Let Me Introduce You To … Thomas MacEntee of GeneaBloggers

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Let Me Introduce You To … Thomas MacEntee of GeneaBloggers

Thomas MacEntee

Let
me introduce you to a man known in the industry as “The Genealogy Guy.” Thomas
MacEntee’s passion for genealogy runs deep. He is the founder of GeneaBloggers, High-Definition Genealogy

Hack Genealogy

Thomas
is well known in theindustry as a blogger, educator, author, social
media connector, online community builder and speaker. He is based in Chicago,
Illinois.

Q&A With Thomas MacEntee

Genealogists.com: How many years have you
been involved in genealogy?

Thomas MacEntee: As a hobbyist, for over 20
years and as a professional, for 6 years.

Genealogists.com: How did you first become involved?

Thomas:
My great-grandparents who helped raise me
first introduced me to family history through stories and through a written
genealogy done in 1916.

Genealogists.com: What do you love about
family history?

Thomas:
I love the stories and learning how my
ancestors lived.

Genealogists.com: What’s your favorite
part of the search process?

Thomas:
My favorite part is evaluating evidence –
taking three or more different data points related to a fact such as a
birth date and determining which ones fit the puzzle.

Genealogists.com: What is your least
favorite part of the genealogy process?

Thomas:
My least favorite part is having to sift
through erroneous information, especially from online trees and other platforms where the information is so easy
to spread.

Genealogists.com: What do you believe is
the most difficult part of family history research?

Thomas:
Being disciplined – taking your time,
tracking information, maintaining good records and not allowing yourself to
be distracted by “bright and shiny objects.”

Genealogists.com: How has genealogy
changed your life?

Thomas:
After a major career change and life
interruption in 2008, I decided to pursue the genealogy field as a
professional. I now own my own business and have become obsessed with building
entrepreneurial skills and teaching them
to others.

Genealogists.com: If you could sit and
chat with one ancestor who would it be?

Thomas:
It would be my 9th great-grandfather
Johannes Putman who arrived in New York in 1661 and was killed during the
Schenectady Massacre.