Since starting this blog, I have been trying to spread the posts around different branches of my tree. I do this so extended family will see things that pertain to them. I want to keep everyone interested.
Unfortunately, some branches are more difficult than others to write about. I have noticed that I prefer some families to others. I have guilt about liking some of my ancestors more than others.
I have noticed that this bias has effected my research in a not so good way. I have spent more time researching the families that I prefer. The positive is I have filled in more stories and have researched more generations for these branches of the tree. The negative is I have not filled in the stories and continued my research to further generations for the families that I don’t have much interest in. There are stories out there waiting to be found.
My bias does not have a rhyme or reason to it. There are just some ancestors that I find completely boring or am not so crazy about the way they lived their lives. My Mom always tells me that you cannot change people. You need to accept them for who they are to fully enjoy them. So today I am making a commitment to stop judging my ancestors and enjoy them to the fullest!
I know exactly how you feel! I tend to favor some families over others in my research as well. My bias has a lot to do with the living descendants rather than the ancestors themselves. I do research for related families such as my sister's husband, my half brother's mother and other spouses of my grandparents. The more interested and friendly the current descendant, the more likely I am to put time into the family research.
Here's hoping you find the motivation to tackle some of those extra families in your tree. Good luck!
I also have favorite lines, but I find that my favorites tend to be those that have the most information or that I can definitively track. It is important to spread the love but remember that it is your hobby…you want to have fun doing it! You'll get to the other lines at some point. Good luck!
I absolutely have favorite ancestors and family lines. My current favorites are those ancestors that make me work the hardest to find them in the records. I love a good challenge.