Somehow, another week has flown by and it’s Saturday, so it’s time for SNGF with Randy Seaver. We are only two weeks away form Christmas, so it is no surprise that this week’s challenge is our Genea-Santa letter:
Come on, everybody, join in and accept the mission and execute it with precision. Here’s your chance to sit on Genea-Santa’s lap (virtually) and tell him your Christmas genealogy-oriented wish list:
1) Write your 2021 Genea-Santa letter. Have you been a good genealogy girl or boy? What genealogy-oriented items are on your Christmas wish list? They could be family history items, technology items, or things that you want to pursue in your ancestral quest.

Dear Genea-Santa,
My genea-wish list isn’t very long this year, so I hope you’ll take that into account when choosing my gifts.
I’ve been a good genea-friend this year, in spite of the continuing pandemic. Although I haven’t met anywhere in person, I’ve not only attended many virtual presentations, I’ve made an extra effort to begin discussion groups.
To help make up for not teaching my genealogy class at home again this year, I’ve completed two projects that have taken six months to assemble.
The first project, done in the spring, was the compilation of thousands of links to digitized county histories for every state in America. That project is posted on my blog and is freely accessible for everyone – no ads and no selling anything.
My second project, which will be finished before New Year’s Day, is related to my Rusyn ancestry. I’ve abstracted the church records for St. Dimitry’s Church, serving the people of Udol and Hajtovka, Slovakia, for several centuries. The records of baptisms, marriages and burials are complete in Excel files and the compilation of all the families is almost finished in Word. These will be shared with many Rusyn contacts, both in America and Slovakia.
I really have tries to be a genea-helper!
Now for my wish list:
1. Andy Warhol’s Religious and Ethnic Roots: The Carpatho-Rusyn Influence on His Art, by Raymond M. Herbenick, 1997
This book is a bit scarce. I hope you can find a copy for me as I’d really like to read it and add it to my Rusyn library shelf.
2. New York State Archives Collections: A Guide for Family Historians and Other Researchers
This is a soon-to-be published book from the New York Genealogical & Biographical Society. With all of Dave’s family roots to be found in New York, I would love to add this reference book to my collection.
3. RootMagic 8 has been released, although I’ve waited to delve into the new program. I really need the gift of patience to learn about the changes and some enthusiasm to once again try to tackle those pesky source templates.
That’s it for 2021!
Santa, please also remember all my genea-family and friends. Be generous with their genea-gifts, too!
Lastly, please leave lots of good health, safety and happiness for everyone under our Christmas trees.
Thank you, Genea-Santa.
Merry Christmas and Safe Travels,
Linda
I hope you get your genealogy wish list items!
You’ve given all genealogists with US ancestors an incredible gift by listing all those county histories with links so we can click and start reading or checking indexes. Thank you, thank you for going above and beyond–what a genea-friend you are! I do hope Genea-Santa brings everything on your list.