Week 52 of #52Ancestors Challenge: Memorable
When I started this year’s #52Ancestors challenge, I knew I was committing to write 52 blog posts about my ancestors. What I didn’t know was how much this weekly discipline would transform me, not just as a genealogist, but as a writer, researcher, and storyteller. This memorable genealogy year has exceeded every expectation.
The Challenge of Consistency
Let’s be honest: I didn’t post every single week exactly on time. Some weeks ran late. Some posts took longer to research than others. But here’s what matters: I showed up. Week after week, I worked through the themes, dug into the stories, and found ways to share my ancestors’ lives with you. That persistence, that commitment to the practice of writing and researching, taught me something invaluable: growth doesn’t come from perfection. It comes from showing up consistently, even when it’s hard.
The Breakthroughs That Made It All Worthwhile
This memorable genealogy year brought discoveries I’d been chasing for years. Finally learning what happened to my great-grandmother Julia Knysz Dubinsky felt like solving a mystery that had haunted our family for generations. Every week I sat down to write, I practiced the skills that eventually led to that breakthrough: careful analysis, thoughtful questioning, persistent searching.
The DNA connections pointing to my great-great-grandfather Sven Mattisson in Sweden remain tantalizing possibilities, not yet confirmed but full of promise. These potential Swedish cousins represent the ongoing nature of genealogical research. Not every question gets answered in a single year, but every week of writing about my research sharpened my ability to analyze what the evidence tells me and what it doesn’t.
Recognition and Validation
When I learned that my blog post about Letitia Plunkett would be included in Robin Stewart’s GenStack 2025 Anthology*, I was stunned. Me? My writing? In an anthology? This recognition validated something I’d been working toward all year: learning to craft genealogical narratives that educate while they engage, that honor my ancestors while teaching research methods to others. It became a highlight of my memorable genealogy year.
That honor didn’t happen by accident. It happened because I’d been practicing every single week, refining my voice, learning to balance storytelling with solid genealogical methodology, discovering how to make complex research accessible to readers.
How I Grew as a Researcher
This weekly writing practice forced me to become a better researcher. When you know you’re going to share your findings publicly, you check your sources more carefully. You question your assumptions. You follow the evidence wherever it leads, even when it contradicts what you thought you knew. This memorable genealogy year taught me research skills I’ll use forever.
I learned to:
- Ask better questions of the records I found
- Look beyond the obvious sources to find the hidden stories
- Connect individual discoveries to broader historical contexts
- Use the FAN principle more systematically
- Trust the process of timeline construction
- Embrace the uncertainty that comes with incomplete records
Each blog post became a mini research project, teaching me skills I’ll use for the rest of my genealogical journey.
How I Grew as a Writer
At the beginning of this memorable genealogy year, I worried about finding my voice. Could I write engagingly about genealogy without sacrificing accuracy? Could I make census records and church books interesting to readers beyond my immediate family?
Fifty-two weeks of writing taught me that yes, I could. More than that, I discovered I actually enjoy the challenge of translating complex genealogical research into clear, compelling narratives. I learned to:
- Open with hooks that draw readers in
- Weave methodology lessons into personal stories
- Use active voice to keep the narrative moving
- Balance technical accuracy with readability
- End posts with questions that invite reader engagement
- Trust that my authentic voice matters more than trying to sound like someone else
The Power of Weekly Discipline
Perhaps the most memorable lesson from this year isn’t about any single ancestor or discovery. It’s about what happens when you commit to a regular practice. Writing every week (even when I posted late, even when the theme seemed challenging, even when life got busy) created a rhythm that sustained my research in ways I never expected.
That weekly deadline meant I couldn’t procrastinate indefinitely on hard research questions. It meant I had to make decisions, trust my analysis, and share my findings even when uncertainty remained. It meant I had to keep learning, keep growing, keep pushing myself to do better work.
Looking Back, Looking Forward
As I close out 2025, I’m not the same researcher or writer I was in January. I’m more confident in my abilities, more comfortable with ambiguity, more skilled at both research and storytelling. I’ve built a body of work I’m genuinely proud of: 52 posts that document not just my ancestors’ lives, but my own journey of discovery.
This year has been memorable not because everything went perfectly, but because I showed up consistently and did the work. The ancestors I wrote about (from Brooklyn to Sweden, from Ireland to Slovakia) deserve to be remembered. And through this year of weekly writing, I’ve learned to honor them in ways that educate, engage, and endure.
What’s Next?
Will I continue with #52Ancestors in 2026? Absolutely! This year’s challenge taught me that I’m capable of more than I thought as a researcher, as a writer, and as a storyteller committed to preserving my family’s history. I’m already looking forward to another year of weekly discoveries and growth.
Thank you for joining me on this journey. Whether you’ve read every post or just a few, your presence in this community matters. We’re all in this together, learning to honor our ancestors by telling their stories with care, accuracy, and love.
Here’s to a memorable genealogy year in 2025, and to whatever genealogical adventures 2026 brings!
What made your genealogy year memorable? What breakthroughs, discoveries, or learning moments will you carry forward? I’d love to hear your stories in the comments!
Here’s an easy link to my Latest Blog Posts page – https://ourgrowingfamilytree.com/blog/. Feel free to read and comment on any of my posts. I’d love to hear from you! 🙂
* You can also find it on InternetArchive.org https://archive.org/details/genstack-anthology-2025
Leave a Reply