An Interview with Jérôme Blanc

It has been our pleasure recently to have had the opportunity to communicate with Jérôme Blanc, a professional genealogist who resides in Epinay sur seine, France. Monsieur Blanc is a Historian of economic and social history having received his postgraduate degree at the l’École des hautes études en sciences socials (EHESS). Having become impassioned by his studies in the economic, social and cultural life of his ancestors in the industrial Alsace between the eighteenth and the twentieth centuries, Monsieur Blanc began a journey in constructing the genealogy of his maternal family. In 1994 he published his first work: The Engel, a family of industrialists and philanthropists.

After attending a seminar given by Louis Bergeron he became aware of his taste for the economic, social and political aspects of history and embarked on his second work Frédéric Engel-Dollfus the biography of an industrialist in Alsace (Editions Christian, 2003) in the context of a Masters Degree in History and then with a special interest having been developed for the declination of the Alsatian Rhine model he wrote his third study "Les Monnier" – the story of the social ascent of Franche-Comté, Paris to Lorrainee.

In addition to the above works Monsieur Blanc has written many artilcles for French Genealogy publications. Some of these include: "Le Modèle mulhousien" an economic model of social and cultural development of capitalism with a human face (Bulletin de la Société belfortaine d’émulation n° 94, 2003), Les sources du travail au XIXe siècle (sources of labor in the nineteenth century) Généalogie magazine, avril 2007, Avez-vous un ancêtre saint-simonien?(Do you have a Saint-Simeon ancestor?) Votre Généalogie, août-septembre 2007, Souvenirs d'une jeune fille d'industriel alsacien (memories of a young girl from the industial Alaciennes) Votre Généalogie, avril-mai 2008 and Trucs et astuces (Tips and Tricks) Votre Généalogie, février-mars 2007 à juin-juillet 2008)

Since these extensive research projects have been written, Monsieur Blanc has been working as a professional genealogist transmitting his knowledge and passion for genealogy and in history to the search for his clients ancestry and to his continuing writings on the subject of genealogy.

Monsieur Blanc has been a member of Genealogy Freelancers since September, 2008 and has performed research for clients of our service who have sought their French roots. We are honored to call Jérôme Blanc our friend and a Specialist in the truest sense.

The following are answers to a few questions we have asked Monsieur Blanc.

Jérôme Blanc, personal communication with permission to publish, March 14, 2010

GF: When did you become interested in genealogy and why?
JB: About 15 years ago. My mother told me about my industrial ancestors in Alsace who were at the head of the firm DMC (Dollfus-Mieg et Cie ) during four generations.
GF: You have written several publications; what made you interested in these particular subjects?
JB: For the genealogical publications, I was interested to discover the life of my ancestors and for the historical publications, because I have discovered in myself a passion for industrial and economical history, political history (the social, economical and political theory of Saint-Simonisme etc.)
GF: In your professional role as a genealogist, what is your main concentration and why?
JB: Due to my background studies in economical and social history, my specialty was work in archives, but I am now on any ground (tout terrain in French) !!!
GF: What geographic locations do you cover in your research?
JB: I search in all of France and in French speaking countries.
GF: What areas have the most significant personal relevance to you?
JB: The areas are Alsace, Lorraine, Cévennes, Aisne etc.,because they are earth of my ancestors, and the others areas are the locations significant to my clients.
GF: What has been the most rewarding case that you have ever worked on and why?
JB: In the past, it was to construct the genealogy of my Alsacian ancestors because their history is so exciting : they participated in the French take off of the industries in France and in the first and second industrial revolutions.
Right now, I am actually searching in the archives to prove that the father of my clients ancestry goes back to Louis XV!!
GF: What is the most challenging aspect of genealogy research in France – Frustrations?
JB: It’s to perform research with the mixing of genealogy and history. No frustration, I do genealogy by passion.
GF: Do you have an opinion as to what records provide the most relevant and abundant information?
JB: All records provide relevant information, it depends what you are looking for.
GF: What is your advice for someone beginning his or her search of their French roots?
JB: Read French and get to know a little bit about French history and begin to establish the skeleton of his or her genealogy.
GF: When you research is there anything that you take with you – Anything that helps you to better achieve your goal?
JB: I always prepare for my research, but I can bring books with me, summaries in tables that I have prepared on the information, which will make it possible to locate particular information in every archive document.
GF: Do you have any future plans regarding your work in genealogy?
JB: At present just to satisfy my clients and find what they ask me to find

We thank you Monsieur Blanc for your time and for allowing our readers the privilege of having a glimpse into your world.

Genealogy in Life and Death

There is a side to genealogy that may touch all of us, yet it is nothing that thrills us. It is nothing like making that crack through a brick wall. It is a side that touches us on a personal level and gives us pause to continue. It is that moment when genealogy is no longer a quest or result. It is that entry after the name that signifies a concrete truth and this truth that when we are first met with it, brings a denial that is unwilling to make that entry for fear that truth will win out. That entry is d.

My twin sister passed away this past November and it is a pain like none other I have ever known. I will not elaborate except to say that she was the absolute light in my life and that her early and sudden loss took my heart to a place I wish on no one.

As I am a genealogist and the appointed historian for our family it is something that I must do, but that d. after her name strikes a cord so deep that it brings a pain to my bones. It must be done as it is the final salute to a life well loved.

In our pursuit of lineage we enter data for our clients on a daily basis. We see the dates and we calculate forwards and backwards our next move. We anticipate large quantity of death in years of plague or war and envision the sadness of the parents. We see the events of birth and marriage in our minds eye and imagine being their guest at the festivities. We are transported to a day and location that very few professions allow and we believe that in visualizing these lives who are long past that we bring honor to those we investigate.

It is true that what we do is noble. It is true that what we do makes an absolute difference, but for every entry of that d. there was one left behind that deeply mourned their loss and in order to be noble and to make that difference it is imperative for me to include them in my visualization. How else will I hear their voices?

There may be separate trains of thought concerning method. There may be those that believe that there’s no place for sentiment in our work and that it muddies the waters. I am not of this mindset – right or wrong. For me it’s involuntary. I can’t think of the ancestors I seek in a purely statistical manner. Of course, I must and do follow proper methodology, yet I need also to see and feel the surroundings of those I seek in order to strategize where next I should go. Their occupations, location of marriage, religion, obituary, godparents and witnesses all speak to me. Every deed, census, divorce decree and village history speak volumes to me. The voices help clarify my quest and they bring joy to the process.

I will enter the d. after my sisters name and I’ll hope that a future generation will visualize that entry as one made with love; as one made with the expressed wish that whoever reads it will know that those she left behind had honored her in life and in death. And if there is something not known that they will hear her voice and follow her clues.

Adding that d. may sadden us, yet it will also bring a renewed pride in a profession that allows us to validate and give reverence far beyond a mere statistic. We can do this every day for every name we search and for every d. we enter. We can see them clearly and appreciate that we have been allowed passage to a place in time where they loved, laughed and held the hands of those they cared for. This gift we have been given deserves every respectful act in return. It deserves our pursuit of the truest sense of who they were.

To my sister whom I have loved then and always, it has pained me to enter your name, but I have done so that you will never be forgotten and that you will continue to have a place with purpose.

Deborah

Find a record? It's like the winning G9 on your bingo card.

In this genealogical climate of cases and brick walls so much is written within the confines of the skill and art of this field, yet not much is penned concerning the client and the genealogist as individuals other than the demographic makeup of age, gender and salary range and so curiosity of such stories are the theme of this topic. We feel it high time that the individual reasons for the love of genealogy be known and heralded. After all, if not for both, the field would be left to statistics alone without the battle cries and kudos of the journey and arrival.

For the genealogist the drive appears to be for the love of history and puzzles; a need to best one self in what can, at times, be a solo venture. Let’s face it; not everyone is as enamored with the finding of great, great grandpa Jeremiah as say … you. Often the glazed look of the recipient to our discovery tales is indicative of the yawn they suppress or a roll of their eyes, or worse yet the calculated measuring of the distance to the nearest exit. None of what you’re telling them is boring .. to you; so why don’t they get it? I think the birds of a feather synopsis best applies; however other researchers show signs of weary slumber as well when the ancestors discussed are not their own and although there is an appreciation to your findings it is not quite the same as finding THEIR gg-grandpa Jeremiah. Think of those moments when you had your nose buried in film number 189…. And then Sally who has the reader to your right squeals in delight of breaking what would appear to be the DiVinci code. Were you 100% thrilled when you murmured your platitudes or completely oblivious to anything other than the Latin text you were just then perusing? In turn, have you not at least once, consciously or subconsciously, squealed out loud and heard the same platitudes from those around you? It’s part of the package; the winning G9 on your BINGO card. You succeeded and it’s next to impossible to keep a secret of it.

The above description may imply a kind of narcissism to the genealogist, but it’s anything but. There’s intensity to the job at hand, yet there is a generosity to the researcher in that if asked for help on a particular quandary then it has been my experience that help is easy to acquire as the element of camaraderie of mates in common takes hold. It is then that the interest in THEIR gg-grandpa Jeremiah becomes your interest as well. This then leads me to the relationship between the genealogy seeker, or in other terms, the recreational genealogist or family historian and the professional researcher or genealogy freelance specialist. The relationship of client and professional is an exercise in tandem and it is one of great satisfaction, in most cases, for both.

As a professional I must say that the common denominator of the many clients I have had throughout the years is patience. It may be that I specialize and therefore; I presume that most of my clients have performed a good deal of their own research prior to their contact with me and have knowledge of the time necessary to be thorough, but I am also inclined to believe that there is an innate sense of decency to these folk in that beyond the puzzle solving there is a true desire to honor their ancestry and with honor there is almost always a kind soul. In all my years I can honestly report that I have never had a disagreeable client. Am I lucky; I don’t think it’s about luck. I think that it’s a combination of the desire to know and appreciation of taking the journey with another who’s on the same road, one who can discuss Jeremiah and his lineage in detail and who can rejoice in findings or ponder new possibilities if findings are few. Finding a record can at times, be a matter of course; however there are some instances where feeling a bit like Santa is not an exaggeration when a client is so completely appreciative.

Is an addiction to genealogy a bad thing?

Being that this is our first blog, I thought it would be fun to start with something comical. I found the following posted online not too long ago. I would love to give credit where credit is due and cite the source (as any good genealogist would) for this little piece however, it seems the writer is unknown. If anyone is privy to the author, please be sure and let me know. In the mean time, this is a wonderful celebration of our obessive nature when it comes to all things genealogy. Read on and enjoy.

You Know That You're Addicted to Genealogy When ...........

1. If you get locked in a library overnight and you never even notice.

2. When you hyperventilate at the sight of an old cemetery.

3. If you'd rather browse in a cemetery than a shopping mall.

4. When you think every home should have a microfilm reader.

5. If you'd rather read census schedules than a good book.

6. When you know every town clerk in your state by name.

7. If town clerks lock the doors when they see you coming.

8. When you are more interested in what happened in 1695 than 1995.

9. If you store your clothes under the bed and your closet is carefully stacked with notebooks and journals.

10. When Savage, Torrey, and Pope are household names, but you can't remember what you call your dog.

11. If you can pinpoint Harrietsham, Hawkhurst, Kent on a map of England, but can't locate Topeka, Kansas.

12. When all your correspondence begins "Dear Cousin."

13. If you've traced every one of your ancestral lines back to Adam and Eve, have it fully documented, and still don't want to quit.