Welcome to Ginger Goodell, CG, of San Luis Obispo, California, our newest BCG associate and the first from her lovely area, about midway between Los Angeles and San Francisco. Far from other associates and metropolitan genealogical events, Ginger takes advantage of the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy and the Institute for Genealogical and Historical Research (IGHR) in Samford.
Ginger Goodell, CG
A few years ago while in the IGHR Advanced Methodology class, Ginger found herself answering questions from Elizabeth Shown Mills about whether she had thought about certification. Receiving the 2012 Walter Lee Sheppard Jr. Prize jump-started the process, giving Ginger eighteen months to complete her portfolio.[1] She advises those considering certification, “Do it!” She also recommends beginning the work samples before applying. That would have saved her from having to apply for extended time to feel she was completely ready. She notes, though, “had I extended [yet] again, I believe I would have found still more to do, dragging out the process another six months or more.” Sometimes it’s hard to know when to stop.
Ginger’s love of reading and learning and her background in English and history saw her through a career teaching first- through fourth-graders. She took up oil painting as an adult, commenting, “It was people I wanted to paint, not buildings or flowers, but people. And now, even though I’m not using a brush and palette to [create] a person’s likeness on canvas, I’m doing it with words, words that are backed up by careful research.”
A passion for writing fiction and family stories took hold of her. “I attempted to fictionalize the story of my grandmother who lost one husband in Scotland to a coal mine accident, only to lose the next two husbands to coal mine accidents in America.” Frustrated with feeling disloyal to the memory of her grandmother with a fictional account, she turned instead to the “true story,” and never returned to fiction.
Among the valued people in Ginger’s life are a husband, children, and grandchildren. For them and for posterity she documents her family history. Ginger is looking forward to further exploring her Cherokee ancestry. She explains, “Unlike those who heard stories of their Cherokee princess ancestor, I have four direct-line ancestors who are on the Dawes rolls. . . . None were princesses.”
A friend from the San Luis Obispo County Genealogical Society, Cafi Cohen, encouraged Ginger to attend institutes and serves still as a mentor to her through the Implementing Professional Standards Special Interest Group. Ginger joins Cafi as a volunteer at the society. She wants to begin speaking at society meetings and in time may “take [her] show on the road.” One day we may have the pleasure of seeing her on the national stage. Ginger can be reached at , or you might run into her at one of the institutes, still learning, still working to become a better genealogist.
[1] The prize is awarded to top-performing students in the IGHR Advanced Methodology class. It provides a stipend to cover preliminary and final application fees for BCG certification. See “Walter Lee Sheppard, Jr. Prize Encourages New Board Applicants,” OnBoard: Newsletter of the Board for Certification of Genealogists 18 (January 2012): 2.
CG or Certified Genealogist is a service mark of the Board for Certification of Genealogists®, used under license by board-certified genealogists after periodic competency evaluation and the board name is registered in the US Patent & Trademark Office.