrel ale. This process involves aging the regular ale in a used bourbon barrel for 6 weeks which imparts that touch of bourbon taste and nose to the ale and increases the alcohol content. This was so noteworthy we brought back a four-pack!

Due to the vastness of this cemetery and about 170 years of burials in Lexington cemetery, I can see that we will have to continue the bourbon tour we started a couple years ago. The DH knows that my cemetery list is extensive. It gets longer before every trip. But in this 170 acre cemetery I have ancestors going back to my great-great-great-great-great grandparents - seven generations - James Parker and Mary Todd. I can find Bowmans, Chinns, Parkers, Todds, and Webbs. I can find them as obscure residents, famous residents and infamous residents and that is what makes the hunt fascinating. I'm sure Maker's Mark, Woodford Reserve, Jim Beam, Wild Turkey, Buffalo Trace, Heaven Hill and Four Roses will make this search very interesting.

My hobby calls!