GENEALOGY in 2020

A report from the future

The Virtual Dinner Party.

What it looks like, and how it feels

Which ancestors would you invite?

• Lilburn Scott (1839-1922)

• Francis Marion Bobo (1852-1931)

• His wife, Matilda Littrell Bobo (1856-1940)

• Jonathan Sharbrough (1734-1771)

Lilburn Scott

• Why did you name your son Lincoln in 1867 in Illinois?

• Tell me about the Oklahoma run where you floated the wagons across the river.

• Tell me about living in Indian Territory.

Francis Marion Bobo

• Tell me about that trip your grandmother made into Kansas.

• Tell me about playing the fiddle.

• Tell me how the four Arkansas grandparents ended up in the same Oklahoma cemetery.

Matilda “Tildy” Littrell

• Tell me about how your mother got by after the war.

• Tell me what you can remember about your father.

• Tell me the truth about how the four of you ended up in the same cemetery.

Jonathan Sharbrough

• How many sons DID you have anyway?

• Can you tell me about life with your family there in Pasquotank County?

• Who was Tamar Ivey?

• Did you ever grow indigo? Tobacco? Hemp?

The Virtual Dinner Party

•How they do it•Mixing info about me, history, etc.•Merging the General with the Specific.

•How did people dress, eat or curse? How did great granddad dress, eat, and curse?

Must kill Jar Jar Binks.

. I also Give to my Son John Sharbrough halfe the Land I bought of John Smithson onthe Eastermost side to him & his heirs Forever, but if my do son John Sharbrough dye inhis Minority, or not Dispose of said Land then my will and Desire is that my Son JosephSharbrough have all the Land Given to John, to him his heirs & Assigns Forever, but ifmy Two Sons John and Jonathan should die without Disposing of their Land then my will& Desire is that it fall to the Two next Eldest Boys to be Equally divided between them tothem & their Heirs & assigns Forever. But if Jonathan Die only without Disposing of hisLand then my will & Desire is that his do Land fall to Joseph Sharbrough and do along tothe next Eldest to him Living to him his heirs and assigns Forever.

In the Name of God Amen I Jonathan Sharbrough of the County of Pasquotank & Province of North Carolina Farmer being of good health & sound mind & Memory thanks be to God for the same do this Fourth day of November in the year of our Lord One Thousand Seven Hundred & Seventy One, make Constitute & Publish this my last Will & Testament in manner Following Viz .....................

Imprimus I give and bequeath to my Son John Sharbrough the Land I bought of Edward Wharton Senior and Part the land whereon I now Live Bounded as Follows ...

Further my Will is that the do Land be Rented out for the Term of Five years from the date hereof as the discression of my Executors and the money arising therefrom to be Equally divided among my Four youngest Children.

I give and bequeath to my Son Jonathan Sharbrough All my Land that is not before Given to his Brother John Sharbrough to him & his heirs forever but that he shall not disturb his Mother in the use I have already Mentioned to her in the said Land;

I also Give to my Son John Sharbrough halfe the Land I bought of John Smithson on the Eastermost side to him & his heirs Forever, but if my do son John Sharbrough dye in his Minority, or not Dispose of said Land then my will and Desire is that my Son Joseph Sharbrough have all the Land Given to John, to him his heirs & Assigns Forever, but if my Two Sons John and Jonathan should die without Disposing of their Land then my will & Desire is that it fall to the Two next Eldest Boys to be Equally divided between them to them & their Heirs & assigns Forever. But if Jonathan Die only without Disposing of his Land then my will & Desire is that his do Land fall to Joseph Sharbrough and do along to the next Eldest to him Living to him his heirs and assigns Forever.

… my will is that all the Remainder of my Estate be sold at Public Vendue for Twelve Months Credit and the Money Arising to be Equally Divided among my Four youngest Children and if any of my Four Youngest Children die before of age ye Survivers to have the Deceaseds Part.

Jonathan Sharbrough’s Children

• John

• Jonathan

• Joseph

• Jehu

• Josiah?

• ?

Real human relationships are very complicated and will not offer simple computing challenges.

Now I’m the ancestor.

I recently attended a virtual reunion where my descendents, fresh off parole, conjured up a virtual likeness of me.

What did they ask me?

• Who shot JR?

• What was the Bomb like?

• How did you meet great-grandmother?

• What was your horse’s name?

What did the gholem tell them?

• That I liked Rolling Stones’ music.

• That I wore disco clothes in the 70s.

• That I was twins with James Bryan Sharbrough.

• That I got rich in the Great Bear Market.

• That I used primitive computers that you had to type on.

What’s wrong with this picture?

•The things that were wrong about me. •Will they do it wrong?

Too much generalization

Not enough specifics

Are we doing it wrong a lot of the time?

Connecting the dots

LeMaster Numbers

Time

Space

Name

Birth 1

M arriage 1

D eath 1

B irth 2

C ensus 1

Connecting the Dots

the Right Way